ELONIO
Log inSign up

Il significato di quello che leggi è molto difficile.

Il significato di quello che leggi è molto difficile.
The meaning of what you read is very difficult.
From Lesson 155:Compound relative pronouns (quello che, ciò che)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il significato di quello che leggi è molto difficile.

Why is "what" translated as quello che here instead of cosa?
We use cosa (or che cosa) for questions, like asking what someone is doing. But when "what" connects parts of a sentence and actually means "the thing that" or "that which", you must use quello che or ciò che. In this sentence, it literally translates to "the meaning of the thing that you read."
Could I use ciò che in this sentence instead?
Absolutely! Ciò che and quello che mean exactly the same thing. You could say Il significato di ciò che leggi è molto difficile and it would be perfectly correct. Ciò che just sounds a tiny bit more formal, while quello che is very common in everyday conversation.
Why do we need the word di before quello che?
The word di translates to "of" here. It connects the noun il significato (the meaning) to the rest of the idea. Just like in English, you say "the meaning of what you read." In Italian, you cannot skip this preposition when linking a noun to what it relates to.
Since leggi is the simple present tense, can it also mean "what you are reading"?
Yes, it can. Italian uses the simple present tense for both general facts and actions happening right now. Depending on the context, quello che leggi easily translates to either "what you read" in general or "what you are reading" at this exact moment.

Learn Il significato di quello che leggi è molto difficile 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 →