🔍 In short. Italian has two main demonstratives. Questo is “this” (near me), quello is “that” (away from me). Questo has four tidy endings (questo, questa, questi, queste) and never gives trouble. Quello copies the definite article: quel libro (il libro), quello zaino (lo zaino), quell’amico (l’amico), quella macchina (la macchina), quei libri (i libri), quegli amici (gli amici), quelle macchine (le macchine). For the abstract neuter “this thing / that thing” use ciò (invariable). For “the same” use stesso. The distance can be physical, temporal (questo mese vs quell’anno), or psychological (non dire queste cose).
What you will master: the proximal / distal split, the full questo table, the quello paradigm (the single biggest pain for English learners), ciò for abstract references, stesso and medesimo for “the same”, reinforcers questo qui / quello lì, and the three kinds of distance Italians mark with these words.
Proximal and distal: why Italian needs two demonstratives
English has a two-way contrast: this / these vs that / those. Italian has essentially the same contrast, but it marks it with two different word families. Questo covers what is near the speaker, quello covers what is away from the speaker. In practice “near” and “away” are not always physical: Italians also use the split for time (questo mese, quell’anno) and for psychological distance (non dire queste cose qui).
A third demonstrative, codesto, used to mark things near the listener (equivalent to old English yonder with a twist). Outside Tuscan dialect and bureaucratic writing it has almost disappeared in the spoken language. You can recognise it in a legal letter (“codesto ufficio”) but you do not need to use it.
Questo: the easy one with four endings
Questo works exactly like a normal adjective in -o / -a / -i / -e. Four forms. No surprises.
| gender / number | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | questo | questo libro, questo amico, questo zaino |
| feminine singular | questa | questa ragazza, questa macchina |
| masculine plural | questi | questi libri, questi amici, questi zaini |
| feminine plural | queste | queste ragazze, queste macchine |
Before a vowel questo and questa usually elide to quest’: quest’anno, quest’estate, quest’idea. Plurals do not elide: questi amici, queste idee.
Quello: the one that copies the article
Quello is the form that makes English speakers sweat. The reason: it does not have a fixed shape. It takes the same shape as the definite article that would naturally go with the noun. If the noun takes “il”, quello becomes “quel”. If the noun takes “lo”, quello becomes “quello”. If the noun takes “l'”, quello becomes “quell'”. And so on.
Once you memorise the article pattern (il / lo / l’ / la / i / gli / le), you already know the quello paradigm. They are the same logic.
🔍 The mental rule. Think of the noun with its article first (il libro, lo zaino, l’amico). Replace the article with the matching quello form (quel libro, quello zaino, quell’amico). You will never get the paradigm wrong.
The full quello paradigm in one table
| article | quello form | example |
|---|---|---|
| il | quel | quel libro, quel ragazzo, quel treno |
| lo | quello | quello zaino, quello studente, quello psicologo |
| l’ (masc.) | quell’ | quell’amico, quell’uomo, quell’albergo |
| la | quella | quella ragazza, quella macchina, quella casa |
| l’ (fem.) | quell’ | quell’amica, quell’isola, quell’opera |
| i | quei | quei libri, quei ragazzi, quei treni |
| gli | quegli | quegli zaini, quegli amici, quegli studenti |
| le | quelle | quelle ragazze, quelle macchine, quelle amiche |
Typical traps: quegli studenti not *quei studenti (gli studenti, not *i studenti). Quell’amico not *quel amico (l’amico, not *il amico). Quello psicologo not *quel psicologo (lo psicologo, not *il psicologo). The quello form mirrors the article exactly.
Demonstratives as pronouns: this one, that one, those
Questo and quello are not only adjectives. They also work as standalone pronouns meaning “this one / that one”. In the pronominal use, quello loses the article-mirroring gymnastics and keeps four simple endings: quello, quella, quelli, quelle.
- Prendi questo, non quello. (Take this one, not that one.)
- Preferisco questa a quella. (I prefer this one to that one.)
- Questi sono buoni, quelli no. (These are good, those are not.)
- Quelli che arrivano in ritardo aspettano fuori. (Those who arrive late wait outside.)
When quello refers to people with a relative clause attached (quelli che…), the register is slightly formal but perfectly natural in writing. In everyday conversation Italians often swap it for “chi” (chi arriva in ritardo aspetta fuori).
