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Il maiale e la gallina guardano l'insetto che è nella terra.

Il maiale e la gallina guardano l'insetto che è nella terra.
The pig and the hen look at the insect that is in the earth.
From Lesson 133:Relative pronoun (che)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il maiale e la gallina guardano l'insetto che è nella terra.

Why does this sentence use che for 'that'? Does it change if we are talking about a person?
The relative pronoun che means who, whom, that, or which. In Italian, it is completely invariable, meaning it never changes form. You use che whether you are talking about an insect, a person, or an inanimate object.
Is che the subject or the direct object in the second part of the sentence?
Here, che acts as the subject of the relative clause. It refers back to l'insetto (the insect) and performs the action of the verb è (is). It is the bug that is currently in the earth.
Where is the word for 'at' in guardano l'insetto?
The Italian verb guardare directly means to look at or to watch. It connects directly to the object you are looking at, so you do not add an extra preposition between guardano and l'insetto.
Why is it nella terra instead of just in la terra?
In Italian, the preposition in must combine with the definite article that follows it. Since terra is feminine singular, it takes the article la. When in meets la, they merge into the single word nella.

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