Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

ADJECTIVES

8. Interrogative adjectives

What is an interrogative adjective?

An interrogative adjective is a question word such as which, what or how much that is used when asking about a noun, for example, Which colour?; What size?; How much sugar?

In Italian the interrogative adjectives are che, quale and quanto.

che and quale are used to ask which or what:

Use che or quale with singular nouns.

Use che or quali with plural nouns.

Use quanto with masculine nouns and quanta with feminine nouns to ask how much.

Use quanti with masculine nouns and quante with feminine nouns to ask how many.

For more information on Questions, see page 152.

Key points

Use che with any noun to mean which or what.

quale has the plural form quali.

quanto has feminine and plural forms.

Adjectives used in exclamations

In Italian che…! is often used with a noun where we would say What a …! in English.

che can also be used with an adjective when you’re commenting on somebody or something.

You can also use an Italian adjective by itself when you are commenting on someone’s behaviour.

As in English, you can use an Italian adjective alone when you are commenting on something you see or taste.

Tip

Remember to make the adjective agree with the person or thing you’re commenting on.

You can use quanto, quanta, quanti and quante when you are exclaiming about a large amount or number.