25. Useful structure that you will use on your day-to-day

Here are a few structures that you will use on your day-to-day.

Italian	English
dove …?	where …?
quando …?	when …?
perché …?	why …?
che cosa …? / cosa …?	what …?
chi …?	who …?
come …?	how …?

Examples

Dove (where)

Italian	English
Dove abiti?	Where do you live?
Dov’è il bagno?	Where is the bathroom?
Dove vai?	Where are you going?

Attention!

Tip: “dove” + “è” becomes dov’è.

Quando (when)

Italian	English
Quando parte il treno?	When does the train leave?
Quando arrivi?	When do you arrive?
Quando è il tuo compleanno?	When is your birthday?

Perché (why)

Italian	English
Perché sei triste?	Why are you sad?
Perché studi l’italiano?	Why do you study Italian?
Perché non vieni?	Why aren’t you coming?

Attention!

Tip: “perché” also means because.

Perché sei stanco? Perché ho lavorato tanto. (Why are you tired? Because I worked a lot.)

Che cosa / Cosa (what)

Italian	English
Che cosa fai?	What are you doing?
Cosa mangi?	What are you eating?
Cos’è questo?	What is this?

Attention!

Tip: “cosa” + “è” becomes cos’è.

Chi (who)

Italian	English
Chi è lei?	Who is she?
Chi parla?	Who is speaking?
Chi viene alla festa?	Who is coming to the party?

Come (how)

Italian	English
Come stai?	How are you?
Come ti chiami?	What’s your name?
Come si dice “dog” in italiano?	How do you say “dog” in Italian?

Attention!

Tip: Come ti chiami? means “How do you call yourself?” word by word. In English we say “What’s your name?”