Il cui = “whose”
“Un pilota della Lufthansa…, il cui volo era stato dirottato”
(A Lufthansa pilot…, whose flight had been diverted)
In this sentence, “il cui” is a relative pronoun that means “whose” in English. It is used to introduce a relative clause that indicate possession or belonging.
In the sentence above, in fact, ”il cui” refers to “pilota” (pilot), and it shows the relationship between the pilot and the flight.
In Italian, the relative pronoun “cui” can be used in combination with the definite article to form four different forms:
– “il cui” (masculine singular)
– “la cui” (feminine singular)
– “i cui” (masculine plural)
– “le cui” (feminine plural)
The definite article agrees in gender and number with the noun it is referring to, while “cui” is invariable.
Here are some examples:
- “Il cane, il cui padrone è mio amico, è molto affettuoso.” (The dog, whose owner is my friend, is very affectionate.)
- “La casa, la cui finestra è aperta, sembra vuota.” (The house, whose window is open, seems empty.)
- “I libri, i cui autori sono molto famosi, sono esauriti.” (The books, whose authors are very famous, are sold out.)
- “Le ragazze, le cui borse sono state rubate, hanno sporto denuncia” (The girls, whose bags were stolen, filed a report)
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