When talking about ownership or association, repeating the same noun can feel clumsy. In English, we avoid this by using an apostrophe-s: "My skis are new, but Luca's are old."
In Italian, you achieve this by using a demonstrative pronoun based on quello (that / the one) followed by the preposition di (of). Literally, you are saying "that of Luca" or "the ones of Luca."
Choosing the Right Form
Because the demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun, it must agree with the gender and number of the noun you are omitting. There are four forms:
- quello: masculine singular
- quella: feminine singular
- quelli: masculine plural
- quelle: feminine plural
When replacing a masculine noun, use quello or quelli:
| If we go out, do we take your snowboard or Maria's? | Se usciamo, prendiamo il tuo snowboard o quello di Maria? |
| My skis are new, but Luca's are old. | I miei sci sono nuovi, ma quelli di Luca sono vecchi. |
When replacing a feminine noun, use quella or quelle:
| Marco's sled is red, but Luca's is blue. | La slitta di Marco è rossa, ma quella di Luca è blu. |
| Our scarves are in the cabin, and Maria's are there. | Le nostre sciarpe sono nella baita, e quelle di Maria sono là. |
Combining with Definite Articles
Often, the noun following di is a proper name (like Maria or Luca), so di remains unchanged. However, if the "owner" or associated noun requires a definite article (like "the beginner" or "the mountain"), the preposition di must combine with that article to form an articulated preposition (such as del, della, or dei).
| This slope is difficult, but the beginner's is easy. | Questa pista è difficile, ma quella del principiante è facile. |
| The town's cable car is closed, but the mountain's is open. | La funivia del paese è chiusa, ma quella della montagna è aperta. |