Italian grammar · Beginner (A1)
Questions and negation
How to ask yes/no questions, use question words like dove and quando, and say “not” with non.
Yes/no questions
To turn a statement into a question, don't change anything except your voice: raise it at the end. (You speak English.) becomes (Do you speak English?).
Italian has no helper word like “do”. The subject often moves to the end of the question.
- È libero questo posto?Is this seat free?
- Hai una penna?Do you have a pen?
- Arriva il treno?Is the train coming?
Question words
Question words go at the start. (how much, how many) and (which) change to match the noun. means both “why” and “because”.
, and join with and drop their last letter: , ,
| Italian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | (Who is it?) | |
| , , | what | (What are you having?) |
| where | (Where do you live?) | |
| where… from | (Where are you from?) | |
| when | (When are you leaving?) | |
| how | (How are you?) | |
| why | (Why are you laughing?) | |
| , , , | how much, how many | (How much is it?) |
| , | which | (Which one do you prefer?) |
Saying “not” with non
Put directly before the verb: (I don't speak German). Small pronouns like or stay between and the verb: (I don't know).
“No” as an answer is . Words like (nothing), (never) and (nobody) come after the verb and still need before it. This double negative is correct in Italian.
- No, non sono italiano.No, I'm not Italian.
- Non mi piace il pesce.I don't like fish.
- Non mangio mai carne.I never eat meat.
- Non c'è nessuno.There's nobody here.
- Non voglio niente, grazie.I don't want anything, thanks.