Italian Sentence Structure & Word Order: Beginner to Advanced (QUIZ & PDF📚)

You may have conquered all the essentials – the greetings, the numbers, the name of fruits and colours, even crucial questions like “where is the bathroom?” However, there’s more to discover beyond these basics and that’s Italian syntax – the way Italians construct their sentences!

Understanding Italian sentence structure and word order is crucial for significantly improving your language skills, unlocking a whole new world of expression and connection. To see how much you’ve learned, don’t forget to take the free quiz at the end of this lesson!

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

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Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

Basic word order in Italian
How to form negative sentences in Italian
How to ask questions in Italian
Question words
Using pronouns in Italian sentences
Using modifiers
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
How to connect sentences with conjunctions
Advanced Italian sentence structures
- Relative clauses
- Infinitive phrases
- Indirect speech
Changing word order in conversational Italian
- Left-dislocation
- Right-dislocation
TAKE THE QUIZ!

Basic word order in Italian

The basic Italian sentences follow this pattern:

Subject	+	Verb	+	Complement
Who/what is doing the action		The action done by the subject		Elements that complete and enrich the sentence

Complements can be classified into two types:

Direct complements express the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb:

Maria legge un libro (Maria reads a book) → “Maria” is the subject, “legge” is the verb, and “un libro” is the direct complement.
Giuseppe guarda un film (Giuseppe is watching a movie) → “Giuseppe” is the subject, “guarda” is the verb, and “un film” is the direct complement.

Indirect complements are introduced by a preposition and answer questions such as “with whom?”, “how?”, “to whom?, etc. For example:

Alessandro esce con Elena (Alessandro goes out with Elena) → Here, con Elena (with Elena) is an indirect complement that answers the question “with whom?”
Greta ha prestato i suoi appunti a Chiara (Greta lent her notes to Chiara) → Here, i suoi appunti (her notes) is a direct complement, while a Chiara (to Chiara) is an indirect complement that answers the question “to whom?”

Attenzione! In Italian, the subject is not always necessary, especially when it’s a pronoun like io (I) or tu (you). The verb ending usually indicates who is doing the action. However, sometimes the subject may be used for clarity or to emphasize who is performing the action. For example:

Mangio una pizza (I eat pizza) → Here, Io (I) is omitted because mangio (eat) already tells us that the subject is Io (I)
Io mangio la pizza, tu cosa prendi? (I’ll eat pizza, what are you getting?) → Here, Io (I) is used to emphasize the subject performing the action

How to form negative sentences in Italian

Turning a positive sentence into a negative one in Italian is easy. Simply place the word non (not) right before the verb. Here’s the basic sentence structure to follow:

Subject + non + Verb + Complement

I bambini hanno molta fame (The kids are very hungry) → I bambini non hanno molta fame (The kids aren’t very hungry)
Marco ha risposto alle domande (Marco answered the questions) → Marco non ha risposto alle domande (Marco didn’t answer the questions).

Attenzione! When the subject pronoun (like “I” or “they”) is omitted, non (not) becomes the first element in the sentence:

Guardo la televisione (I watch TV) → Non guardo la televisione (I don’t watch TV)
Ama viaggiare da sola (She likes traveling alone) → Non ama viaggiare da sola (She doesn’t like traveling alone)

Italian Sentence Structure - How to form negative sentences

How to ask questions in Italian

In English, asking a question often involves changing word order or adding words like “Do,” “Did,” or “Does” at the beginning. Italian, however, simplifies this process. You can transform a regular statement into a question simply by using a questioning tone and adding a question mark at the end:

Subject + Verb + Complement + ?

For example:

Mangiano carne (They eat meat) → Mangiano carne? (Do they eat meat?)
Guardiamo il film (We watch a movie) → Guardiamo un film? (How about we watch a movie?)

