Gone Fishin'!

I haven't really gone fishing!

I'm going to away from until the first week of July - heading to Italy for some R&R!

I will respond to any emails and queries when I return.

You can follow the progress of my trip on my travel blog, My Roman Holiday:

http://www.myromanholiday.com

Lesson 183: The pronoun, chi / Il pronome, chi

The pronoun, chi, has several functions in Italian grammar. It typically corresponds to the English who or to whom but it can have other meanings.

Let's look at how it is used when it functions as an interrogative pronoun (pronome interrogativo):

1. Chi is commonly found in questions, and, as such, it is an interrogative pronoun. It can function as the subject or as an indirect object or object of the preposition (complement indiretto):
   
   Chi vuole andare al cinema?
   Who wants to go to the movies?
   
   Chi ha comprato quella macchina blu?
   Who bought that blue car?
   
   Con chi vedi il film?
   With whom are you seeing the film?
   
   Da chi vai domani sera?
   To whose house are you going tomorrow?
   
   Readers always ask - how do you know if it is the subject or the indirect object/object of the preposition. First, when chi functions as an indirect object/object of the preposition, it will have a preposition before it (di, da, con, etc.). Second, the form of the verb can also be something other than the third person singular (see the last two examples above). Otherwise, when chi is the subject, the verb is always in the third person singular (see the first two examples above).
   
   
2. Chi di + tonic pronoun noi, voi or loro can have the meaning Which of in questions:
   
   Chi di noi...? | Which of us...
   Chi di voi...?| Which of you...
   Chi di loro...? | Which of them...
   
   Chi di noi va alla festa di Daniela?
   Which of us is going to Daniela's party?
   
   It's possible that you could have phrases such as Chi di me (Which of me...) if you're being existential or philosophical (you might hear it in songs or see it in poetry), but it's generally used in the plural (noi, voi, loro).
   
   
3. Di chi can mean whose when forming questions:
   
   Di chi è questo?
   Whose is this?
   
   Di chi sono questi?
   Whose are these?
   
   Di chi sono queste chiavi?
   Whose keys are these?
   
   
4. Chi is heard often over the telephone, as in the following expressions:
   
   Chi parla?
   Who's calling?
   
   Con chi sto parlando?
   With whom am I speaking?
   

Now let's look at how it is used when it functions as an relative pronoun (pronome relativo):

1. Chi can also be used as a relative pronoun (pronome relativo) as either the subject or an indirect object/object of the preposition (complemento indiretto). It has the following meanings:
   
   the person who, the one who
   the man/woman who/whom
   the people/those who/whom
   someone who/somebody who
   anyone who (in negative phrases)
   
   
2. Chi can also be preceded by prepositions in the following combinations:
   
   a chi
   
   Lascerò la mia eredità a chi si comporterà meglio nei miei riguardi.
   I will leave my inheritance to those who behave better towards me.
   
   con chi
   
   I miei figli giocano con chi c'è al parco.
   My children play with who is there at the park.
   
   da chi
   
   Il governo prende da chi può pagare.
   The government takes from whoever is able to pay.
   
   di chi
   
   Quel giornalaccio parla di chi vive scadalosamente.
   That rag talks about whoever lives scandalously.
   
   in chi
   
   Ho fiducia in chi dice la verità.
   I trust those who tell the truth.
   
   per chi
   
   Ho votato per chi è sembrato il più onesto.
   I voted for whoever seemed the most honest.
   
   su chi
   
   Gennaro è sfortunattissimo alle corse. Punta sempre su chi perde.
   Gennaro is unlucky at the track. He bets always on those who lose.
   
   tra/fra chi
   
   Sceglierò a chi dare i miei regali solamente tra chi mi porterà in vacanza con lui
   I will choose who to give my gifts only among those who will bring me on vacation with them.
   
   
3. Remember that a relative pronoun joins a relative clause to the main clause. Chi does not require an antecedent (unlike che and cui) as it functions as both the relative pronoun and antecedent at the same time.
   
   Another important aspect of chi is the fact that since it lacks an antecedent it usually describes an unknown person. In English, we might say something like I have to find someone who can write in French. We don't know who exactly we will find.
   
   Here are some examples in Italian:
   
   Devo trovare chi sa scrivere in francese.
   I have to find someone who knows how to write in French.
   
   Non posso ricordarmi chi è arrivato con Emilio.
   I can't remember who arrived with Emilio.
   
   Chi spende sempre non risparmia mai.
   Those who always spend never save.
   
   Chi dice cazzate sembrerà stupido.
   He (or she) who talks nonsense will seem stupid.
   Those who talk nonsense will seem stupid.
   
   Non mi piace chi mente.
   I don't like those who lie.
   
