Learn Italian: Ognuno sa che chi tace acconsente. - Everyone knows that those who stay silent consent.

Ognuno sa che chi tace acconsente.

Everyone knows that those who stay silent consent.

Breakdown of Ognuno sa che chi tace acconsente.

sapere

to know

che

that (conjunction introducing a clause)

ognuno

everyone / each one

chi

whoever / the people who (the one who, those who)

Questions & Answers about Ognuno sa che chi tace acconsente.

Why are tace and acconsente in the singular if the translation says "those who"?

Even when chi refers to a group of people (like "those who" or "the people who"), it is always grammatically singular in Italian. That is why it takes the third-person singular verb forms tace and acconsente.

Why can't I just use "che" instead of "chi" here?

The word che (who/that) needs a specific noun right before it to refer back to, like l'uomo che tace (the man who stays silent). Because there is no specific noun being referred to here, you must use chi to mean "anyone who" or "the people who".

Could I use "quelli che" instead of "chi" to mean "those who"?

Yes, you could technically say quelli che tacciono (those who stay silent), but chi is much more natural and common for general statements, rules, or proverbs. Using chi is a great way to make your Italian sound more native and concise.

Could I use "tutti" instead of "ognuno" to mean "everyone"?

Yes, but you would have to change the verb. Ognuno means "each one" or "everyone" as individuals, and it always takes a singular verb (ognuno sa). If you use tutti (everybody/all), it is grammatically plural, so you would need to say tutti sanno.