The relative pronoun cui
In English, we often end a relative clause with a preposition (for example, "the news I am writing about"). In Italian, the preposition must always come before the relative pronoun. When a relative pronoun follows a preposition, you cannot use che; instead, you must use the invariable pronoun cui (whom/which).
| whom / which | cui |
Talking about topics with di cui
Many Italian verbs, such as parlare (to talk) or scrivere (to write), use the preposition di to mean "about." To say "about which" or "about whom," combine di with cui.
| The topic we are talking about is important news. | L'argomento di cui parliamo è una notizia importante. |
| The source I am talking about is definitely reliable. | La fonte di cui parlo è sicuramente affidabile. |
| The news I am writing about is in the daily newspaper. | La notizia di cui scrivo è nel quotidiano. |
Directing actions with a cui
Similarly, verbs that direct an action toward someone or something use the preposition a (to). Use a cui to mean "to whom" or "to which." Notice how this works with verbs like scrivere (to write to) or expressions like fare un'intervista (to do an interview with/to).
| The politician I am interviewing arrives tomorrow. | Il politico a cui faccio l'intervista arriva domani. |
| The daily newspaper we are writing to confirms the topic. | Il quotidiano a cui scriviamo conferma l'argomento. |
Reporting the news
You will use these relative pronouns frequently when discussing media, sources, and politics. Always look at the verb in the relative clause to know whether you need di cui, a cui, or another preposition.
| The daily newspaper publishes the interview the politician is talking about. | Il quotidiano pubblica l'intervista di cui parla il politico. |
| The source I am asking for the information confirms everything. | La fonte a cui chiedo l'informazione conferma tutto. |
| The politician I am answering often goes on television. | Il politico a cui rispondo va spesso in televisione. |