Learn Italian: Che vuol dire questa parola?

Che vuol dire questa parola?

What does this word mean?

Breakdown of Che vuol dire questa parola?

to mean (che vuol dire? = what does it mean?)

Questions & Answers about Che vuol dire questa parola?

Why does this sentence use che for 'what' instead of quello che or ciò che?

Quello che and ciò che are used for 'what' when it means 'the thing that' in a normal statement (like 'I know what you mean'). Because this sentence is a direct question asking 'What...?', you just use the interrogative word che (or che cosa).

How does vuol dire translate to 'does... mean'?

Vuol dire literally translates to 'wants to say' (from volere, to want, and dire, to say). In Italian, this is the standard phrase used to express what a word, phrase, or situation 'means'.

Why is the verb vuol and not vuole?

Vuol is a shortened version of vuole (it wants). Italians frequently drop the final -e of verbs like volere when they are followed directly by another verb in the infinitive (like dire). This makes the phrase smoother to say quickly, though vuole dire is also perfectly correct.

Why is the subject questa parola at the very end of the sentence?

In Italian questions, it is very common to place the subject (questa parola) at the end. The literal word order here is 'What wants to say this word?'. Italian does not use helper verbs like 'does' to form questions.