D'altronde: Let's take it apart

By Sigrid Lee

Let's look at an expression often used by Italians to mean "on the other hand," "besides," "then again," "after all," and more. If you learn this expression by listening and repeating it when appropriate, that's perfect. But just for fun, let's take it apart.

Come a Lei d'altronde, se no non faremmo questo mestiere.

As you do too, otherwise we wouldn't be doing this job.

Caption 29, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 15
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Questa è una battuta più da Rambo che da centurione, d'altronde vuoi fare l'attore.

This is more of a Rambo line than a centurion one, after all, you want to be an actor.

Captions 34-35, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP1 - Due americane a Roma - Part 15
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As mentioned at the beginning of this lesson, there are a few ways to translate this expression. The funny thing is, none of them reflect the individual words making up d'altronde.

on the other hand

after all

then again

for that matter

besides

otherwise

D'altronde

-We start out with a contraction: d' The non-contracted word would be the preposition di or da (of, from).

-Then we have the adjective altro meaning "other." This is also "contracted" with the word following it, but there is no apostrophe. It's likely that it was two words at the outset but later, it might have had an apostrophe — altr'onde — because of the o at the end of altro and the beginning of onde. Over time, it became one word, altronde. This is called univerbazione, when two words become one.

-Onde is interesting, too. It is a very archaic word meaning "hence" or "whence," or in other words, "from where," or da dove in Italian.

Onde is also part of a common expression you might hear, with archaic roots: onde evitare (in order to avoid). Of course, Italians just know the expression. They for sure do not think about where it comes from. Le onde is also the plural of l'onda (the wave).

Other expressions used to mean the same thing (or similar) as d'altronde:

d'altra parte (on the other hand, besides)

Perché, d'altra parte, per diventare un grande regista devi stare per strada.

Because, besides, in order to become a great director, you have to be on the street.

Caption 39, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 7
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del resto (besides)

Del resto anche i fascisti, come i socialisti, dicono di marciare verso l'avvenire: perpetua e universale illusione.

Besides, the fascists as much as the socialists say they're marching towards the future. A perpetual and universal illusion.

Captions 8-9, Me Ne Frego Il Fascismo e la lingua italiana - Part 1
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in fondo (after all, in the end)

Ma neanche questa è, in fondo, una spiegazione totale.

But not even this, after all, is a total explanation.

Caption 17, La super storia Via Pasolini - Part 5
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Thanks for reading. We hope you get the idea and that you can begin using d'altronde in conversation. or at least understand it when you see or hear it.