Learn Italian: I colleghi con i quali collaboro capiscono il settore finanziario. - The colleagues with whom I collaborate understand the financial sector.

I colleghi con i quali collaboro capiscono il settore finanziario.

The colleagues with whom I collaborate understand the financial sector.

Breakdown of I colleghi con i quali collaboro capiscono il settore finanziario.

Questions & Answers about I colleghi con i quali collaboro capiscono il settore finanziario.

Why do we use con i quali here instead of con cui?

You can actually use either! con cui (with whom) and con i quali mean the exact same thing. Using il quale and its variations is just slightly more formal and precise, which fits well when talking about a professional setting like the financial sector.

How do I know whether to use il quale, la quale, i quali, or le quali?

Unlike cui (which never changes), this type of relative pronoun has to agree in gender and number with the noun it refers back to. Here, it refers to i colleghi (masculine plural, meaning male or mixed-gender colleagues), so you must use the masculine plural form: i quali.

Could I just use che in this sentence instead?

No, because there is a preposition (con) involved. You use che (who/that) directly after a noun, but immediately following a preposition like con, di, a, or in, you must use either cui or the appropriate form of il quale.

I always forget: why is the verb capiscono and not capono?