Log inSign up

Chi ascolta la musica qui?

Chi ascolta la musica qui?
Who is listening to music here?
From Lesson 31:Question words (chi, cosa, dove)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Chi ascolta la musica qui?

Why is ascolta in the he/she form if we don't know who is listening?
The question word chi (who) is treated as a third-person singular subject, just like he or she. Because of this, you use the he/she form of the verb, which is ascolta.
Why isn't there a word for 'to' after ascolta?
In Italian, the verb ascoltare means 'to listen to'. The 'to' is already built right into the verb itself, so you never add an extra preposition for it. You just put the thing you are listening to directly after the verb.
Why is there a la before musica? In English we just say 'listening to music'.
Italian uses definite articles like la much more often than English. When you talk about a broad category or concept like music, Italian requires the article. So, 'music' becomes la musica.
The English translation says 'is listening', but doesn't ascolta mean 'listens'?
It means both! In Italian, the simple present tense covers both general habits (listens) and actions happening right now (is listening). You can usually tell which one it is from the context.

Learn Chi ascolta la musica qui 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 →