Breakdown of C'è un pub qui che abbia un biliardo?
un
a / an (masculine)
qui
here
avere
to have
c'è
there is / there are
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
il pub
the pub
il biliardo
the billiards / the pool table
Questions & Answers about C'è un pub qui che abbia un biliardo?
Why is abbia in the subjunctive here instead of the normal present tense ha?
We use the subjunctive in a relative clause (starting with che) when we are looking for or asking about something that might not exist. Because the speaker does not know if a pub with a pool table is actually in the area, abbia expresses that uncertainty.
Would it be wrong to say che ha un biliardo?
In everyday spoken Italian, many native speakers would actually say che ha, and you would be perfectly understood. However, using the subjunctive che abbia is the grammatically correct way to show you are searching for an unconfirmed thing, which is exactly what this lesson focuses on!
Why use un biliardo instead of translating the word table literally like un tavolo da biliardo?
Does the position of qui matter? Could I say C'è qui un pub?
C'è un pub qui is the most natural word order. Putting qui right after C'è sounds a bit clumsy. You usually establish what you are asking about (un pub) before stating the location (qui).
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