Let's talk about two important Italian adverbs of time: già and ormai
Già, meaning "already" comes from the Latin "iam," later spelled "jam," meaning "already," "now," or "presently" in English. It indicates a change of state, that something has occurred "by this time." It then became già in Italian. We could say già marks a transition between a previous and present moment in time. In other words, we're talking about something that has happened in the past relative to the present or relative to a more recent point in the past, in the case of past tenses.
Perché casa mia non era all'altezza? -Te l'ho già detto, per adesso sono felice di aver lasciato casa dei miei.
Because my house wasn't up to par? -I already told you. For now, I'm happy to have left my parents' house.
Captions 4-6, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 14
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The example above is something people say quite often: Te l'ho già detto (I already told you that).
If we think about the English translation of già, "already" does the trick most of the time.
Anzi, il destro [è] di diverso colore, quindi era già stato sostituito.
Rather, the right one [is] of a different color, so it had already been replaced.
Captions 33-35, Autocollection EP2 - Part 8
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Be', forse era già incinta.
Well, maybe she was already pregnant.
Caption 71, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 12
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On a practical level, however, there are nuances that an Italian-Italian dictionary such as Treccani will point out. And if we look at the etymology (etimologia) of a word, it can help provide insights into its meanings and deepen our understanding, depending on where we are coming from. If someone has studied Latin, for example, etymology can be quite helpful. Or if someone knows French or Spanish, there can be clues to help us remember an Italian word, for instance, in Spanish, "ya," and in French "déjà," in the case of già.
A common expression is Già fatto (already done/[I've] done it already)! In this case, we don't need to add a personal pronoun and the auxiliary verb avere (to have). È una frase fatta (it's an idiomatic expression) meaning "already done/taken care of."
Bisogna chiamare subito il commissario. -Già fatto, ma ha il cellulare spento.
We have to call the chief right away. -Already done, but his phone is off.
Captions 31-32, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP1 - La finestra sulla scuola - Part 17
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Già fatto can also be posed as a question: Già fatto (are you already done)? And when we want to ask, "Already?", we can use: di già?
Io vado, eh. -Di già?
I'm going, huh. -Already?
Caption 43, JAMS EP6 - Part 4
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We can also use già all by itself, or preceded by eh, to confirm something someone has said, as in, "Oh, right," "Yeah," "Yes, of course," or "Yeah, yeah."
Gli uomini sposati non le lasciano le mogli. -Già.
Married men never leave their wives. -Yeah/Oh, right.
Captions 83-84, Il Commissario Manara S2EP8 - Fuori servizio - Part 4
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It's often used after person A reminds person B of something, and person B remembers and says Già or Eh, già.
Vieni a prenderlo. -Hai promesso. -Eh, già, i patti sono patti.
Come and get it. -You promised. -Yeah, yeah, a deal's a deal.
Captions 55-56, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 7
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Ormai or oramai (both are correct) can mean "by now," "at this point," or "already." The difference between già and ormai is in relation to the current moment. As opposed to ora (now) and già (already), which primarily refer to the present and the past, respectively, we use ormai to emphasize the passage of time and its relevance to the current situation, so it's more about the relationship between the past and the present.
In the following example, ormai has been translated as "now," but only because it's together with "for some time."
È il progetto del grande centro residenziale a cui stiamo lavorando ormai da tempo.
It is the project of the large residential complex on which we have been working for some time now.
Captions 13-14, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 6
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The most common English equivalents for ormai are "at this point" and "by now." If you are thinking in English and looking for the right Italian word, ormai is your friend.
Ormai è sicuro, gatta ci cala [sic: ci cova].
At this point, it is certain that something fishy is going on.
Caption 39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 6
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Una precisione: Note that, even though a sentence can be in the past, oramai or ormai doesn't change, but the English translation will change from "by now" to "by then," or from "at this point" to "at that point."
Era l'unico modo che avevo per bloccarla e mi sono pentito subito dopo, ma ormai era troppo tardi.
It was the only way I had to block her and I regretted it right after that, but at that point it was too late.
Captions 62-64, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP4 Maltempo - Part 19
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When it's too late to change a situation, ormai is a good word. In other words the person is saying, "Well, if you didn't want to disturb me, it's too late because you have already disturbed me."
No, no, non mi disturbi, cioè, sì, anche se mi disturbi, ormai è fatta.
No, no, you are not interrupting me, I mean, yes, even if you're interrupting me, at this point, it's done.
Captions 28-29, Provaci ancora prof! S2E4 L'amica americana - Part 19
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Niente, che non rispondono nemmeno ai messaggi, quindi mi sa che ormai non vengono.
