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Avverbi interrogativi
When, where, why, how? Use interrogative adverbs to ask these informational questions.
Per esempio…
| Dove lavora? | Where does he work? | |
| Quando esci? | When are you leaving? |
Characteristics of Interrogative Adverbs
- Ask for specific information
- Can be used in indirect questions
- Are invariable (no plural or feminine forms)
Italian Interrogative Adverbs
Italian has five interrogative adverbs.
1) Come
Come usually means "how?"
| Come va? | How is he doing? | |
| Come hai fatto? | How did you do that? |
In certain contexts, come means "what?"
| Come ti chiami? | What’s your name? | |
| Come sono i tuoi amici? | What are your friends like? |
2) Dove
Dove means "where?"
| Dove vivi? | Where do you live? | |
| Dove sono? | Where are they? |
3) Perché
Perché means "why?"
| Perché stai piangendo? | Why are you crying? | |
| Perché sta andando in banca? | Why is he going to the bank? |
4) Quando
Quando means "when?"
| Quando vuoi uscire? | When do you want to leave? | |
| Quando chiamerà? | When is he going to call? |
To be more specific, you can ask A che ora? meaning “(At) what time?”
5) Quanto
Quanto means "how much?"
| Quanto costa la casa? | How much does the house cost? | |
| Quanto ne hai fatto? | How much did you do? |
Indirect Questions
Interrogative adverbs can also be used in indirect questions, where the desire for information is found within a statement or command.
Per esempio…
| Voglio sapere come sta. | I want to know how he’s doing. | |
| Ho dimenticato dove stai andando. | I forgot where you’re going. | |
| Mi chiedo perché ha mentito. | I wonder why he lied. | |
| Diteci quando vuoi cominciare. | Tell us when you want to start. | |
| Non so quanto lavora. | I don’t know how much he works. |
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Ciao! I’m Laura K Lawless, creator, writer, editor, and CLO (Chief Lawless Officer) of this free online Italian learning site. Lawless Italian is an official Lawless Languages site.
