L'amico con cui parlo è gentile.

The friend with whom I speak is kind.

Breakdown of L'amico con cui parlo è gentile.

• essere: to be
• con: with
• l'amico: the friend
• gentile: kind

Questions & Answers about L'amico con cui parlo è gentile.

What does con cui mean in this sentence, and why is it used?

Con cui translates to "with whom." In Italian, when a relative clause involves a preposition, the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun. Here, con is the preposition meaning "with," and cui serves as the relative pronoun (invariable across different prepositional meanings). Thus, l'amico con cui parlo means "the friend with whom I speak."

Why is the article written as l'amico instead of lo amico?

The article is contracted to l' because amico begins with a vowel sound. When the definite article lo (used before masculine nouns starting with certain consonant clusters or a vowel sound) precedes a vowel, it contracts to l' for smoother pronunciation. That’s why lo amico becomes l'amico.

How is the sentence structured in terms of main and relative clauses?

The sentence is composed of a main clause and a relative clause. The noun l'amico (the friend) is modified by the relative clause con cui parlo (with whom I speak), and the main clause is completed with è gentile (is kind). This structure shows how Italian commonly places the relative clause immediately after the noun it describes, similar to English.

Why is the adjective gentile placed after the subject, and what does it imply?