Breakdown of Dopo aver cenato, quello che gradisco è un dolce.
essere
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
quello
that
avere
to have
il dolce
the dessert
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
dopo
after
cenare
to have dinner
gradire
to appreciate/like
Questions & Answers about Dopo aver cenato, quello che gradisco è un dolce.
Why use quello che instead of cosa for "what" in this sentence?
In Italian, you cannot use cosa (which means "what" in questions) to mean "that which" or "the thing that" in a statement. To emphasize a specific thing using a pseudo-cleft structure (What I appreciate is...), you must use quello che (literally "that which") followed by the verb, and then the verb essere to introduce the focus of the sentence.
Could I use ciò che instead of quello che here?
Why does the sentence use Dopo aver cenato instead of a conjugated verb like Dopo che ceno?
When the subject of the action is the same in both parts of the sentence (you are the one dining, and you are the one appreciating dessert), Italian typically follows dopo with a past infinitive (avere or essere + past participle). Dopo aver cenato literally translates to "After having dined". Also, notice how avere drops its final "e" to become aver; this is an optional but very common habit to make the phrase flow more smoothly.
I usually use mi piace for "I like". How is gradisco different here?
Gradire is a great B2-level verb meaning "to appreciate," "to welcome," or "to like" (very often used for food, drinks, or polite offers). It sounds a bit more refined than the everyday piacere. Also, grammatically, gradire is a standard verb where the person is the subject (I appreciate dessert), whereas piacere works backwards (Dessert is pleasing to me). If you used piacere, the phrase would be quello che mi piace è un dolce.
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