Question words

Sometimes, you’ll need to use question words like Chi (Who), Cosa (What), Dove (Where), and so on, to ask more specific questions that require more than a yes or no answer. When using these words, the subject typically comes after the verb:

Question word + Verb + Subject + ?

For example:

Il treno parte (The train leaves) → Quando parte il treno? (When does the train leave?)
Il percorso inizia qui (The path starts here) → Dove inizia il percorso? (Where does the path start?)

Attenzione! When starting a question with Chi (Who), the subject often appears at the end of the sentence in the answer to stress who will perform the action:

Chi va a fare la spesa? – Vado io! (Who’s going to do grocery shopping? – I’ll go!)
Chi viene con me? – Veniamo noi! (Who’s coming with me? – We are!)

Italian Sentence Structure - How to ask questions in Italian

Using pronouns in Italian sentences

Pronouns play a crucial role in Italian as they prevent repetitive use of words, making sentences smoother and conversations easier to follow. There are different types of pronouns, each serving specific functions within sentences. Direct object pronouns, for instance, replace nouns that directly receive the action, while indirect object pronouns replace nouns that indirectly receive the action. Let’s see a few examples:

Carla è sconvolta (Carla is upset) + Cosa hai detto a Carla? (What did you say to Carla?) → Carla è sconvolta, cosa le hai detto? (Carla is upset, what did you say to her?). Here, le (her) is the indirect object pronoun replacing a Carla (Carla)
Ho visto Claudio e Angelo (I saw Claudio and Angelo) + Hai invitato Claudio e Angelo alla festa? (Did you invite Claudio and Angelo to the party?) → Ho visto Claudio e Angelo, li hai invitati alla festa? (I saw Claudio and Angelo, did you invite them to the party?). Here, li (them) is the direct object pronoun replacing Claudio e Angelo (Claudio and Angelo).

For a comprehensive list of pronouns and detailed guidance on their usage in sentences, refer to my Italian Pronouns Guide!

Using modifiers

As you become accustomed to using simple sentences, you may want to expand your vocabulary and be more expressive. This is where modifiers come into play. These are elements that add extra meaning (thus modify it) to words and verbs in a sentence.

Adjectives

Adjectives provide additional information about nouns. In Italian, they must agree with the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the nouns they describe. They typically follow the noun they modify. Here are some examples:

Una signora anziana ospita alcuni studenti universitari (An elderly lady hosts some university students)
Un ragazzo spagnolo ha perso il passaporto nuovo (A Spanish tourist lost his new passport)

However, there are some exceptions:

Some adjectives change meaning depending on their position in the sentence. When placed before the noun, they convey a figurative meaning, whereas when placed after the noun, they tend to be more literal:

Un vecchio amico (an old friend, referring to a long-term friendship) / Un amico vecchio (an old friend, referring to age)
Un grande appartamento (An impressive apartment, referring to status) / Un appartamento grande (A big apartment, referring to size)

Certain adjectives like nuovo (new) or bello (nice) can change function based on their position:

Un libro nuovo (A new book, generically describing the book) / Il nuovo libro di Baricco (Baricco’s new book, meaning a specific new book by the author)
Un attore bello (a good-looking actor, describing the actor’s appearance) / Un bell’attore (A talented actor, meaning he’s very capable) – also notice that, before a word beginning with a vowel, bello loses the -o in the masculine form and takes an apostrophe.

Italian Sentence Structure - Adjectives

Finally, adjectives with prefixes or suffixes, those linked to complements, used as participles, or derived from nouns always come after the noun:

Una macchina piccolina (A very small car) → -ina is a suffix that means “little”
Una macchina piena di fango (A car full of mud) → piena (full) is linked to the complement that specify what the car is covered of (di fango – of mud)
Una canzone emozionante (A moving song) → emozionante is the present participle of emozionare (to move)
Un pannello solare (A solar panel) → the adjective solare (solar) comes from the word sole (sun)

Adverbs

Adverbs are invariant words that provide additional information or specify the meaning of verbs, adjectives, or entire sentences.Generally, adverbs that modify verbs are placed after the verb. However, for emphasis, they can precede the verb:

Partiamo domani (We leave tomorrow)
Domani partiamo! (We leave tomorrow!)

