Does Italian have a translation for "this/that" used to refer to something defined but intangible?
For example, my friend and I are at a café and we discuss home renovation.
I say: I want to hang some shelves in my apartment
My friend says: that would require permission from the landlord
We both know what "that" is, but we can't point to it in physical space.
Does Italian have a direct translation? Can questa/questo be used in this situation?
Ciao!
You can use "ciò" but commonly you can use "questo/quello" (at the masculine) as well also for not tangible stuff. As pronouns, they all mean "this/that thing" in general (nothing else is specified). You could also use "questa/quella cosa" but it's not very common (it's also "long", and we rather speak "fast"). I'm adding it anyway but yeah, I'd consider the other options more
In your example:
You: Vorrei mettere qualche scaffale nel mio appartamento Friend: Ciò/Questo/Questa cosa richiederebbe un permesso del proprietario (or: "Per fare ciò// Per (fare) questo//Per fare questa cosa//Per farlo* avresti bisogno del permesso del proprietario" -> LO = "ciò/questo")
Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more explanations
