Say no and ask: non and question words

Non goes right before the verb

To make a sentence negative, put non directly in front of the verb. Nothing else changes: Parlo tedesco becomes Non parlo tedesco.

If there’s a subject, it comes first and non still sits right before the verb: Marco non lavora oggi, Io non parlo francese. In a negative sentence, non doesn’t go after the verb, and it doesn’t go in front of the subject.

Find the verb first, then put non in front of it. That one move works in every sentence at this level.

No or non?

No is the answer word, like English no. Non means not, and in a sentence it goes before the verb. So a full negative answer often uses both: No, non abito qui.

A very common slip is no parlo. Think of it this way: no stands alone, non leans on a verb.

Never and nothing: non… mai, non… niente

To say never or nothing, Italian keeps non before the verb and adds mai (never) or niente (nothing) after it. Two negatives in one sentence are correct and completely normal in Italian.

You don’t need to use these a lot yet. Just recognise the pattern: non stays in front of the verb, and the second word comes after it.

In English, I don’t understand nothing is a slip. In Italian, Non capisco niente is exactly right.

Yes/no questions: just raise your voice

A yes/no question uses exactly the same words as the statement. In speech your voice rises at the end; in writing you add a question mark. Parli italiano. (You speak Italian.) becomes Parli italiano? (Do you speak Italian?)

There’s no word for do or does, and you don’t need to swap the words around. To answer, say Sì, or No, non…

Listen to the end of the sentence. A voice going up means a question, even when the words look like a statement.

Question words

To ask for information, start with a question word. Che, cosa and che cosa all mean what, so use whichever you like. Dove joins with è to make dov’è (where is).

Quanto asks how much, about prices and amounts: Quanto costa? (How much is it?). Come asks how, as in the greeting Come stai? (How are you?).

Three pairs to keep apart

Chi or che? Chi asks about a person: Chi è? (Who is it?). Che and cosa ask about a thing: Cosa prendi? If the answer is a person, use chi.

Quando or quanto? They differ by one letter: quando, with a d, asks when; quanto, with a t, asks how much. Say them slowly and listen for the d or the t.

Perché means why in a question and because in the answer: Perché studi italiano? Perché è bello. Write it with an accent on the final é.

Word order with question words

Put the question word first and the verb straight after it. If you name the person, they usually go after the verb, often at the end: Dove lavora Marco? (Where does Marco work?), Cosa mangia Anna? (What is Anna eating?).

With tu you normally leave the pronoun out: Dove abiti? is enough. And to make a question negative, non still goes right before the verb: Perché non mangi?

Question word, verb, then the rest: Quando parte il treno?

Common mistakes

• No parlo tedesco.Non parlo tedesco.Before a verb, Italian uses non. No is the answer word.
• Parlo non tedesco.Non parlo tedesco.Non goes right before the verb, never after it.
• Fai parli italiano?Parli italiano?There’s no helper like do: keep the statement and raise your voice.
• Chi prendi?Cosa prendi?Chi asks who. For a thing, use cosa or che.
• Quando costa?Quanto costa?Quando is when. For a price, use quanto.
• Dove Marco lavora?Dove lavora Marco?After the question word, the verb comes first, then the person.
• Mangio mai carne.Non mangio mai carne.With mai and niente, Italian still needs non before the verb.

The full picture

Non before the verb, and the same word order for questions.

Perché means why in a question and because in the answer: Perché studi italiano? Perché lavoro a Roma.

Quando (when) and quanto (how much) sound alike. Listen for the d or the t.

Che, cosa and che cosa all mean what.