Notice how the position changes the emphasis in this example? Adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs are placed before the adjective or adverb:

Marco è veramente simpatico (Marco is really nice)
Anna è palesemente arrabbiata (Anna is clearly angry)
Andrea sta andando troppo velocemente, digli di rallentare (Andrea is going too fast, tell him to slow down)

In sentences with compound tenses, adverbs can appear between the auxiliary verb and the past participle, before the auxiliary verb, or after the past participle. The meaning remains consistent; only the emphasis changes:

Siamo finalmente arrivati / Finalmente siamo arrivati / Siamo arrivati finalmente (We have finally arrived)
Sono le 10, i tuoi sono sicuramente arrivati / Sono le 10, i tuoi sicuramente sono arrivati / Sono le 10, i tuoi sono arrivati sicuramente (It’s 10, your parents have definitely arrived)

Italian Sentence Structure - Adverbs

Adverbs of manner, which describe how something is done, can be placed anywhere in the sentence:

Solitamente non viaggio da sola / Non viaggio da sola solitamente / Non viaggio solitamente da sola (I don’t usually travel alone) → The meaning remains unchanged regardless of the position of the adverb of manner solitamente (usually)

Similarly, when an adverb modifies the entire sentence, it can be placed anywhere:

Onestamente non so che dire / Non so che dire onestamente (I honestly don’t know what to say)

The adverb non (not) usually precedes the verb it modifies. In cases of double negatives, the second adverb follows the verb:

Non guardo la televisione (I don’t watch TV) / Non guardo mai la televisione (I never watch TV)
Non mangiamo carne (We don’t eat meat) / Non mangiamo più carne (We don’t eat meat anymore)

How to connect sentences with conjunctions

Conjunctions are essential words that help us connect words, phrases, and sentences in a meaningful way. In Italian, conjunctions fall into two main categories based on their function: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions (like e – and, ma – but) link two words or sentences of equal importance. For example:

Mangio qualcosa e riprendo a studiare (I’ll eat something and get back to studying.)
Io voglio andare al cinema, ma Marco preferisce restare a casa (I want to go to the cinema, but Marco prefers to stay at home)

Italian Sentence Structure - Coordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions (like come – how, perchè – because) connect two sentences where one is dependent on the other. For example:

Devi raccontarmi come è andato il viaggio(You must tell me how the trip went)
Mario è arrabbiatissimo perchè ha perso le chiavi della macchina (Mario is very angry because he lost his car keys)

Italian Sentence Structure - Subordinating conjunctions

Within these groups, there are more specific types of conjunctions that establish various logical relationships between words and entences. For a comprehensive list, refer to my guide to Italian conjunctions to learn more!

Advanced Italian sentence structures

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s progress to more complex sentences. Mastering these is crucial because they enable you to express your thoughts clearly and discuss more sophisticated ideas.

Relative clauses

To make your sentences more interesting and informative, you’ll need to use relative clauses. These clauses provide additional information about someone or something, using relative pronouns pronouns such as che (who, which, that) or cui (whom). This not only improves sentence flow but also helps avoid repetition. For example:

Mi hai prestato il libro (You lent me the book) + Il libro è meraviglioso (The book is amazing) → Il libro che mi hai prestato è meraviglioso (The book that you lent me is amazing). Here, the relative pronoun che (that) replaces il libro (the book) so you don’t have to repeat it.
Sta parlando con un ragazzo (He’s talking with a guy) + Il ragazzo è suo fratello (The guy is his brother) → Il ragazzo con cui sta parlando è suo fratello (The guy with whom he’s talking is his brother). Here, the relative pronoun cui (whom) stands for il ragazzo (the guy)

Explore my guide to Italian relative pronouns to learn how to effectively use these handy words.

