Are you unsure whether to say ‘questo libro‘ or ‘quel libro‘? You’re not alone! The difference between questo and quello confuses many learners. In this guide, you’ll learn the simple rule, see plenty of real-life examples, and practise with free exercises.
In Italian, questo (this) and quello (that) are demonstrative adjectives. In their basic spatial use, questo generally refers to something close to the speaker, while quello generally refers to something farther away. Getting them right will make your Italian sound instantly more natural.
Demonstrative adjectives provide important information in the context of everyday communication, helping to indicate whether the object or person being talked about is near or far from the speaker or listener. For example, when shopping for groceries, we can say ‘Voglio comprare questo pane‘ to refer to one close by, or ‘Preferisco quel pane‘ to refer to one further away. In a room, we can say ‘Questa sedia è comoda‘ to refer to a comfortable chair next to us, or ‘Quella sedia è comoda‘ to refer to one further away. Let’s look at how and when to use these two adjectives.
When to use QUESTO (this)
The adjective ‘questo‘ refers to people or things close to the speaker. It is a regular adjective and matches the gender and number of the noun it is used with:
Maschile singolare: questo libro
Maschile plurale: questi libri
Femminile singolare: questa casa
Femminile plurale: queste case
For example:
Questo libro è interessante.
Questi libri sono nuovi.
Questa casa è piccola.
Queste case sono luminose.
Before a singular noun beginning with a vowel, questo or questa can be elided to quest’. Examples: quest’albero (this tree), quest’idea (this idea), quest’ora (this hour), quest’uomo (this man).
For example:
Quest’albero è grande.
When to use QUELLO (that)
The adjective ‘quello‘ refers to people or things far away from the speaker. Quello is irregular and its form varies according to the gender, number and initial letter of the noun, following the same rules as the definite articles:
Maschile singolare:
“il” ➞ quel libro
“lo” ➞ quello studente
“l'” ➞ quell’albero
Maschile plurale:
“i” ➞ quei libri
“gli” ➞ quegli studenti, quegli alberi
Femminile singolare:
“la” ➞ quella casa
“l'” ➞ quell’arancia
Femminile plurale:
“le” ➞ quelle case, quelle arance
For example:
Quel libro è interessante.
Quei libri sono nuovi.
Quella casa è piccola.
Quelle case sono bianche.
Quello studente è bravo.
Quegli studenti sono bravi.
Quell’arancia è rossa.
Quelle arance sono dolci.
When to use the apostrophe. The apostrophe rule: quest’ vs quell’
The apostrophe marks elision: the final vowel of a word is omitted before another word beginning with a vowel.
Let us take a closer look at when the apostrophe is used:
Before a singular noun beginning with a vowel, quello and quella are elided to quell’.
For example:
quell’amico, quell’albero, quell’arancia.
Plural forms (quelle, quegli) are never elided, even if the following noun begins with a vowel.
For example:
quelle arance, quegli alberi.
Why is there no elision with plurals?
In contemporary standard Italian, plural demonstratives normally keep their full form: quelle arance, quegli alberi.
Remember that the choice of the correct form of ‘quello‘ depends on the initial letter and gender of the noun that follows, just as with definite articles. Here is a summary table to help you:
Practise what you’ve learned
Check your understanding, then try again if you need to.
Exercise 1 of 3
QUESTO: make it agree
Choose the correct form of questo.
___ libro
___ casa
___ libri
___ case
___ ragazzo
___ ragazze
___ amici
___ penna
Exercise 2 of 3
QUELLO before a noun
Choose the form of quello that fits the noun.
___ libro
___ studente
___ amico
___ casa
___ amica
___ libri
___ studenti
___ case
Exercise 3 of 3
This one or that one?
Choose the demonstrative that matches the context.
___ libro qui accanto a me.
___ macchina laggiù.
___ ragazze qui con noi.
___ studenti dall’altra parte della stanza.
___ penna che ho in mano.
___ case in fondo alla strada.