Ciò: the invariable neuter for abstract ideas
When the referent is not a concrete noun but an abstract concept, a previous statement, or an idea, Italian uses ciò. It is invariable (no gender, no number) and slightly formal. In everyday spoken Italian, “questo” and “quello” do the same job; “ciò” survives in writing and careful speech.
- Ciò che penso non conta. (What I think does not matter.)
- Non mi piace ciò che hai detto. (I do not like what you said.)
- Ciò nonostante, abbiamo deciso di continuare. (Despite that, we decided to continue.)
- Di ciò parleremo domani. (We will talk about that tomorrow.)
In the equivalent everyday spoken register: “quello che penso”, “quello che hai detto”. Both are correct. Ciò is the formal option, quello che is the conversational option.
Stesso and medesimo: saying “the same”
Not technically demonstratives but often grouped with them because they point to identity of reference. Stesso agrees in gender and number (stesso, stessa, stessi, stesse) and can work as adjective or pronoun.
- Abbiamo lo stesso professore. (We have the same professor.)
- E la stessa cosa di ieri. (It is the same thing as yesterday.)
- Gli stessi problemi si ripetono. (The same problems come back.)
- Io stesso te lo dico. (I myself am telling you.)
Medesimo is a bookish synonym of stesso. You will read it in essays and novels (“nel medesimo istante”), but if you never use it in speech, nobody will miss it. Stesso covers 99% of the real-life cases.
Questo qui and quello lì: spoken reinforcers
In spoken Italian, especially in informal conversation, speakers reinforce the proximal / distal contrast by adding qui / qua (here, near me) after questo, and lì / là (there, far from me) after quello. The demonstrative alone is already correct; the reinforcer adds pointing-finger emphasis.
- Prendi questo qui, lascia quello lì. (Take this one here, leave that one there.)
- Quella macchina là e la mia. (That car over there is mine.)
- Questi qua sono in offerta. (These ones here are on sale.)
Qui / qua and lì / là are interchangeable in most regions. Qui and lì are slightly more standard; qua and là are more colloquial. Italians often choose by rhythm and habit rather than by rule.
Physical, temporal, psychological distance
The near / far axis is not only spatial. Italian extends it to time and to emotional stance. This is one of the places where automatic English-to-Italian translation stumbles, because English often uses “this” where Italian would pick questo and vice versa.
- Physical: questo libro (in my hand) vs quel libro (on the far shelf).
- Temporal, present or recent: questo mese, questa settimana, quest’anno, in questi giorni.
- Temporal, distant past or future: quell’anno (that year, long ago), in quei giorni, a quei tempi.
- Psychological, affectionate or neutral: questi bambini (these children of mine / ours).
- Psychological, distancing or negative: queste cose non si fanno, non dire queste cose qui, che roba e quella?
The last pattern is worth internalising. When Italians say “queste cose” disapprovingly they are not necessarily pointing at anything physical; they are putting moral distance between themselves and the behaviour. The demonstrative does pragmatic work.
Common mistakes English speakers make with quello
- Using quel before s+consonant or z. *Quel zaino, *quel studente. Correct: quello zaino, quello studente (because lo zaino, lo studente).
- Not eliding before a vowel. *Quella amica. Correct: quell’amica. Same for masculine: *quello amico becomes quell’amico.
- Using quei before gli-nouns. *Quei studenti, *quei amici. Correct: quegli studenti, quegli amici (because gli studenti, gli amici).
- Confusing pronoun and adjective paradigms. Pronoun quello has four endings (quello, quella, quelli, quelle), not the article-mirroring seven. Don’t say “quel” when quello is standing alone: prendi quello, not *prendi quel.
- Defaulting to “that” for any distance. English speakers often translate every demonstrative as quello. If the object is within arm’s reach or the moment is current, Italian usually wants questo.
- Forgetting ciò for abstract referents in formal writing. *”Questo che ho detto non e vero” in an essay sounds conversational; “ciò che ho detto non e vero” is cleaner.
A short scene: Mercato di Wagner, Milano, saturday morning
Clara (28, graphic designer) is shopping at the Wagner covered market with her neighbour Dario (65, retired pharmacist). They are at the vegetable stall. Dario points at what is in front of them, Clara at things further along the counter. Listen for questo and quello doing spatial work, and for ciò and lo stesso slipping in naturally.
- Clara: Dario, mi piacciono quei pomodori in fondo. Sono buoni?
- Dario: Quelli sono di Pachino, ma guarda questi qui: cuore di bue, arrivati stamattina.
