The lesson
Questo and quello are how you point at things in Italian: this and that. You’ll use them all the time when shopping, ordering or showing someone around: Quanto costa questa borsa? (How much is this bag?)
Like other adjectives, they agree with the noun. Questo is easy, with the four endings of any -o adjective. Quello is the tricky one, because it changes shape like the definite article. The good news: if you know il, lo, l’, la, you already know quello.
Near or far: questo or quello?
Use questo for things near you, the ones you could touch or hold: this. Use quello for things over there, near the person you’re talking to or further away: that.
The choice works just like English this and that, so the hard part isn’t picking the word. It’s getting the right form, which is what the rest of this lesson is about.
When pointing in a shop, Italians often add qui (here) or lì (there): questo qui, quello lì.
questo: four endings, like any -o adjective
Questo changes its ending to match the noun, exactly like nuovo or rosso: -o for masculine singular, -a for feminine singular, -i for masculine plural, -e for feminine plural.
Before a vowel, the singular can shorten to quest’: quest’anno (this year), quest’acqua. It’s common in set phrases, but questa acqua is fine too. The plural usually stays whole: queste amiche, questi amici.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | questo libro | questi libri |
| Feminine | questa borsa | queste borse |
Go by the noun’s gender, not just its last letter: questo caffè, questa chiave.
No article in front
Questo and quello take the place of the article, so never put il or la in front of them: questo libro, not il questo libro.
This is different from the possessives you just learned, which do keep the article (il mio libro). With this and that, the article simply drops away.
quello: borrow the article’s shape
Before a noun, quello changes exactly like the definite article. Find the article the noun takes, then use the matching form: il museo → quel museo, lo specchio → quello specchio, l’albergo → quell’albergo, la pizza → quella pizza.
A handy trick: start with quel- and add the article on the end. Quel + lo = quello, quel + la = quella, quel + l’ = quell’. Only il disappears: quel + il is simply quel.
| Article | quello | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il | quel | quel museo |
| lo | quello | quello specchio |
| l’ | quell’ | quell’albergo |
| la | quella | quella pizza |
Quell’ works for both genders before a vowel: quell’albergo, quell’amica.
The plural: quei, quegli, quelle
The plural follows the same trick: i pomodori → quei pomodori, gli studenti → quegli studenti, le sedie → quelle sedie.
The one to watch is quegli. Use it wherever the plural article is gli, so before s + consonant, z and vowels: quegli zaini, quegli amici, quegli alberi.
| Article | quello | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i | quei | quei pomodori |
| gli | quegli | quegli studenti |
| le | quelle | quelle sedie |
This one, that one: on their own
You can drop the noun when it’s already clear: Questa borsa o quella? (This bag or that one?). English adds one; Italian just uses the word alone.
On its own, questo keeps its four forms. Quello uses only its full forms: quello, quella, quelli, quelle. The short forms quel, quei, quegli and quell’ always need a noun after them, and quelli never comes before a noun.
You’ll also hear questo alone to introduce people and things. It agrees with what you’re pointing at: Questo è Marco, Questa è mia sorella, Cos’è questo?
| Before a noun | On its own | |
|---|---|---|
| m · singular | quel, quello, quell’ | quello |
| f · singular | quella, quell’ | quella |
| m · plural | quei, quegli | quelli |
| f · plural | quelle | quelle |
If a noun follows, it’s never quelli: quei libri, quegli amici.
Common mistakes
- questo borsaquesta borsaBorsa is feminine, so questo becomes questa.
- quello ristorantequel ristoranteIt’s il ristorante, so the form is quel.
- quei studentiquegli studentiIt’s gli studenti, so the form is quegli.
- quelli libriquei libriQuelli stands alone; before a noun use quei or quegli.
- il questo paninoquesto paninoQuesto replaces the article, so drop the il.
- quel albergoquell’albergoBefore a vowel it’s quell’, just like l’albergo.
- Questo libro o quel?Questo libro o quello?With no noun after it, use the full form quello.
The full table
Questo works like any -o adjective. Quello copies the definite article.
| m · most nouns | questo libro · quel libro → quei libri |
| m · s + consonant, z | questo zaino · quello zaino → quegli zaini |
| m · vowel | questo albero · quell’albero → quegli alberi |
| f · most nouns | questa casa · quella casa → quelle case |
| f · vowel | questa amica · quell’amica → quelle amiche |
Before a vowel, questo and questa can shorten: quest’anno, quest’acqua.
Alone, without a noun: quello, quella, quelli, quelle. Before a noun, never quelli: quei libri.
No article with them: questo libro, not il questo libro.
In short
- Questo = this (near), quello = that (over there). No article in front of either.
- Questo: questo, questa, questi, queste, and often quest’ before a vowel.
- Before a noun, quello copies the article: quel, quello, quell’, quella; plural quei, quegli, quelle.
- On their own: quello, quella, quelli, quelle. Never quelli before a noun.