Learn Italian: Nessuno può reclamare ciò che non gli appartiene. - No one can claim what does not belong to them.

Nessuno può reclamare ciò che non gli appartiene.

No one can claim what does not belong to them.

Breakdown of Nessuno può reclamare ciò che non gli appartiene.

who, that (relative pronoun)

Questions & Answers about Nessuno può reclamare ciò che non gli appartiene.

Why is "what" translated as ciò che instead of cosa?

Cosa (or che cosa) is an interrogative word used for asking questions. When "what" means "that which" or "the thing that" in the middle of a statement, Italian uses ciò che or quello che.

Why is the pronoun gli used here when the English translation says "them"?

The pronoun refers back to nessuno (no one). In Italian, nessuno is strictly singular, so it takes the singular indirect object pronoun gli (to him). English often uses the singular "them" to avoid saying "him or her", but Italian uses the masculine singular as the default.

Does appartenere (to belong) always use indirect object pronouns like gli?

Yes! Just like in English where a thing belongs to someone, in Italian it is appartenere a someone. Because of this connection, you must use an indirect object pronoun like gli (to him) rather than a direct object pronoun. This is closely related to how we ask "whose" (di chi) when questioning who owns something.

I learned that Italian uses double negatives with words like nessuno. Why isn't there a non before può?