Here we are with another article on Italian grammar: the Italian conjunctions.
As always, never forget to study this beautiful language by helping yourself with an Italian vocabulary and improving your Italian pronunciation more and more!
Today we’ll talk about Italian conjunctions and how many there are!
But what does “conjunction” mean? The canonical rule says that the conjunction is an invariable part of speech that has the function of connecting words and sentences in an orderly manner.
Italian conjunctions can be divided into two major areas.
There are coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
First of all, since there are so many, it is advisable to make a list of Italian conjunctions.
Examples of coordinating conjunctions can be:
| E | Ho mangiato la mela e la pera / I ate the apple and pear |
| ANCHE | Ho studiato e ho anche letto un libro / I studied and I also read a book |
| INOLTRE | Dobbiamo pagare il viaggio e inoltre il pernotto / We have to pay for the trip and also the overnight stay |
| NÉ | A Marco non piace né la cioccolata né il gelato / Marco does not like either chocolate or ice cream |
| NEPPURE | Non ha avuto neppure il coraggio di ammetterlo / He didn’t even have the courage to admit it |
| NEMMENO | Nemmeno Carlo è andato alla festa / Not even Carlo went to the party |
| O | Puoi scegliere se pagare con carte o contanti / You can choose whether to pay by card or cash |
| OPPURE | Preferisce il latte oppure solo caffè? / Do you prefer milk or just coffee? |
| ALTRIMENTI | Dormi di più altrimenti sarai stanco / Sleep more otherwise you will be tired |
| INFATTI | Ha dormito bene, infatti non aveva più mal di schiena / He slept well, in fact he no longer had back pain |
| CIOÉ | Lei è vegana, cioè non mangia cibo di derivazione animale / She is vegan, that is she doesn’t eat animal-derived food |
| MA | Volevo fare la torta ma non avevo la farina / I wanted to make the cake but I didn’t have the flour |
| PERÒ | La situazione è delicata però cerca di essere lucido / The situation is delicate, but try to be lucid |
| ANZI | Non ho dormito affatto, anzi mi sento stanca / I have not slept at all, on the contrary I feel tired |
| INVECE | Ho preso la maglia blu invece di quella viola / I took the blue shirt instead of the purple one |
| E…E | E scrive e canta come fosse un cantautore / He / She both writes and sings like a songwriter |
| O…O | Scegli: o vai via o resti / Choose: either go away or stay |
| SIA…SIA | Ci sono sia gli insegnanti sia gli alunni / There are both teachers and pupils |
| NON SOLO…MA ANCHE | Non solo mi ha trattata poco bene ma ha anche negato tutto / Not only did he not treat me well but he also denied everything |
| ALLORA | Era troppo stanco allora tornò a casa / He was too tired, so he went home |
| DUNQUE | Non voglio più leggere dunque chiudo tutti i libri / I don’t want to read anymore so I close all the books |
| QUINDI | Ho appena finito di fare la doccia quindi sono ancora in accappatoio / I’ve just finished taking a shower, so I’m still in my bathrobe |
You will probably be curious to know also the subordinating conjunctions but I think this is enough for today!
In conclusion, for now you just need to know that subordinating conjunctions introduce a proposition, and therefore a sentence that connects to the main sentence (proposition).
Too many concepts would be detrimental to your learning, so study coordinating conjunctions well and you will soon learn subordinating ones too!
Have you already read the other Italian grammar articles at your language level?
https://italianlesson.it/how-to/
Here is a link to learn more
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congiunzione_(linguistica)
Here is a video for an in-depth look at conjunctions
See you soon!