Italian Chiunque, Qualunque Cosa, Dovunque (B1)

🔍 In short. Three Italian words pack the meaning of “whoever, whatever, wherever” into one move: chiunque (whoever), qualunque cosa (whatever), dovunque (wherever). They share a family resemblance, since all three carry the suffix -unque, and they share one big grammatical reflex: the verb that follows them goes in the subjunctive. Chiunque arrivi prima delle dieci, può raccogliere le zucchine. Qualunque cosa Igino prepari, finisce bene. Dovunque tu pianti la salvia, cresce. This guide covers the forms, the subjunctive rule, the difference from chi and che cosa as plain relatives, the trap of chiunque che, and the dovunque vs ovunque question, with a dialogue set at an agriturismo near Frosinone and a quiz.

Italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque are the three handles that turn an open question into an open statement. Italian chiunque qualunque cosa cover people and things; dovunque covers places. By the end of this guide you will pick the right one out of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque, build the subjunctive after it, and avoid the most common slip that gives away an English speaker.

The -unque family: one suffix, three words

Walk into an agriturismo near Frosinone at six in the morning and you hear all three pieces of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque within ten minutes: chiunque voglia il caffè è già in cucina, qualunque cosa abbia raccolto Igino, finisce nel cesto della colazione, dovunque guardi, ci sono ospiti che fanno foto al sole sui campi. These three italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque forms work like a small kit: they take a vague open situation (“any person who”, “any thing that”, “any place where”) and lock it down in a single word. That tidy bundle is what makes italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque so useful at B1.

The pattern of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque is visible in the form itself. Each one is built from a base word plus the suffix -unque: chi + unque = chiunque (any person), qual + unque = qualunque (any kind of), dove + unque = dovunque (any place). The fourth member of the family, comunque (in any way, anyway), follows the same logic but is a separate guide. Whenever you see -unque, expect two things: a vague, all-inclusive reference, and a verb in the subjunctive sitting close behind.

Chiunque: whoever (people)

Within the trio of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque, chiunque means “whoever” or “anyone who” and refers only to people. It is invariable: one form for masculine, feminine, singular, and (rare) groups of people. There is no chiunqui or chiunqua. The word does two related jobs at the same time: it stands in for “the person who” and it leaves the identity of that person completely open. Italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque all share this open-reference logic, but chiunque is the one tied to people.

• Chiunque arrivi prima delle dieci, può raccogliere le zucchine con noi.
  Whoever arrives before ten can pick the courgettes with us.
• Chiunque abbia prenotato la cena, trova la lista degli allergeni in camera.
  Whoever has booked dinner will find the allergens list in the room.
• Chiunque voglia imparare a impastare il pane, può venire alle sei e mezza.
  Whoever wants to learn to knead bread can come at six thirty.
• Chiunque entri in cucina deve togliere gli stivali sporchi di terra.
  Whoever comes into the kitchen has to take off boots dirty with soil.

Notice the verb after chiunque: arrivi, abbia prenotato, voglia, entri. All present subjunctive (or its compound version). This is automatic. As soon as chiunque introduces a clause, the verb of that clause shifts to subjunctive. It does not matter whether the sentence is friendly or bureaucratic, spoken or written, present or past: the trigger fires every time. We come back to the reason in a dedicated section below.

Qualunque cosa: whatever (things)

In the italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque system, “whatever” referring to a thing is handled by the two-word block qualunque cosa (or, equally good, qualsiasi cosa). Word for word it is “any thing”, but it works as a single unit: the noun cosa is part of the meaning, you cannot drop it. Like chiunque, the block triggers the subjunctive in the verb that follows.

• Qualunque cosa Igino raccolga la mattina, finisce sul tavolo della cena.
  Whatever Igino picks in the morning ends up on the dinner table.
• Qualunque cosa decidiamo per la sagra, dobbiamo deciderlo entro venerdì.
  Whatever we decide for the village festival, we have to decide it by Friday.
• Qualunque cosa tu provi a cucinare con i nostri pomodori, funziona.
  Whatever you try to cook with our tomatoes works.
• Qualsiasi cosa abbia detto Diletta agli ospiti, va bene così.
  Whatever Diletta has said to the guests is fine as it is.

This is the workhorse of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque when the topic is a thing rather than a person or place. The construction works for plans, predictions, conditions, and reactions. A useful variant is qualunque cosa placed at the end of a short sentence as a reply: «Cosa porto stasera?» «Qualunque cosa, davvero.» (“What should I bring tonight?” “Anything, really.”). Here it works as a stand-alone pronoun, no verb follows, no subjunctive needed. The subjunctive rule only kicks in when there is a clause behind it.

Dovunque: wherever (places)

The place-based corner of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque belongs to dovunque: “wherever”, used both as a destination and as a location. Like its two siblings, it triggers the subjunctive when it introduces a clause. The form looks like a fusion of dove + -unque, and that is exactly its history.

