Learn Italian: Ciao! Questa è mia sorella.

Ciao! Questa è mia sorella.

Hi! This is my sister.

Breakdown of Ciao! Questa è mia sorella.

Questions & Answers about Ciao! Questa è mia sorella.

Why is it Questa instead of Questo?

Questa is the feminine form of the word for this. Since the speaker is introducing their sister (sorella), which is a feminine noun, the pronoun must match it. If you were introducing a brother, you would use the masculine form: Questo è mio fratello.

Why is there no article before mia sorella? Don't Italian possessives usually need one?

Yes, normally you use a definite article with possessives, like la mia casa (my house). However, there is a special rule for family members: singular nouns for close relatives drop the article. That is why it is just mia sorella instead of la mia sorella.

Why does è have an accent mark?

The accent mark distinguishes it from another very common word. With the accent, è means is (from the verb essere). Without the accent, e means and.

I have heard Ciao means goodbye. Why is it used as hi here?

Ciao is a very common informal greeting that means both hi and bye. You use it when greeting a friend or family member, and also when leaving them. Since this is an introduction, it means hi here.