Nothing, they're not even replying to texts, so I guess they're not coming at this point/by now.
Captions 11-12, La compagnia del cigno EP 5 - Part 13
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As we mentioned above, oramai and ormai are equivalents, but in everyday, informal speech, ormai is more common. Nonetheless, we do see oramai used occasionally. Here, we have oramai plus già! Ungaretti was a writer and a poet, and was born in 1888, so it's not surprising he said the more archaic oramai.
C'era il mondo elegante di Roma e c'erano centinaia e centinaia di studenti che stavano nei corridoi perché non riuscivano a entrare nella, nell'aula magna oramai già gremita di gente.
There was the elegant world of Rome, and there were hundreds and hundreds of students who were in the corridors because they couldn't enter, in the great hall, by then, already crowded with people.
Captions 41-44, Giuseppe Ungaretti Intervista - Part 1
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Daniela teaches a lesson devoted to ormai. Check out the video here.
Thanks for reading. Doing a search of già and ormai on the videos page will bring up dozens more authentic examples of these adverbs. If you see some examples that you have trouble understanding, please leave a comment or write to us at [email protected].
Do you ever wonder why, sometimes, people say soltanto, rather than solo or solamente? They all mean "only" or "just."
While solo can be an adjective, adverb, or even, in some cases, a conjunction or a noun, soltanto and solamente are adverbs. That means that solo, when functioning as an adjective, will change its ending to agree with the noun or pronoun it modifies, as you can see in these 2 examples.
Ragazzi, lasciateci soli per cortesia.
Guys, please leave us alone.
Caption 1, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 8
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Anche quando suoni davanti a una platea sterminata, suona sempre per una persona sola.
Even when you play in front of a huge audience, always play for one person only.
Captions 23-24, La compagnia del cigno S1 EP4 - Part 13
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In the following examples, solo or solamente could work as well, but soltanto sounds better. Soltanto and solamente are often used to emphasize a limitation, as in these examples. Solamente and soltanto, being adverbs, don't change their endings.
Pensavo che fosse un'attività riservata soltanto agli adulti.
I thought that was an activity reserved for adults only.
Captions 66-67, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP3 La terza vittima - Part 11
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All'inizio degli anni Sessanta si è cominciato ad avere quest'idea, ma la scoperta poi è avvenuta soltanto dieci anni fa.
In the early sixties, we started to get this idea, but the discovery, in the end, happened just ten years ago.
Captions 1-4, Ritratti Fabiola Gianotti - Part 9
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Ha fatto solamente una telefonata ieri sera.
He only made one phone call last night.
Caption 69, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 20
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In the following example, soltanto or solamente could work, but in casual conversation, solo works just fine.
È rimasto solo l'acido muriatico purtroppo.
All that's left is hydrochloric acid, unfortunately.
Caption 19, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP3 La terza vittima - Part 6
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Solo can be used to represent a noun, meaning "the only one." Soltanto and solamente can't do this because they each only function as an adverb.
Non è il solo, eh, però è interessante umanamente parlando.
It's not the only one, huh, but it's interesting from a human perspective.
Captions 18-19, Ritratti Fabiola Gianotti - Part 7
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Here, solo is used as a kind of conjunction, together with che (that). You might also hear soltanto and solamente used this way.
No, no, si stava benissimo a Praga, solo che qui è tutta un'altra cosa e poi, e poi mi mancavate troppo.
No, no, it was great being in Prague, just that here, it's a whole different thing and besides, and besides, I missed you too much.
Captions 8-10, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP1 - Due americane a Roma - Part 3
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We might say the winner is solo, which can be used in so many ways, but soltanto and solamente can indicate a limitation, and can be used when solo is unclear or too general. The important thing is to understand these words. You can always fall back on solo when speaking.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a clearer understanding of solo, solamente, and soltanto. Questions? Write to us at [email protected].
Many of us learned that the Italian word for "again" is ancora. That is correct. But ancora has other meanings, as well, so it's handy to have an alternative way to say "again." We have added "anew" as a translation below, to provide a cognate, even though we rarely use it in English.
di nuovo (again, anew)
Sono di nuovo incinta.
I'm pregnant again.
Caption 28, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 16
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nuovamente (again)
Mi dispiace, ma dobbiamo nuovamente interrogare la Sua collega.
I'm sorry, but we have to question your colleague again.
Caption 10, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 13
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un'altra volta
Yet another way to say again is un'altra volta (another time).
Ma secondo te, mi vuole interrogare un'altra volta? -Figurati,
But in your opinion, does he want to question me again? -Yeah right,
Captions 26-27, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 20
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But keep in mind that un'altra volta can also mean "some other time," so context is key.
