Meaning
she
- the one (female)
- she who, the woman who
In a sentence
È colei che mi ha aiutato ieri.
She is the one who helped me yesterday.
Sei sicuro che sia colei di cui parli?
Are you sure she is the one you're talking about?
Non conosco colei che aspetta fuori.
I don't know the woman waiting outside.
Usage notes
- Use colei as a stressed demonstrative pronoun, often to contrast with costei or with lui/lei in formal or literary contexts.
- It is much more formal and literary than lei; in everyday speech, Italians usually say lei instead.
- Often followed by che or relative clauses: colei che ha chiamato = the one who called.