Different types of questions - QUESTIONS - Easy Learning Italian Grammar

Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

QUESTIONS

What is a question?

A question is a sentence which is used to ask someone about something and which often has the verb in front of the subject.

1. Different types of questions

Some questions can be answered by yes or no. They are sometimes called yes/no questions. When you ask this type of question your voice goes up at the end of the sentence.

Is it raining?

Do you like olives?

You’re leaving tomorrow?

Other questions begin with question words such as why, where and when and have to be answered with specific information.

Why are you late?

Where have you been?

When did they leave?

1 How to ask yes/no questions in Italian

If you are expecting the answer yes or no, make your voice go up at the end of the question.

Tip

In Italian you can turn an adjective or a verb into a question simply by making your voice go up on the last syllable.

Basta?	Is that enough?
Piove?	Is it raining?
Chiaro?	Is that clear?
Buono?	Is it nice?

If you are asking about a person, place or thing using a noun, put the noun at the end of the question.

È partita tua sorella?	Has your sister gone?
È bella la Calabria?	Is Calabria beautiful?
Sono buoni gli spaghetti?	Is the spaghetti nice?

If the English question has a pronoun such as you, they or he in it, you:

keep to normal word order

don’t translate the pronoun into Italian unless you want to stress it

Parlano italiano?	Do they speak Italian?
Ha francobolli?	Have you got stamps?
È caro?	Is it expensive?
C’è tempo?	Is there time?
Fa l’avvocato?	Is he a lawyer?
Va bene?	Is that okay?

If you do want to stress you, he, they and so on, use a pronoun in Italian, and put it at the end of the sentence.

Parla italiano lei?	Do you speak Italian?
Viene anche lui?	Is he coming too?
L’hanno fatto loro?	Did they do it?

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

2 How to answer yes/no questions

In English you can answer questions simply by saying yes or no. If this doesn’t seem quite enough you add a short phrase, using the verb that starts the question.

Do you speak Italian?	Yes, I do.
Can he swim?	Yes, he can.
Have you been to Rome?	No, I haven’t.
Are they leaving now?	No, they’re not.

In Italian you can very often answer just with sì or no.

Stai bene? – Sì.	Are you okay? – yes.
Ti piace? – No.	Do you like it? – No.

If you don’t want to answer this sort of question with a definite yes or no you can use phrases such as:

Penso di sì.	I think so.
Spero di sì.	I hope so.
Credo di no.	I don’t think so.
Spero di no.	I hope not.

If you want to answer more fully you have to repeat the verb that’s in the Italian question.

Sai nuotare? – Sì, so nuotare.	Can you swim? – yes, I can (swim).
Piove? – Sì, piove.	Is it raining? – yes, it’s raining OR Yes, it is.
Capisci? – No, non capisco.	Do you understand? – No, I don’t (understand).

Note that there is no Italian equivalent for answers using short phrases such as yes, I do; No, I don’t; No, they haven’t.

Key points

Make your voice go up at the end of questions.

Put nouns and stressed pronouns at the end of the question.

If you want to answer more fully, repeat the verb that is used in the question.