Question 1

Why use i quali here instead of just che?

Accepted Answer

You could absolutely use che here, as it is the standard relative pronoun for subjects. However, il quale and its plural/feminine forms (like i quali) are formal, stylistic alternatives. They are often used in written or elevated Italian to sound more elegant, or to avoid ambiguity because they clearly show the gender and number of the noun they replace.

Question 2

How do we know to use i quali instead of il quale or le quali?

Accepted Answer

When using this stylistic type of relative pronoun, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers back to (its antecedent). Since i parametri is masculine and plural, we use the masculine plural form i quali.

Question 3

Could we use cui instead of i quali in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No. cui is only used when the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition (like di cui meaning "of which" or a cui meaning "to which"). In this sentence, the relative pronoun is the subject doing the action (changing the procedure), so you must use either che or a subject form like i quali.

Question 4

What is the purpose of the commas around i quali cambiano la procedura?

Accepted Answer

Just like in English, the commas create a non-defining relative clause. This means all the parameters being discussed are complicated, and the fact that they change the procedure is just extra information. If you removed the commas, it would imply that only the specific parameters that change the procedure are complicated.

I parametri, i quali cambiano la procedura, sono molto complicati.

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