Questions & Answers about Che bella notizia! Mi congratulo con te.
Why isn't there an article after Che, similar to how English uses 'What a...' in exclamations?
In Italian, exclamations with che (meaning 'what' or 'what a') attach directly to the adjective or noun. You never use an indefinite article (un, una) after che in this structure, regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural. Why is notizia singular here when the English translation says 'news'?
In English, 'news' is an uncountable noun that looks plural but takes a singular verb. In Italian, notizia is fully countable. A single piece of news is una notizia, and multiple pieces are notizie. Since this sentence refers to one specific announcement, it is singular. Why do we say Mi congratulo con te instead of just Congratulo te?
The verb for 'to congratulate' is congratularsi, which is reflexive in Italian. Literally, it translates to 'I congratulate myself with you'. That is why you need the reflexive pronoun mi and the preposition con before the person you are congratulating. How could I use a pleonastic che to make this exclamation even more emphatic?
If you wanted to expand this into a full clause for extra emphasis, you could add a pleonastic (extra) che followed by a verb, such as Che bella notizia che è! (What great news it is!). In the short, verbless phrase Che bella notizia!, the extra che is omitted. Learn Che bella notizia! Mi congratulo con te and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free