Learn Italian: Le galline che mangiano nel campo sono piccole. - The hens that eat in the field are small.

Le galline che mangiano nel campo sono piccole.

The hens that eat in the field are small.

Breakdown of Le galline che mangiano nel campo sono piccole.

in the (in + il) / while / upon (doing something)

Questions & Answers about Le galline che mangiano nel campo sono piccole.

What exactly does che do in this sentence?

Here, che is a relative pronoun meaning 'that'. It connects the two parts of the sentence and acts as the subject for the verb mangiano (eat). It tells us exactly which hens we are talking about.

Does the word che need to change to match the feminine plural noun galline?

No, the relative pronoun che never changes its ending. Whether it refers to a masculine, feminine, singular, or plural noun, it always stays exactly the same.

Why does the sentence end with piccole instead of the standard dictionary form piccolo?

piccole is the feminine plural form of the adjective. It has to match the feminine plural noun it describes, Le galline. This agreement rule applies even when the noun and adjective are separated by a long che clause.

Why is it nel campo instead of in il campo?

In Italian, you cannot put the preposition in directly next to the definite article il (the). When they meet, they must merge into the combined word nel.