{"id":69989,"date":"2018-08-07T00:59:42","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T04:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/italian-conjunctions\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T11:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:14:05","slug":"italian-conjunctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-conjunctions\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Conjunctions: Types, Examples and Usage Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you first parachuted into the battlefield of learning Italian<\/a>, you weren’t much concerned with conjunctions and other connectives.<\/p>\n

You might have used words like\u00a0e<\/em><\/strong> (and), o<\/em><\/strong> (or) and perch\u00e9<\/em><\/strong> (because), without realizing that you were using conjunctions. You can learn conjunctions at any level, but it’s recommended that you have at least some knowledge of basic vocabulary, present tenses<\/a>,\u00a0past tenses<\/a>\u00a0and the Italian subjunctive<\/a> under your belt.<\/p>\n

Learn about the seven types of Italian conjunctions, along with 30 examples and usage notes, in the post below.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Are Italian Conjunctions and Connectives?<\/h2>\n

Conjunctions are used to link thoughts together.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You use them a lot in English, too!<\/p>\n

Conjunctions are part of a group called connectives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not all connectives are conjunctions\u2014a distinction that you can bedevil yourself with if you really want (though it’s grammatically loose and varies by language).<\/p>\n

Here are 30 common Italian conjunctions before we dive into the different types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
E <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>And<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ma <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>But<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perch\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Because<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quindi <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Therefore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
O <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Or<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oppure <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Or else<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Come <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Like\/as<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quando <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>When<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mentre <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>While<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Se <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>If<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Anche se <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Even if<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Purtroppo <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Unfortunately<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tuttavia <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>However<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sia...che <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Both...and<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00e9...n\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Neither...nor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Neanche <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Not even<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cosicch\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>So that<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cos\u00ec <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>So<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Invece <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Instead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Piuttosto <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Rather<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Infatti <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>In fact<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cio\u00e8 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>That is<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dunque <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Thus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senza <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Without<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Finch\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>As long as<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Altrimenti <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Otherwise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Anche <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Also<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D'altra parte <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>On the other hand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Inoltre <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Furthermore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ciononostante <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Nevertheless<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Copulative Conjunctions in Italian<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> To combine ideas<\/p>\n

One of the most basic ways to combine ideas together is by using words like\u00a0e<\/em> (and). But you probably already knew that!<\/p>\n

Anche<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(too)\u00a0and\u00a0pure<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(also) are more likely to give you trouble.<\/p>\n

They’re used interchangeably and often sound best before an un-conjugated verb or immediately after a conjugated verb. For example:<\/p>\n

Anche<\/strong>\u00a0andare in Italia \u00e8 bello<\/em>.
\nIt\u2019s\u00a0also<\/strong>\u00a0nice to go to Italy.<\/p>\n

Fanno\u00a0anche<\/strong>\u00a0la pizza disgustosa a San Paulo<\/em>.
\nThey\u00a0also<\/strong>\u00a0make disgusting pizza in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n

Ho pure<\/strong> delle opinioni forti!<\/em>
\nI also<\/strong> have strong opinions!<\/p>\n

In each of these cases, an idea is being continued from earlier, adding on to it.<\/p>\n

I once said that second sentence to an Italian who was justifiably complaining about the disgusting slabs of grease and plasticky cheese they sell as “pizza” in New York City. Then came the third sentence.<\/p>\n

Conclusive Conjunctions in Italian<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> To indicate the result of something<\/p>\n

I mentioned allora<\/em> earlier, an Italian word that\u2014even more than most\u2014seems to beg to be sung.<\/p>\n

It can mean “so,” “therefore” and several other things. It connects the first part of a sentence to some sort of result.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two other conjunctions are used the same way: dunque<\/em><\/strong> and quindi<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sogno Raffaella tutte le notti, quindi<\/strong>\u00a0dormo bene<\/em>.
\nI dream of Raffaella every night, so<\/strong>\u00a0I sleep well.<\/p>\n

Dicono che questo spettacolo di teatro sia deprimente dunque<\/strong> penso di non andarci<\/em>.
\n<\/em>They say that this play is depressing so<\/strong> I’m thinking of not going.<\/p>\n

Allora<\/em>\u00a0and dunque<\/em> are also used quite often to start a conversation or lead into a change of subject.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

Allora<\/strong> ti sposi<\/em>.
\nSo\u2026<\/strong> you’re getting married! (I heard about it earlier but I’m bringing it up now.)<\/p>\n

Allora<\/strong> come va?<\/em>
\nHey\/well\/so\/tell me,<\/strong> how’s it going?<\/p>\n

Allora,<\/strong> cominciamo!<\/em>
\nListen up,<\/strong> let’s get going!<\/p>\n

Dunque,<\/strong> se la sono svignata<\/em>\u2026
\nSo\u2026<\/strong> they got away with it…<\/p>\n

They can be used to lead to a conclusion in a negative way, as well.<\/p>\n

Daria:<\/strong> Vieni al concerto con me?<\/em>
\nDaria: Are you coming to the concert with me?<\/p>\n

Andrea:<\/strong> S\u00ec.<\/em>
\nAndrea: Yes.<\/p>\n

Daria:<\/strong> C\u2019\u00e8 pure Raffaella<\/em>.
\nDaria: Raffaella will also be there.<\/p>\n

Andrea:<\/strong> No, allora<\/strong> non vengo<\/em>.
\nAndrea: No, then\/in that case<\/strong> I’m not going.<\/p>\n

And finally,\u00a0allora<\/em> can be used to talk about bygone days.<\/p>\n

Sono cresciuto negli anni 80, allora<\/strong> non c\u2019erano i cellulari<\/em>.
\nI was born in the 80s, back when<\/strong> there were no cell phones.<\/p>\n

Causal Conjunctions in Italian<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> To indicate the reason for something<\/p>\n

Three ways to show causal connections in Italian are:<\/p>\n