One sentence split in two
A frase scissa, a cleft sentence, splits a sentence in two. At the front stands essere with the highlighted phrase, the focus. After it, introduced by che, comes the rest. The focus answers an open question or corrects a wrong assumption.
Blueprint
È Marco che ha chiamato, non Luca.
It was Marco who called, not Luca.
È qui che l'ho visto l'ultima volta.
This is where I last saw him.
È domani che parte, non oggi.
It's tomorrow she's leaving, not today.
Three ways to stress Marco
Italian already has a simple slot for new information: the end of the sentence. So the cleft is not the only way to highlight something. The choice depends on whether you are just informing or ruling something out.
Who called?
| Sentence | Effect |
|---|---|
| Marco ha chiamato. | Marco is the topic; the point is what he did. |
| Ha chiamato Marco. | New information: the answer to “Who called?” |
| È Marco che ha chiamato. | Contrast: Marco and nobody else. |
English cannot put the subject after the verb, so it answers Who called? with stress (Marco called) or a cleft. Italian reaches for Ha chiamato Marco first and keeps the cleft for real contrast.
The forms in detail
essere follows the focus
When the focus is a person or a plural, essere agrees with it. The verb after che agrees too. English always says it is; Italian does not.
Sono io che ho sbagliato.
It's me who got it wrong.
Sono i vicini che fanno rumore.
It's the neighbours who are making the noise.
Short form with a + infinitive
When the focus is the subject, a + infinitive often replaces the che clause. For past events essere then usually goes into the passato prossimo.
È stato Marco a chiamare.
It was Marco who called.
Sono stati i vicini a chiamare la polizia.
It was the neighbours who called the police.
The preposition moves with it
If the highlighted phrase has a preposition, the preposition goes into the focus too. A plain che still follows. English leaves it dangling at the end (It's Giulia I gave it to); Italian cannot.
È a Giulia che l'ho dato.
It's Giulia I gave it to.
È per questo che non sono venuto.
That's why I didn't come.
In questions
Very common in conversation: the question word is set off with è che. It sounds more insistent or more curious than the plain question.
Chi è che ha lasciato la porta aperta?
Who is it that left the door open?
Quand'è che parti?
So when is it you're leaving?
