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. Chi is only used to refer to people - never to things.

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)
   
   Chi does not require an antecedent, and as it is often considered a "double pronoun" because it is both the antecedent and the relative pronoun simultaneously.
   
   
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 listen to spoken Italian on TV, on the radio or among your Italian friends, you'll find that they don't use che for every sentence. Italian is a language that is spoken well when it is varied.

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). However, if we have an antecedent, then we must use cui:

Marco: Vado a visitare Dottor Giambattista da cui va mia madre.
Marco: I'm going to see Dottor Giambattista whom my mother goes to.

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last updated: October 21, 2009