Se per te è troppo tardi, facciamo un'altra volta.
If it's too late for you, let's do it some other time.
Captions 31-32, La compagnia del cigno EP 5 - Part 9
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prefix ri-
We can also use the prefix ri- to express the idea of "again."
E un anno dopo, alla fine del duemila e nove, siamo ripartiti.
And one year later, at the end of two thousand nine, we began again.
Captions 36-37, Ritratti Fabiola Gianotti - Part 13
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And the prefix ri- is used all the time with the verb vedere (to see):
E be', se vuoi rivedere il tuo amato taccuino...
Well, if you want to see your beloved notebook again...
Caption 57, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 16
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Every time we say arrivederci, we are hoping to see the person again.
Arrivederci.
Goodbye.
Caption 1, La compagnia del cigno S1 EP4 - Part 4
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"again" in the negative
As we mentioned in a previous lesson, when we use ancora preceded by non, it often means "not yet." So, in order to say "not again," or "never again," we can use non più (not more, not anymore).
Poi da quel giorno non l'ho più vista.
Then, from that day on, I never saw her again.
Caption 40, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 11
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Va be', se ti vergogni vuol dire che hai capito e quindi non lo farai più, e questa già è una buona notizia.
OK, if you're ashamed it means you understand, and so you're not going to do it again, and this is already good news.
Captions 8-9, La Ladra EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano - Part 8
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In that same previous lesson, we mentioned that ancora can also mean "still." Consider this example.
Che l'hai ancora con me, Renzo?
What, are you still mad at me, Renzo?
Caption 34, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 10
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There is a chance that the meaning could have been "again": Are you mad at me again, Renzo? However, it would likely have been said in a different way. Once again, we have to be careful with the context when it comes to ancora.
Another consideration is that ancora is used more often in situations where you do something repeatedly (again and again). In this case, we can also use ripetutamente (repeatedly).
Lo pongolava [sic: pungolava] ripetutamente con il suo becco, ma non si muoveva niente.
She would poke at it repeatedly with her beak, but nothing moved.
Captions 19-21, Le fiabe di Yabla Arianna racconta Il Brutto Anatroccolo - Part 1
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Di nuovo, on the other hand, can imply starting over, rather than just doing something again.
We hope you have a better sense of different ways to say "again" in Italian. If you find other ways, please let us know! Write to us at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!
Sometimes, even if you have a good command of a language, you come across a word that doesn't immediately match up with any other words you know in that language. You can simply look up the English translation and add it to your flashcards, or memorize it. But sometimes it is interesting to look up the etymology of the word, and then you say, "Ah ha! I get it." It can help you remember it.
That happened with a preposition in this week's segment of Provaci ancora, prof! Renzo is mopping the floor of his studio, perhaps to let off steam, and his mother-in-law shows up. He doesn't want her to step on his newly mopped, wet floor, so he asks her to stay as close to the wall as possible, in other words, to hug the wall. He uses the word rasente.
Sì, magari se devi passare proprio, vai un po' rasente rasente il muro perché...
Yes, if you {really} have to come through, maybe go nice and close to the wall because...
Captions 61-62, Provaci ancora prof! S3 EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 12
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If we look closely at the word rasente, we might discern the -ente ending, indicating that the word likely comes from a verb, since -ente is an ending for the present participle of some verbs. The etymological dictionary tells us rasente comes from the verb rasentare. It means "to stay very close to."
This example is metaphorical, using the example of getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
Non s'arriva in così pochi anni dove siamo arrivati noi, se non si rasenta sempre il burrone.
One doesn't reach where we've gotten in so few years if one doesn't always graze the edge of a cliff.
Captions 4-5, Trailer Il figlio più piccolo
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But rasentare can also be used figuratively, to mean "to border on."
Mi consideravo molto inferiore alla media e avevo un rispetto che rasentava quasi il terrore di mio padre, che era una personalità fortissima.
I considered myself way below average and I had a respect that bordered on terror of my father, who was a very strong figure.
Captions 13-15, Illuminate Rita Levi Montalcini - Part 6
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Looking up the etymology of a word online usually takes us to Treccani, a very trusted dictionary. But here's another etymological dictionary.
Some dictionaries say that rasentare likely derives from the verb rasare, meaning "to shave." Some say it derives from radere, another verb commonly used to mean "to shave". We think of the noun il rasoio (the razor) and the English verb "to raze."
Ma non era meglio con il rasoio elettrico, no?
But it wasn't better with the electric razor, huh?
Caption 2, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 11
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Looking up the Italian translation of "to raze," we obtain verbs like demolire (to demolish) but also radere al suolo (to raze [to the ground]).
