Chi: The People Who
You already know chi as the question word for "who?". However, it also acts as a relative pronoun meaning "whoever," "the one who," or "the people who."
Even when chi refers to a plural concept in English like "those who" or "the people who," Italian treats it as a single entity. It always takes a third-person singular verb.
| Those who do nothing never make mistakes. | Chi non fa niente non sbaglia mai. |
| Those who love a lot suffer a lot. | Chi ama molto soffre molto. |
Proverbs and General Truths
Because it expresses universal rules, chi is the foundation of many classic Italian proverbs.
| proverb | il proverbio |
| An old proverb says: those who search find. | Un vecchio proverbio dice: chi cerca trova. |
These sayings often pair two third-person singular verbs to show cause and effect.
| Whoever breaks something pays. | Chi rompe qualcosa paga. |
| Those who stay silent consent. | Chi tace acconsente. |
| Those who do not risk do not gain. | Chi non rischia non guadagna. |
Chi as an Object
Chi doesn't only have to be the subject. It can also act as the object—meaning you can observe, like, or interact with "the people who" do something.
| Marco does not like people who risk too much. | A Marco non piace chi rischia troppo. |
| I do not deceive those who had nothing. | Non inganno chi non aveva niente. |
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