Italian Phrase
Di cosa siamo rimasti senza?
Meaning
Literally, 'Of what have we ended up without?'. It is used to ask what item or resource has been exhausted or is no longer available after a shared activity or event.
When to use
Use this question after a group activity—like a dinner, a trip, or a project—when you need to know which supplies, ingredients, or items are no longer present.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Dicosasiamorimastisenza?
Di cosa
The interrogative phrase 'di cosa' means 'of what' or 'what' and is used to ask about the object of a lack or loss.
siamo rimasti
Past perfect (passato prossimo) of the verb 'rimanere' used impersonally to indicate a state that resulted from a previous action: 'we have ended up'.
senza
Preposition meaning 'without'. When combined with 'rimanere', it forms the idiom 'rimanere senza' = 'to be left without'.
Word order
In questions, the prepositional phrase 'di cosa' comes first, followed by the verb phrase and the preposition 'senza'.
🗨In Conversation
Di cosa siamo rimasti senza?
What have we run out of?
Siamo rimasti senza latte e zucchero.
We’re out of milk and sugar.
✕Common Mistakes
Di cosa siamo rimasti di senza?
Do not repeat the preposition 'di' before 'senza'. The correct idiom is 'rimanere senza' without an extra 'di'.
Che cosa siamo rimasti senza?
While understandable, native speakers prefer 'di cosa' in this construction; 'che cosa' sounds less natural here.
Siamo rimasti senza di cosa?
The prepositional phrase must stay at the beginning; placing 'senza di cosa' changes the meaning and sounds ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Cosa ci manca?
What are we missing?
Che cosa non abbiamo più?
What don’t we have any more?
Di che cosa siamo rimasti privi?
What have we been left without?
Cultural Tip
The construction 'rimanere senza' is very common in everyday Italian to talk about shortages. In informal speech Italians often drop 'di' and simply say 'Cosa ci manca?' but 'Di cosa siamo rimasti senza?' sounds a bit more formal and is perfect for classroom or polite conversation. Remember that the past tense 'siamo rimasti' implies the lack happened as a result of a previous action, not a permanent state.