Thanks for reading. You can write to us with comments or questions at [email protected].
People have different ways of concluding a discussion or discourse. In English, we sometimes say, "And that's it," or, "And that's about it," or "That's all there is to it." In Italian, there are various ways to begin or conclude a conversation, but one way to end a conversation where you have shared information is: E questo è quanto.
It has a certain symmetry; There is the e that means "and," and an è that means "is." Then, we have two words with the same number of letters, beginning with qu and ending with o. Italians like these kinds of word pairs.
Noi abbiamo libri di tutti i tipi, tutti i tipi di letteratura, di, di filosofia, di generi, di, di storia, ma siamo molto specializzati su quello che riguarda la storia di Venezia e romanzi che raccontano la città. E questo è quanto, insomma.
We have books of all kinds, all kinds of literature, on, on philosophy, of all kinds, about, about history, but we are very specialized in what concerns the history of Venice and novels that tell about the city. And that's it, in short.
Captions 27-31, In giro per l'Italia Venezia - Part 2
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In the following example, a police team has been discussing how a victim was murdered, and after listing the available information, the coroner says this to conclude:
E questo è quanto.
And that's all we have.
Caption 19, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP5 Misericordia - Part 8
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So, depending on the context, the meaning can be just conclusive, or it can mean to say, I've told you everything there is to tell.
The word questo means "this" or "that," so that is pretty clear. But let's dig a little deeper into the word quanto. It has a number of nuances, and can function as an adjective, adverb, or pronoun. In the expression, e questo è quanto, quanto is a pronoun representing "as much as there is." Check out the dictionary to see more about quanto.
We typically use quanto when we want to know how much something costs.
Quanto costa il giubbino? -Trentacinque.
How much does the jacket cost? -Thirty-five.
Caption 19, Serena in un negozio di abbigliamento - Part 2
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We can use it as an adjective to say "how much":
Quanta pasta devo buttare (how much pasta should I throw in [the pot])?
When quanto is used as an adjective, it has to agree with the noun it's modifying, in this case, la pasta.
If the noun is in the plural, quanto also has to have a plural ending and agree with the gender of the noun. In the next example, it modifies anni, the plural of the masculine noun anno (year).
Quanti anni sono che studi?
How many years have you been studying?
Caption 46, La compagnia del cigno EP1 - Part 5
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In the following example, Marika and Anna are talking about recipes. Sometimes a recipe says, when indicating the quantity of something, "Q.b." What does that mean?
Il sale quanto? Q.b. Q. b. -Q.b. Vuol dire quanto basta.
How much salt? Q B. Q B. -Q B. It means "quanto basta" [as needed, to taste].
Captions 33-36, L'Italia a tavola Timballo di cicoria - Part 1
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We also use quanto when commenting on something, either bad or good. It can mean "so." When used as an adverb, as in our final example, its ending doesn't change. In the example, quanto has been truncated, but it's short for quanto è bella.
Ma questa non è la macchina che ci è passata avanti l'altro giorno? -Ma quant'è bella.
But isn't this the car that passed us the other day? -It's so beautiful [how beautiful it is].
Captions 23-25, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 9
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We have covered the expression e questo è quanto, but there is more to say. Stay tuned for another lesson where we delve even deeper into quanto.
You might already know the adjective raro and the adverb raramente. These are true cognates of "rare" and "rarely" in English.
But there is another way to say this. Let's look at a couple of passages from a recent segment of Provaci ancora prof!
Semmai, ogni tanto prendere qualche sonnifero per dormire, ma insomma, raramente.
If anything, every now and then he takes some sleeping pills to sleep, but well, rarely.
Captions 35-36, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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Camilla is talking to the doctor upstairs about sleeping pills. She pretends it's about Renzo.
Se proprio è una nottataccia due, ma, insomma, di rado, come Le ho detto.
If it's really a bad night, two, but, well, rarely, as I told you.
Captions 42-43, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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He takes up her wording to comment:
Gli impedisca di prenderli, signora, anche di rado.
Stop him from taking them ma'am, even rarely.
Captions 44-45, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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Interestingly, the adjective rado is used to mean "sparse," especially when talking about physical distance, such as, for example, between plants in a garden. In the present context, we are talking about distancing in time.
Here's another example of di rado. Yabla offers a documentary, produced by RAI about the important Italian post-war chef, Gualtiero Marchesi, who died in 2017. He was a pioneer of modern Italian cuisine. The documentary, which appeared in episodes on Italian TV, opens with what must be a passage from his own writings, narrated by someone who spee
Qui sono cresciuto, tra queste terre e queste acque. Tornando, ahimè sempre più di rado, mi sembra di riconoscere scorci e luoghi come se poco o nulla fosse cambiato.