- Clara: E quegli zucchini lì, con il fiore?
- Dario: Prendi piuttosto questa zucca. La polpa e la stessa di quella che hai fatto al forno l’altra sera, ma piu dolce.
- Clara: Hai ragione. Quell’amaretto che le avevo messo dentro era perfetto.
- Dario: Ciò che conta, con la zucca, e scegliere una che pesi bene. Questa e piena, sentila.
- Clara: Allora prendo questa e due di quelle melanzane lunghe.
- Dario: Quelle li? Sono napoletane, tengono bene in padella. Porta anche questo basilico, e fresco di oggi.
- Clara: Perfetto. A proposito, quel giornalaio all’angolo ha ancora la rivista di cucina che mi avevi consigliato?
- Dario: Credo di si. Quello sta li da trent’anni, non cambia mai le stesse abitudini.
Cheat sheet: tables plus usage keys
- Questo: questo / questa / questi / queste; elision quest’anno, quest’estate.
- Quello (adjective): quel / quello / quell’ / quella / quell’ / quei / quegli / quelle (mirrors the article).
- Quello (pronoun): quello / quella / quelli / quelle (four endings, no article mirroring).
- Ciò: invariable neuter, formal: ciò che, ciò nonostante, di ciò.
- Stesso: stesso / stessa / stessi / stesse (the same); medesimo (bookish synonym).
- Reinforcers: questo qui / qua (near), quello lì / là (far) for spoken emphasis.
- Distance: physical, temporal (questo mese vs quell’anno), psychological (queste cose disapprovingly).
- Codesto: archaic / Tuscan / bureaucratic. Recognise it, do not use it.
🎯 Mini-challenge: six sentences to complete
Fill in with the correct form of questo or quello, or with ciò / stesso when that fits better. Scroll the reveal to check.
- ___ (that) zaino e troppo pesante, prendi ___ (this one) qui.
- Ho visto ___ (those) amici di Marco al bar.
- Non mi piace ___ (what) hai appena detto.
- Abbiamo preso ___ (the same) treno di ieri.
- ___ (those) studenti sono molto preparati.
- Guarda ___ (that) opera in fondo alla sala.
Reveal answers
- Quello / questo
- quegli
- ciò che (or quello che)
- lo stesso
- Quegli
- quell’
🔍 Practical tip. When you doubt which quello form to use, whisper the noun with its article first (il, lo, l’, la, i, gli, le). The article tells you exactly which quello form to pick. You cannot go wrong if you trust the article.
LOADING QUIZ…
Milano course
Level A2 – B1
Small-group Italian built around your real-life situations. Your coach walks you through quello paradigms and article pairing until pointing at the right thing in Italian feels automatic.
Join MilanoWhat is the difference between questo and quello in Italian?
Questo means this (near the speaker). Quello means that (away from the speaker). The distance can be physical, temporal (questo mese vs quell’anno), or psychological (queste cose disapprovingly).
Why does quello change shape so much?
Quello mirrors the shape of the definite article that would go with the noun. Quel libro (il libro), quello zaino (lo zaino), quell’amico (l’amico), quella casa (la casa), quei libri (i libri), quegli amici (gli amici), quelle case (le case).
Is quello the same as a pronoun and as an adjective?
No. As an adjective quello has the full seven-form article-mirroring paradigm (quel, quello, quell’, quella, quei, quegli, quelle). As a pronoun it has only four endings: quello, quella, quelli, quelle.
When should I use ciò instead of questo or quello?
Use ciò when the referent is abstract or refers back to a previous statement, especially in formal writing. Ciò che penso, ciò nonostante. In everyday conversation, quello che covers the same ground.
What does codesto mean and is it still used?
Codesto used to mark things near the listener (between questo and quello). It has almost disappeared in modern spoken Italian. You will still see it in legal writing (codesto ufficio) and in Tuscan dialect. Outside those contexts, you do not need it.
Is stesso a demonstrative?
Technically no, but it is often grouped with demonstratives because it points to identity of reference. Stesso means the same and agrees: stesso, stessa, stessi, stesse. Lo stesso giorno, la stessa cosa, gli stessi problemi.
What are questo qui and quello lì for?
They are spoken reinforcers. Italian already marks near and far with questo and quello, but in casual speech speakers often add qui or qua after questo and lì or là after quello to point more strongly. Questo qui, quello lì, quella macchina là.
