ciç

Ciò is a neuter demonstrative pronoun in Italian used to refer to a thing or idea that has been mentioned or is understood from context. It corresponds to the English “that” or more precisely to “that thing/that which.” In standard Italian it can function as a subject or object, and it is most common in formal or written language. In everyday speech, speakers often use quiero or different demonstratives such as questo or quello instead.

Spelling and pronunciation: ciò is written with a grave accent on the final o (ciò) to mark the stress and distinguish it from other forms. It is pronounced roughly as [tʃɔ], like “cho” in English, with a stressed final syllable.

Typical uses: ciò frequently appears in phrases with che to form a relative clause meaning “that which” or “what.” Examples include: Ciò è evidente. “That is evident.” Non capisco ciò che vuoi dire. “I don’t understand what you want to say.” Agisce secondo ciò che ha promesso. “He acts according to what he promised.” Da ciò si deduce… “From this/that, one can deduce….”

Usage notes: ciò is not used to refer to persons; it is a neuter pronoun. It is more common in writing and formal discourse, while colloquial Italian may prefer altre constructions such as questo o quello or the pronoun that follows a preposition (da ciò, perciò, ecc.). The form ciò can also appear in phrases like ciò che, ciò stesso, or in contexts introducing general propositions.

In summary, ciò is a formal neuter pronoun for “that/that which,” frequently encountered in written Italian and in phrases introducing relative clauses.