Demonstratives: Questo & Quello

Overview

Demonstratives are words that point to specific things — "this" and "that" in English. In Italian, questo (this/these) and quello (that/those) are the two essential demonstratives you need from the very beginning.

Questo is straightforward: it has four regular forms like any adjective ending in -o. Quello, on the other hand, is special — its forms change to mirror the patterns of the Italian definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le). This makes quello slightly trickier, but once you know your articles, the pattern clicks into place.

Both questo and quello can function as adjectives (before a noun) or as pronouns (standing alone in place of a noun). This article covers both uses.

How It Works

Questo (this / these)

Questo behaves like a regular four-form adjective:

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	questo	questi
Feminine	questa	queste

Before a vowel, the singular forms can optionally contract: quest'anno (this year), quest'idea (this idea). This contraction is common but not mandatory.

Quello (that / those)

Quello follows the same pattern as the definite articles. Think of it as replacing the article in front of the noun:

Article	Quello form	Used before	Example
il	quel	most masculine singular nouns	quel libro (that book)
lo	quello	s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y	quello studente (that student)
l'	quell'	vowel (m. & f. singular)	quell'uomo (that man)
la	quella	most feminine singular nouns	quella casa (that house)
i	quei	most masculine plural nouns	quei libri (those books)
gli	quegli	s+consonant, z, vowel (m. pl.)	quegli studenti (those students)
le	quelle	all feminine plural nouns	quelle case (those houses)

Adjective vs. Pronoun Use

As adjectives, questo and quello come directly before the noun:

• Questo libro è interessante. (This book is interesting.)
• Quel film è noioso. (That movie is boring.)

As pronouns, they stand alone and always use the full four forms (questo/questa/questi/queste and quello/quella/quelli/quelle):

• Questo è mio. (This one is mine.)
• Quella è la mia macchina. (That one is my car.)
• Quelli sono buoni. (Those ones are good.)

Note: when quello is used as a pronoun, it does not follow the article pattern — it simply uses quello, quella, quelli, quelle.

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
Questo è il mio amico Marco.	This is my friend Marco.	Pronoun
Questa pizza è deliziosa.	This pizza is delicious.	Adjective, feminine
Quest'anno studio italiano.	This year I study Italian.	Contraction before vowel
Questi ragazzi sono simpatici.	These boys are nice.	Adjective, masculine plural
Queste scarpe sono nuove.	These shoes are new.	Adjective, feminine plural
Quel ristorante è famoso.	That restaurant is famous.	Like "il ristorante"
Quello zaino è pesante.	That backpack is heavy.	Like "lo zaino"
**Quell'**albero è grande.	That tree is big.	Like "l'albero"
Quella ragazza parla bene.	That girl speaks well.	Like "la ragazza"
Quei fiori sono belli.	Those flowers are beautiful.	Like "i fiori"
Quegli occhiali sono tuoi?	Are those glasses yours?	Like "gli occhiali"
Quelle sono le mie chiavi.	Those are my keys.	Pronoun, feminine plural
Preferisco questo, non quello.	I prefer this one, not that one.	Both as pronouns
Chi è quella?	Who is that woman?	Pronoun

Common Mistakes

Using "quello" without article-pattern agreement

• Wrong: quello libro
• Right: quel libro
• Why: Before most masculine singular nouns, you need quel (matching the article il), not the full form quello.

Confusing adjective and pronoun forms of "quello"

• Wrong: Quel è il mio. (standing alone)
• Right: Quello è il mio.
• Why: When quello is a pronoun (no noun follows), use the full four forms: quello, quella, quelli, quelle.

Forgetting gender agreement

• Wrong: questo casa
• Right: questa casa
• Why: Casa is feminine, so you need the feminine form questa.

Overusing the full form "quello" before nouns

• Wrong: quello ragazzo
• Right: quel ragazzo
• Why: Before a regular masculine noun (one that takes il), use quel, not quello. Reserve quello for nouns starting with s+consonant, z, gn, etc.

Skipping the contraction of "questo" before vowels

• Not wrong but awkward: questo anno
• More natural: quest'anno
• Why: The contraction is very common in both speech and writing, though not strictly required.

Practice Tips

1. Pair quello with articles. Take a list of nouns with their articles and practice replacing the article with the matching form of quello. For example: il gatto → quel gatto, lo specchio → quello specchio, i bambini → quei bambini. This drill makes the pattern automatic.

2. Point and name. Look around any room and practice saying "this is..." and "that is..." in Italian: Questo è un tavolo. Quella è una sedia. Quelli sono libri. Physically pointing helps anchor the demonstrative to its meaning.

3. Listen for the difference. When watching Italian media, notice whether speakers use questo or quello as adjectives (with a noun) or pronouns (alone). Pay attention to which form of quello they choose and connect it to the noun's article.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Adjectives — questo follows the same four-form pattern
• Next steps: Definite Articles — quello mirrors article forms, so mastering articles makes quello easy
• Next steps: Possessive Adjectives — another category of adjectives that agree in gender and number