Breakdown of I dispositivi, i quali collegano la rete, sono innovativi.
essere
to be
la rete
the net / the network / the internet connection
collegare
to connect
il quale
who, which, whom (also la quale, i quali, le quali)
il dispositivo
the device
innovativo
innovative
Questions & Answers about I dispositivi, i quali collegano la rete, sono innovativi.
Why use i quali here instead of just che?
In Italian, che is the most common relative pronoun for subjects. However, il quale and its variations (la quale, i quali, le quali) can also be used as explicit subjects to add a more formal, elegant, or written style to the sentence. Here, i quali clearly refers back to the masculine plural noun i dispositivi.
Do the commas around i quali collegano la rete matter?
Yes, they are crucial! They create a non-restrictive relative clause, meaning all the devices are innovative, and the clause just adds extra background info. If you removed the commas, it would mean only the specific devices that connect the network are innovative. Note that when il quale (and its variations) acts as a subject, it is almost exclusively used in these non-restrictive clauses with commas.
Why doesn't the sentence say si collegano alla rete?
What is the adjective innovativi agreeing with?
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