   
4. Chi can mean: whoever, anyone
   
   Assuma chi vuole. Lei è il capo.
   Hire anyone/whoever you want. You are the boss.
   
   
5. Chi di + noi/voi/loro can also be used as a relative pronoun to mean Those of us/you/them who :
   
   Chi di voi vuole sapere di più della situazione politica può consultare al mio sito web.
   Those of you who want to know more about the political situation can visit my web site.
   
   
6. Chi(...chi) can also mean: some people...others
   
   Chi can also be used correlatively, that is two pronouns that refer to two distinct groups of the same thing, as in English we might say "some" or "some people" and "others":
   
   C'è chi viaggia, chi sta a casa.
   Some people travel, others stay home.
   

When studying relative pronouns, it's important to understand how they differ so that you can use them correctly. If you're unsure of when to use cui or when to use chi, one important distinction is that cui requires an antecedent. You might become confused because both and cui and chi can be preceded by preposition. Take a look at the example below:

Dottore Giambattista, da cui sono andato ieri, ha studiato a Milano con mio padre.
Doctor Giambattista, who I went to yesterday, studied in Milan with my father.

You cannot use chi in this example for one very important reason - da cui refers back to Dottore Giambattista. We know who we are speaking about, Dr. Giambbatista (the antecedent).

Let's look at the example below:

Annalisa: Vai da un medico specifico?
Annalisa: Are you going to a particular doctor?

Marco: Vado da chi riesce a curare la mia malattia.
Marco: I am going to whomever is able to cure my illness.

We use da chi instead of cui because there's no antecedent - we don't know which doctor Marco will see because Marco hasn't said (perhaps even he doesn't know or even care).

Lesson 182: Use of anche / L'uso di anche

A user recently asked me to delve into the complexities of the conjunction, anche. There are some aspects of Italian that, once understood and even used, will set you off from the pack, so to speak, and give your Italian a more native flair. The use of anche is one of them -- see below for some rules and guidelines involving this trouble word:

1. Generally, anche does not start a sentence in Italian, especially when it modifies a personal form of the verb - use instead inoltre or oppure. Or, alternatively, you can place anche later in the sentence:
   
   Vai anche al cinema.
   Inoltre vai al cinema.
   Oppure vai al cinema.
   You too are going to the cinema.
   
   
2. Anche precedes impersonal forms of the verb (such as infinitives, gerunds and participles) and as such could be the start of a sentence (see the first example with the infinitive as the subject of the sentence):
   
   Anche leggere nel buio non è sano.
   Also reading in the dark is not healthy.
   
   Marco sta anche correndo per mettersi in forma.
   Marco is also running to get into shape.
   
   Giovanni è un tipo molto studioso. Riesce a studiare anche mangiando
   Giovanni is a very studious type. He is able to study also eating.
   
   
3. As stated in rule #1, anche is generally not to begin a sentence. However, this rule does not apply when anche modifies the subject. If the subject is a pronoun (io, tu, noi, etc. -- nota bene: with io, anche contracts: anch'io) then the subject pronoun must be used in the phrase (as you know, subject pronouns are typically omitted):
   
   Anche tu vieni da me?
   You also are coming to my house?
   This sentence means: You, too, along with the others are coming to my house?
   
   Note the difference between the phrase above and this one:
   
   Vieni anche da me?
   You are also coming to my house?
   This sentence means: You are also coming to my house along with doing other things (such as shopping, making a cake, babysitting, etc.)
   
   
4. Anche can be used in to add reinforcement, especially when there is a link between things things or between two distinct actions:
   
   Hai letto Il giorno della civetta ed anche La scomparsa di Marjorana?
   Did you read 'The Day of the Owl' and also 'The disappearance of Marjoana'?
   
   Stefano è andato al teatre ed anche uscito ieri sera.
   Stefano went to the theathre and also went out yesterday evening.
   
   
5. Anche can be used on its own to affirm a response to a question that was already asked without repeating Sì:
   
   Marco: Cerchi il mio libro? | Are you looking for my book?
   Anna: Sì.
   Marco: E la mia rivista? | And my magazine?
   Anna: Anche. | Yes, that too or And your magazine.
   
   
6. The placement of anche can change the meaning of a sentence, and this is especially true in compound tenses. As a general rule, anche precedes the element which it modifies.
   
   When using anche, make sure that you place it where you want it to make the most sense. Let's look at these examples:
   
   
   • Ho anche letto il giornale.
     This sentence means: Along with doing other things (washing the car, walking the dog, shopping) I also found time to read the paper.
     
     In this example, anche modifies the verb, that is past participle, letto.
     
     
   • Ho letto anche il giornale.
     This sentence means: Along with reading other things (such as a new book I bought at the bookstore, my child's report card, an email) I also read the paper.
     
     In this example, anche modifies the noun, il giornale.