• Dovunque tu pianti la salvia, cresce senza problemi.
  Wherever you plant sage, it grows without trouble.
• Dovunque vada in valle, Igino conosce un contadino.
  Wherever he goes in the valley, Igino knows a farmer.
• Dovunque ci siano galline, ci sono volpi: bisogna chiudere bene il pollaio.
  Wherever there are hens, there are foxes: you have to close the henhouse well.
• Dovunque mettiamo i barattoli di marmellata, qualche ospite li trova e ne chiede uno.
  Wherever we put the jars of jam, some guest finds them and asks for one.

In casual speech you will hear dovunque sei with the indicative (no subjunctive) when the speaker means “wherever you happen to be right now” as a known fact. This is one of those usage points where conversation runs ahead of the textbook. Writing exams and formal contexts keep the subjunctive: dovunque tu sia.

Why the subjunctive comes next

Italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque always introduce an open, non-specific reference, and that openness is what triggers the subjunctive. The speaker is not pointing at one identified person, thing, or place. The verb that follows describes an action whose actor or object is unknown or irrelevant. That uncertainty is exactly what the Italian subjunctive expresses: a verb under hypothesis, not a verb stating a fact.

Compare two sentences. La persona che arriva alle dieci è Diletta. “The person who arrives at ten is Diletta.” Indicative, because we know who arrives. Chiunque arrivi alle dieci, può aiutare in cucina. “Whoever arrives at ten can help in the kitchen.” Subjunctive, because we have no idea who that person is. The grammar tracks the meaning: certainty asks for the indicative, openness asks for the subjunctive.

• Chiunque voglia il caffè, lo trova in cucina. (present subjunctive)
• Qualunque cosa abbia detto Diletta, va bene. (past subjunctive)
• Dovunque tu vada, mandami una foto. (present subjunctive)
• Chiunque fosse alla porta, è andato via. (imperfect subjunctive, narrating a past)

For a refresher on present and past subjunctive endings, look at the related guide on come se at the end of this page: the trigger is different, the verb forms are the same.

The trap: chiunque che is wrong

One slip with italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque flags an English speaker faster than any other: adding che after chiunque. In English we say “anyone who…”, with a relative pronoun “who”. Italian compresses both pieces into the single word chiunque, so adding che doubles the relative and becomes ungrammatical.

• ❌ Chiunque che voglia uscire, deve chiedere il permesso.
• ✅ Chiunque voglia uscire, deve chiedere il permesso.
  Anyone who wants to go out has to ask for permission.
• ❌ Qualunque cosa che tu faccia, va bene.
• ✅ Qualunque cosa tu faccia, va bene.
  Whatever you do is fine.

The same logic blocks dovunque che: just dovunque + verb, never the extra connector. Treat the three words as already containing the relative inside them. If you remember this single rule, italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque become reliable at speed: no doubled relative, no extra che, just italian chiunque qualunque cosa or dovunque followed straight by the subjunctive.

Qualunque vs qualsiasi: a tie

Inside the italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque family, qualunque and qualsiasi are interchangeable in modern Italian, both as adjectives (“any kind of”) and inside the block qualunque cosa / qualsiasi cosa. Native speakers pick one or the other on rhythm and habit, not on meaning. Per favore, portami un giornale qualunque and portami un giornale qualsiasi say the exact same thing.

• Qualunque ospite chieda il tour dell’orto, glielo facciamo dopo colazione.
• Qualsiasi ospite chieda il tour dell’orto, glielo facciamo dopo colazione.
• Qualunque cosa serva per la cena, è già in cantina.
• Qualsiasi cosa serva per la cena, è già in cantina.

Both are invariable when they precede a noun, both trigger the subjunctive when they introduce a clause, both can take an indefinite article (“un qualunque amico”, “una qualsiasi soluzione”). After the noun, both keep the same form: una decisione qualunque, un vestito qualsiasi. Pick whichever lands easier in your mouth.

Dovunque vs ovunque

A second pair that confuses learners of italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque: dovunque and ovunque. They cover the same ground and are largely interchangeable. Some native speakers feel that ovunque sounds slightly more literary or descriptive, more at home in a phrase like i campi ovunque attorno a noi (“the fields everywhere around us”), while dovunque stretches more naturally toward motion or open hypothesis: dovunque tu vada. In practice both work in both contexts, and most Italians use them as synonyms.

• Dovunque guardi, ci sono pomodori da raccogliere. = Ovunque guardi, ci sono pomodori da raccogliere.
  Wherever you look, there are tomatoes to pick.
• Dovunque tu sia, manda un messaggio. = Ovunque tu sia, manda un messaggio.
  Wherever you are, send a message.

One small spelling reminder: the correct written form is dovunque, in one piece. The form d’ovunque with an apostrophe is a common slip, born from misreading dovunque as di + ovunque. There is no apostrophe.