Infinitive phrases

When discussing actions in a general sense rather than specific instances, you’ll use infinitive clauses. These sentences feature verbs in their infinitive form and are typically introduced by modal verbs or prepositions such as di, a, and da. For example:

Luca e Paolo hanno deciso di andare in montagna quest’estate (Luca and Paolo have decided to go to the mountains this summer)
Inizio solo ora a capire il senso delle sue parole (Only now I’m starting to understand the meaning of his words)
Hai finito la bozza da mandare al cliente? (Have you finished the draft to send to the client?)

Indirect speech

Indirect speech is used when you want to relay what someone else has said, whether it’s for storytelling, gossip, or passing on information. It involves constructing sentences around verbs like dire (to say), credere (to think) or chiedere (to ask), often beginning with the conjunction che (that).

Using indirect speech can be tricky because there are a number of rules to keep in mind. The first rule involves adjusting verb tenses. For instance, if the verb in the direct speech is in the future tense and the reporting verb is in the past tense, the reported verb shifts to the past conditional:

Direct speech: Mauro: “Andrò a cercarla” (Mauro: “I’ll go look for her”)
Indirect speech: Mauro ha detto che sarebbe andato a cercarla (Mauro said he would go look for her)

Another important rule is to change first and second person pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and possessive adjectives to the third person when reporting speech:

Direct speech: Stefania: “Non trovo le chiavi della mia macchina” (Stefania: “I can’t find my car keys”)
Indirect speech: Stefania dice che non trova le chiavi della sua macchina (Stefania says she can’t find her car keys)

Italian Sentence Structure - Direct and Indirect speech

Changing word order in conversational Italian

Now that you’ve learned the rules of Italian sentence structure, get ready to break them! Italians often alter the word order in their sentences, especially in casual speech, mainly to emphasize specific parts of the sentence. This technique is known as dislocation, where the direct or indirect object is moved to highlight it. There are two types of dislocation: left-dislocation and right-dislocation.

Left-dislocation

In left-dislocation, the object (usually placed after the verb) is shifted to the left of the verb to draw attention to it. A corresponding pronoun is then added before the verb to refer back to the object. So, the structure is as follows:

Object + Pronoun + Verb + Subject

Let’s clarify this with some examples:

Standard structure: Laura conosce quei ragazzi (Laura knows those guys)
Left-dislocated order: Quei ragazzi li conosce Laura (Laura knows those guys) → quei ragazzi (those guys) is moved to the beginning for emphasis, and then the direct object pronoun li (them) refers back to them.

Here’s another exmaple:

Standard structure: Carlo ha ordinato la carbonara (Carlo ordered the Carbonara)
Left-dislocated order: La carbonara l’ha ordinata Carlo (Carlo ordered the Carbonara) → see how the emphasis shifts to la carbonara (the carbonara), which is then recalled through the pronoun la (it)?

Right-dislocation

In right-dislocation, the sentence starts with a pronoun that anticipates the direct or indirect object, drawing attention to it. The structure is:

Pronoun + Verb + Subject + Direct/Indirect object

Standard structure: Elena porta il dolce (Elena brings the dessert)
Right-dislocated structure: Lo porta Elena il dolce (Elena brings the dessert) → the pronoun lo (it) anticipates il dolce (the dessert)

Here’s another exmaple:

Standard structure: Sai che Valeria si trasferisce a Londra? (Do you know that Valeria is moving to London?)
Right-dislocated structure: Lo sai che Valeria si trasferisce a Londra? (Do you know that Valeria is moving to London?) → the pronoun lo (it) anticipates the entire phrase Valeria si trasferisce a Londra (Valeria is moving to London)

How well do you know Italian sentence structures? TAKE THIS QUIZ!

Tutto chiaro? (All clear?). So, let’s put your knowledge to the test with a little quiz! Drag and drop the words to arrange them in the correct order:

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