Log inSign up

Che cosa ascoltate in macchina?

Che cosa ascoltate in macchina?
What do you all listen to in the car?
From Lesson 31:Question words (chi, cosa, dove)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Che cosa ascoltate in macchina?

Why does the sentence use che cosa for "what" instead of just one word?
Literally, che cosa translates to "what thing," but it is used together as the standard way to ask "what" in Italian. In everyday speech, Italians will often shorten it and just say che or cosa by themselves, but che cosa is the most traditional and correct form.
How do we know who is listening if there is no pronoun like "you"?
The verb ending tells you who is doing the action! Ascoltate ends in -ate, which is the present tense ending for voi (the plural "you", or "you all"). Because the verb ending makes the subject obvious, Italian usually drops the pronoun voi.
Why isn't there an Italian word for "to" after ascoltate?
In English we say "listen to," but the Italian verb ascoltare already has the "to" built into its meaning. You just put the thing you are listening to directly after the verb without adding any extra prepositions.
Why is it in macchina instead of nella macchina (in the car)?
When talking about traveling by a certain mode of transportation, Italian usually leaves out the "the" (the definite article). You just use in plus the noun, like in macchina (by/in the car) or in treno (by/on the train).

Learn Che cosa ascoltate in macchina and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →