Log inSign up

Chi inganna la gente perde sempre.

Chi inganna la gente perde sempre.
Whoever deceives people always loses.
From Lesson 172:The people who (chi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Chi inganna la gente perde sempre.

Why do the verbs inganna and perde use the third-person singular form if chi means "whoever" or "the people who"?
The pronoun chi always takes a third-person singular verb, even when it translates to a plural concept like "those who" or "the people who" in English. Therefore, we use the singular forms inganna and perde.
Why is it la gente (singular) instead of a plural word for "people"?
In Italian, la gente is a singular feminine noun, functioning much like the English word "the crowd". You will generally use this singular form rather than a plural like le persone unless you are talking about a specific, countable number of individuals.
Does chi act as the subject for both verbs in this sentence?
Yes! Chi is a special relative pronoun because it merges the roles of "the person" and "who". Here, it acts as the subject of the first verb (inganna) and also provides the subject for the main clause's verb (perde).
Why is it perde sempre instead of sempre perde like "always loses" in English?
In Italian, adverbs of frequency like sempre (always) usually come immediately after the verb they modify, whereas in English they typically come before it.

Learn Chi inganna la gente perde sempre 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 →