Italian Dove and Quando: Asking ‘Where’ and ‘When’ (A1)

🔍 In short. Two short Italian words open almost every question about location and time: dove and quando. Italian dove quando are the question words for “where” and “when”, and at A1 they open up dozens of everyday exchanges: Dove vai? Dove abiti? Quando torni? Quando comincia il corso? No special preposition is needed for “where to” (Italian dove vai already includes the “to”), but a few small variations matter: da dove vs di dove, a che ora for specific clock times, da quando for “since when”. This guide walks through both words with examples from real workbook usage.

The one-line rule for italian dove quando

Use dove at the start of a question to ask “where”. Use quando to ask “when”. Both go at the front of the sentence, the verb follows directly, no auxiliary word in between. No special form for “where to”: Italian dove vai already means “where are you going to”. The only twists are a few small companions: dov’è (elided), da/di dove for origin, da quando for “since when”, a che ora for specific clock times.

• Dove vai?
  Where are you going?
• Quando torni?
  When are you coming back?
• Dove abita Lorenzo?
  Where does Lorenzo live?
• Quando comincia il corso?
  When does the course start?

Dove: asking ‘where’ and ‘where to’

The word dove covers two English questions at once: “where?” (location) and “where to?” (direction). Italian doesn’t add a preposition for direction. Dove vai? already carries the meaning “where are you going to?” without any extra word.

• Dove vai stamattina?
  Where are you going this morning?
• Dove abiti adesso?
  Where do you live now?
• Dove lavora tua sorella?
  Where does your sister work?
• Dove sei?
  Where are you?
• Dove ti trovi?
  Where are you (right now)?
• Dove ha comprato quelle scarpe?
  Where did she buy those shoes?

The verb that follows dove can be motion (andare, venire, partire, arrivare), state (essere, stare, abitare, vivere, trovarsi), or any action: italian dove quando questions work with all of them. The word order stays the same: dove + verb + subject (if expressed) + rest of sentence.

This flexibility is one of the things that makes dove easier than its English counterpart. In English you sometimes need to choose between “where”, “where to”, “where from”; Italian compresses all three into a single word, helped by the verb itself or by a small preposition (da, di) when origin needs to be marked. The result: fewer choices, faster fluency at A1 level.

Dove becomes dov’ before è

When dove meets è (the third-person singular of essere), the final e drops and an apostrophe replaces it. The result is dov’è, pronounced as one breath.

• Dov’è la stazione?
  Where is the station?
• Dov’è il bagno?
  Where is the bathroom?
• Dov’è Caterina?
  Where is Caterina?
• Dov’è il mio telefono?
  Where is my phone?

The elision is mandatory in writing as well as speech. Writing dove è instead of dov’è is a common beginner mistake. With other forms of essere (sono, siete, sei, sono) dove stays unchanged: dove sono i bambini? dove siete? dove sei?

Da dove vs di dove: motion or being

When you ask about origin, italian dove quando uses two small companions. Da dove goes with verbs of motion (venire, arrivare, partire). Di dove goes with essere when you mean someone’s hometown or country of origin.

• Da dove vieni?
  Where do you come from? (motion now)
• Da dove arrivate?
  Where are you arriving from?
• Da dove parte il treno?
  Where does the train leave from?
• Di dove sei?
  Where are you from? (origin, identity)
• Di dove siete voi due?
  Where are you two from?
• Di dov’è Margherita?
  Where is Margherita from?

The two forms overlap in casual speech (da dove sei? is also heard), but the textbook split is: di dove + essere for origin as a characteristic, da dove + motion verb for direction of movement. If you stick to di dove sei? when meeting someone new, you’ll always sound natural.

Quando: asking ‘when’

The word quando is the all-purpose Italian “when”. It opens questions about time without modification, and like dove it goes straight at the front of the sentence, followed by the verb.

• Quando torni a casa?
  When are you coming home?
• Quando sei partita?
  When did you leave?
• Quando comincia il corso di italiano a Padova?
  When does the Italian course in Padova start?
• Quando scrivi a tua madre?
  When are you writing to your mother?
• Quando arriva il treno per Lecce?
  When does the train to Lecce arrive?
• Quando sei libera per un caffè?
  When are you free for a coffee?

Italian doesn’t change quando based on the tense. The same word works for present (quando vieni?), past (quando sei partita?), and future (quando arriverà?). The verb does all the tense work; quando stays the same.

The word also doubles as a connector in declarative sentences: quando torno a casa, mi metto in cucina (“when I get home, I start cooking”). This is the same quando, used to introduce a subordinate clause of time. The question and the connector share a form, and Italian readers tell them apart from the question mark and from sentence position. For now, focus on the question use; the connector role will come naturally as you read more Italian.

