Learn Italian: Quando arrivi in ufficio? - When do you arrive at the office?

Quando arrivi in ufficio?

When do you arrive at the office?

Breakdown of Quando arrivi in ufficio?

l'ufficio

the office

in / made of (material)

Questions & Answers about Quando arrivi in ufficio?

Where is the word 'do' in the Italian sentence?

Italian doesn't use helper verbs like 'do' or 'does' to ask questions. The question word Quando (When) is followed directly by the main verb arrivi (you arrive).

Why is it in ufficio instead of using a word for 'the' like all'ufficio?

Certain places in Italian use the preposition in without an article (a word for 'the'). In ufficio is a fixed everyday phrase meaning 'at the office' or 'to the office'.

How do we know who is arriving if there is no word for 'you'?

In Italian, the ending of the verb tells you who is doing the action. The -i ending on arrivi means it goes with tu (informal singular 'you'). Because of this, the pronoun tu is usually dropped.

Does quando change its ending if we ask about multiple people arriving?

No, quando (when) is a question word that never changes its form. It will always be quando no matter who or what you are asking about.