How it differs from plain chi or che cosa

Italian also has chi and che cosa as everyday relative pronouns. They overlap a little with the italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque family, but they are not the same tool. Chi as a relative means “the one who” or “those who”, and points at a defined group, even if unnamed. Chiunque means “any person whoever”, and stays fully open. The verb form makes the contrast visible: chi typically takes the indicative, chiunque takes the subjunctive.

• Chi arriva alle dieci, aiuta in cucina. (those who arrive: indicative, factual)
• Chiunque arrivi alle dieci, può aiutare in cucina. (anyone who happens to arrive: subjunctive, open)
• Mangio quello che mi porti. (the specific thing: indicative)
• Mangio qualunque cosa tu mi porti. (any thing at all: subjunctive)

The same gap separates dove from dovunque. Dove vai, ti seguo assumes a specific place; dovunque tu vada, ti seguo commits to following you to any place at all. Italian uses this difference constantly, and getting italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque right lifts B1 speech a long way past sounding translated.

Past and conditional patterns

The subjunctive trigger that runs through italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque holds across all tenses, not just the present. When the main verb shifts to a past or conditional, the verb after chiunque, qualunque cosa or dovunque follows the standard subjunctive rule of agreement: imperfect subjunctive for a past or conditional main clause, pluperfect subjunctive for an action set even further back.

• Chiunque fosse interessato al corso di pane, poteva iscriversi al banco.
  Anyone who was interested in the bread course could sign up at the desk.
• Qualunque cosa avessero raccolto i ragazzi, finiva in cucina.
  Whatever the kids had picked ended up in the kitchen.
• Dovunque andasse Diletta, portava con sé il cesto di vimini.
  Wherever Diletta went, she took the wicker basket with her.
• Chiunque venisse a cena, sarebbe stato il benvenuto.
  Whoever came to dinner would have been welcome.

One short formula keeps italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque tidy across tenses: pick the subjunctive tense as you would after se in a hypothetical, then place it after the trigger word. The verb is doing the same job in both cases, signalling that the speaker is not pinning anything down.

Cheat sheet

One table to keep italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque all on one screen while you build your next sentence.

Dialogue: an agriturismo near Frosinone

Diletta runs the welcome desk of a small agriturismo in the hills above Frosinone; Igino looks after the orto biodinamico and the morning harvest. They sort out the day’s bookings just after sunrise, walking from the pollaio to the kitchen. Watch every chiunque, qualunque cosa, and dovunque: each one pulls the subjunctive behind it.

Count the triggers: chiunque arrivi, dovunque metta, qualunque cosa raccogli (here the indicative slips in, a real-conversation hesitation that you will hear in spoken Italian), chiunque venga, chiunque voglia, dovunque calpestino, qualunque cosa dica, qualsiasi cosa tu prepari, chiunque chieda, dovunque tu lasci. A single morning at the agriturismo gives the whole italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque system a workout, and that is exactly the rhythm at which italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque belong in real conversation.

Test your understanding

Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque. The questions cover the subjunctive trigger, the chiunque che trap, and the qualunque versus qualsiasi tie, so by the end you will have rehearsed every corner of italian chiunque qualunque cosa.

§

Frequently asked questions

Six questions about italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque come up in every B1 cohort. The answers below are the short, classroom-ready version of italian chiunque qualunque cosa rules. The answers below draw on real classroom usage and on the Treccani entry on chiunque.

---

Ready for the next step?

All our classes are live on Zoom with a native Italian teacher, in small groups. If this lesson matches your level, take it further with real practice.

Milano A2-B1

Small group course · live on Zoom · native teacher

Move from the basics to real conversations, step by step, with a native Italian teacher who keeps the group small and the pace right for you.

• Small groups, max 4 students — weekly live Zoom lessons
• Grammar, vocabulary, listening and writing in every cycle
• Materials in Italian + English, beginner-friendly
• Homework after each lesson, corrected by your teacher

Discover Milano A2-B1

Individual classes

One-to-one · any level · live on Zoom

Private lessons with your dedicated native Italian teacher, fully tailored to your goals and schedule, from absolute beginner to advanced.

• 55-minute individual Zoom lessons, your dedicated teacher
• Personalised level assessment included
• Interactive online materials — homework after each lesson
• Flexible weekly schedule or pay-as-you-go package

Discover individual classes

Related guides

Three guides that pair with italian chiunque qualunque cosa and dovunque, plus an institutional reference. Italian chiunque qualunque cosa work best alongside other open-reference structures, and the links below extend the picture.

• Italian Come Se: As If with the Subjunctive: another classic subjunctive trigger, with the same verb forms.
• Italian Modal Verbs: Dovere, Potere, Volere, Sapere: companion B1 pillar on the verbi servili.
• Italian Un Tale: A Certain Somebody: another indefinite pronoun from the same family.
• Accademia della Crusca: qualunque, qualsiasi, qualsivoglia: institutional note on the three interchangeable forms.