In this lesson we look at two simple words that usually trouble my English‑speaking students: chi and che. The main issue is that both can be translated as “who”, but their functions are different, and they cannot be used interchangeably.
1. Che: the word that connects
Che has many functions. In this lesson, we focus on the one that causes confusion with chi.
Che often means “that”, “which”, or “who”. Here che is a relative pronoun. Its function is to connect two parts of a sentence and to refer to a noun we have already mentioned and don’t want to repeat.
For example:
La ragazza parla, la ragazza è italiana.
Let’s connect these two sentences without repeating la ragazza:
La ragazza che parla è italiana. (The girl who is speaking is Italian.)
Che is replacing la ragazza from the second sentence.
Che is replacing la ragazza from the second sentence.
Another example:
Leggo il libro, il libro è interessante.
Il libro che leggo è interessante. (The book that I am reading is interesting.)
Here che is replacing il libro.
Structure:
noun + che + verb
As you can see, che needs a noun before it.
👉 In both sentences, che refers back to something specific, mentioned before:
la ragazza
il libro
2. Chi: “the person who”
On the other hand, chi does not need a noun, and chi always refers to a person or people. Chi already includes both the idea of “the person” and the idea of “who”.
Chi means: “the person who”, “anyone who”, etc.
In Italian: chi = la persona che / le persone che
For example:
Chi parla è il mio insegnante. (chi = la persona che)
The person who is speaking is my teacher.
💡Important:
We cannot say:
❌ La persona chi parla
Because chi already means “the person who” and you’ll be repeating part of the sentence.
Therefore, saying la persona che parla is the same as saying chi parla
La persona che parla è il mio insegnante.
=
Chi parla è il mio insegnante.
Chi is always singular
This pronoun can have a singular or plural meaning; however, the verb that follows it is always in the singular.
❌ Chi vogliono andare al ristorante, alzi la mano.
✅ Chi vuole andare al ristorante, alzi la mano.
Another example:
Chi studia ogni giorno migliora velocemente.
3. Chi and che as question words
Both chi and che are used as question words.
Chi means “who”:
Chi vuole un’arancia? (Who wants an orange?)
Chi è malato? (Who is ill?)
Chi mangia al ristorante? Who’s eating at the restaurant?)
Che (often with cosa) means “what”:
Che cosa fai oggi? (What are you doing today?)
Che ristorante preferisci? (What restaurant do you prefer?)
4. Compare
La donna che lavora qui è simpatica.
The woman who works here is nice.
👉 We know exactly which woman.
Chi lavora qui è molto bravo.
Whoever works here / the person or the people who work here are very good.
👉 We are not naming the person. The meaning is more general or indefinite.
5. Prepositions with chi
Because chi already means “the person who”, it is natural after prepositions like con, per, a, da, su.
Parlo con chi voglio.
I speak with whoever I want.
Questo regalo è per chi studia l’italiano.
This present is for those who study Italian.
Non so a chi scrivere.
I don’t know who to write to.
You cannot use che like this:
❌ Parlo con che…
❌ Per che studia…
Summary
Main differences between chi and che:
Chi is mainly used in two ways: as a question word (Chi viene a cena? Who’s coming to dinner?) and as a pronoun meaning “the person who”. It always refers to a person or people.
Che is used to introduce a relative clause (a part of the sentence that depends on the main one to be meaningful). It can refer to people, things, animals, etc.
| CHE | CHI |
| Refers back to a noun already mentioned | Does not need a noun before it |
| Connects information about something specific, mentioned before | Talks about a person in a general or unknown way |
| Means “that / which / who” | Means “who / the person who / whoever” |
| Can refer to people, things, animals, etc. | Can only refer to people |
Are you confused about other words in Italian? Discover why you always getting the word serioso wrong.
Struggling with your fluency? Book a free trial lesson and discover how to develop confidence in your speaking.