One small note on register. In writing and in slightly formal speech, quando sometimes pairs with an inverted verb order for emphasis: quando comincia il corso? versus the slightly more emphatic quando il corso comincia?. Both are correct; the first is the everyday default and the only one A1 learners need to produce.

Da quando and fino a quando

Two small additions to quando handle “since when” and “until when”.

• Da quando lavorate in biblioteca?
  Since when have you been working at the library?
• Da quando vivi a Trieste?
  Since when have you lived in Trieste?
• Fino a quando resti a Modena?
  Until when are you staying in Modena?
• Fino a quando dura lo spettacolo?
  Until when does the show last?

Italian typically pairs da quando with the present tense when the action is still ongoing (English would use the present perfect: “since when have you been working?”). This is one of the few places where Italian and English use different tenses for the same idea.

Quando vs a che ora: general or specific

When you want to know a specific clock time, Italian switches from quando to a che ora (“at what time”). Quando stays for general time references (which day, which season, which week); a che ora takes over for hours and minutes.

• A che ora apre il mercato?
  What time does the market open?
• A che ora chiude la farmacia?
  What time does the pharmacy close?
• A che ora ci vediamo?
  What time shall we meet?
• A che ora parte il treno per Verona?
  What time does the train to Verona leave?
• Quando vai dal medico?
  When are you going to the doctor’s? (general: which day)
• A che ora vai dal medico?
  What time are you going to the doctor’s? (specific: which hour)

For opening hours, Italian combines both: da che ora a che ora siete aperti? means “from what time to what time are you open?”. This is the standard way to ask a shop or office about their hours of operation. Italians often shorten it in casual speech to da che ora a che ora?, letting the context fill in the rest. You’ll hear this phrasing at any reception desk, ticket office, or pharmacy.

How to answer dove and quando questions

Italian answers to italian dove quando questions usually start with the location or time directly. No “it is” filler needed.

• : Dove andiamo se vogliamo mangiare una bistecca?
  Where do we go if we want to eat a steak?
• : Alla trattoria.
  To the trattoria.
• : Dove andiamo se dobbiamo comprare un antibiotico?
  Where do we go if we need to buy an antibiotic?
• : In farmacia.
  To the pharmacy.
• : Dove andiamo se vogliamo bere un espresso?
  Where do we go if we want an espresso?
• : Al bar.
  To the bar.
• : Quando comincia il corso?
  When does the course start?
• : Lunedì prossimo.
  Next Monday.
• : A che ora apre la biblioteca?
  What time does the library open?
• : Alle nove.
  At nine.

The answer matches the preposition pattern of the question. Dove andiamo? answers with in/a/al + place (see our guide on Italian in vs a). A che ora? answers with alle + hour. Quando? can answer with a day (lunedì), a date, a season, or an adverb of time.

Common mistakes

• Writing dove è instead of dov’è. The elision is mandatory before è: write dov’è, always with the apostrophe.
• Adding “to” with dove: dove a vai? Wrong. Italian dove already carries the direction: dove vai?
• Saying da dove sei? for origin. The textbook form is di dove sei? (origin as identity). Da dove pairs with motion verbs (da dove vieni?).
• Using quando for a specific clock time: quando apre il bar? works as “when does the bar open?”, but for a specific hour use a che ora apre il bar?
• Translating “since when” with da when. The Italian is da quando, with quando: da quando vivi qui?
• Forgetting that quando + present tense often translates “since when have you been…”: da quando lavori? = “since when have you been working?”

Cheat sheet for italian dove quando

Dialogue at the train station in Padova

The following dialogue shows italian dove quando in everyday speech. Federica works at the information desk of Padova train station. Lorenzo, just arrived, is asking how to get around and when his connections leave.

What to notice in the dialogue

• Da dove parte il treno: motion verb with da dove.
• A che ora vuole partire / A che ora è la cerimonia: specific clock time, not quando.
• Quando c’è il prossimo treno: general time question, quando.
• Di dov’è: origin with essere, elided form before è.
• Dove va dopo Modena: motion direction, plain dove, no “to” added.
• Da quando organizziamo: “since when have we been organising”, Italian present tense.
• Fino a quando resta: “until when are you staying”, fino a quando.

Test your understanding

Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about italian dove quando.

(Quiz coming soon)

Frequently asked questions

These questions about italian dove quando come from real threads where A1 learners get tangled in dove vs dov’è, the da/di dove split, and the quando/a che ora distinction. For the dictionary view, the Treccani entries on dove and quando give a complete picture in standard Italian.

Related guides

• Perché in Italian: Why It Means Both ‘Why’ and ‘Because’ (A1)
• Italian In vs A: How to Say ‘At’ and ‘In’ for Places (A2)
• Italian Vado da: How to Say ‘At Mario’s Place’ (A2)
• Italian Articles with Countries: il, la, gli (A1)