Question 1

What exactly does un che di mean, and how is the word che functioning here?

Accepted Answer

In this fixed expression, un che translates to "a something" or "a certain quality." The word che acts as a noun (an indefinite pronoun), rather than its usual role as a conjunction ("that") or relative pronoun ("who/which"). You pair it with di and an adjective to describe that mysterious quality.

Question 2

Since we are talking about a woman (quella donna), does the adjective after un che di need to be feminine?

Accepted Answer

No, it doesn't. The adjective after un che di modifies the pronoun un che, which is always treated as masculine singular. While indescrivibile ends in -e and looks the same in both genders, if you used an adjective like misterioso, it would remain masculine regardless of the subject: ha un che di misterioso (not misteriosa).

Question 3

The word sfuggente translates to "elusive." How is this word formed?

Accepted Answer

It is the present participle of the verb sfuggire (to escape, to slip away). By dropping the infinitive ending and adding -ente, it becomes an adjective describing someone or something that actively "slips away" from being understood or pinned down.

Question 4

Could I say un non so che instead of un che in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is a very common alternative! You could say ha un non so che di indescrivibile. It translates literally to "an I-don't-know-what" and is used in the exact same way as un che to describe an undefinable trait.

Quella donna è sfuggente; ha un che di indescrivibile.

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