I grew up here, in the midst of these lands and these waters. Coming back more and more infrequently, alas, I think I recognize views and places, as if little or nothing had changed.
Captions 12-15, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 1
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And the adjective rado calls to mind the verb radere (to shave). It's also the first-person singular of this irregular verb.
Let's talk about some adverbs of time and how Italians use them. Some adverbs of time have multiple meanings and need context to be understood and used precisely.
We can detect the noun notte (night) as part of the time adverb stanotte. The beginning, on the other hand, is sta, a short form of questa (this).
Non ti dispiace se rimango qui stanotte, vero?
You don't mind if I stay here tonight, do you?
Caption 4, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 9
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But sometimes, the same adverb stanotte refers to "last night."
E mio marito non è rientrato stanotte e non ha nemmeno avvertito...
And my husband didn't come home last night and he didn't even let me know...
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 2
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We can use the same form to talk about the evening: stasera. Normally, we'd say that stasera means "this evening" but in English, we often use "tonight" when referring to the dinner hour, so sometimes "tonight" is the best translation.
La lista della spesa per la cena di stasera.
The shopping list for tonight's dinner.
Caption 2, Anna e Marika La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli - Part 1
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While we say things like "I'm going out tonight," Italians will choose stasera over stanotte, unless we are talking about something happening in the middle of the night. But let's remember that sera generally means "evening."
Ma', stasera esco. -Dove vai?
Mom, tonight I'm going out. -Where are you going?
Caption 53, Acqua in bocca Un amico per Pippo - Ep 1
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Also, let's take the opportunity to remind ourselves that buonasera is a greeting upon arrival, whereas buonanotte is when you're leaving (and perhaps headed for bed).
You may already be familiar with the word for "yesterday." It's ieri. Just in case stanotte might not be clear enough, we have the choice of using ieri notte to mean "last night." If you are just getting up in the morning, you'll probably use stanotte to talk about the night before, but if it is later in the day, ieri notte makes sense.
Ieri notte tre ladri hanno pensato bene di svaligiare un atelier di abiti da sposa.
Last night, three thieves had the bright idea of cleaning out a wedding gown studio.
Caption 40, La Ladra EP. 2 - Viva le spose - Part 13
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If we say ieri sera, we can translate it with either "last night" or "yesterday evening," depending on how we think of it. But sera is generally used until late, let's say, until bedtime, whenever that is.
E voi due ieri sera eravate in casa? Sì, stavamo guardando la televisione.
And you two last night were at home? Yes, we were watching television.
Captions 47-48, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 2
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We have said that ieri means "yesterday," but what about the day before yesterday?
One way to say this is l'altro ieri (the other yesterday).
Quando l'hai vista l'ultima volta? -L'altro ieri.
When did you last see her? -The day before yesterday.
Captions 5-6, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 5
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Some people invert the words and say ieri l'altro.
Of course, we can also say due giorni fa (2 days ago).
E quando l'hai vista l'ultima volta? -Due giorni fa.
And when did you see her last? -Two days ago.
Captions 50-51, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 4
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If we don't need to be precise, we can say "the other day."
No, scusa l'altro giorno non t'ho potuto richiamare, ma dovevi dirmi qualcosa di lavoro?
No, sorry, the other day I couldn't call you back, but did you have something about work to tell me?
Captions 29-30, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 16
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When we're referring to the past with these adverbs of time, we'll want to use the passato prossimo (which works like the present perfect) tense. The exception is when we use the verb essere (to be). In this case, we might also use the imperfetto.
Note that we don't say il giorno prima di ieri to correspond to "the day before yesterday!" But if that's all you can think of, people will understand. They'll probably say, "Oh, sì, l'altro ieri."
Let's check out this great Italian two-word adverb: a malapena. We rarely, if ever, see malapena without its preposition, so we can almost think of it as one word. Let's look at some examples in context to absorb its meaning, and then we'll unpack it.
In this first example, Imma, the deputy public prosecutor of the city of Matera, is at a dinner party at the home of one of her colleagues, the last place she wanted to be, and in fact, some of the other guests are making disparaging remarks about her.
Pensare che parlava a malapena l'italiano e mò [lucano: ora] è diventata pure PM [Pubblico Ministero].
Just think that she barely spoke Italian and now she has even become a public prosecutor.
Captions 55-56, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP2 Come piante fra sassi - Part 10
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In this wonderful film for TV, based on a true story about teaching adults how to read and write on TV, Antonio argues with the school principal criticizing his teaching methods. He defends himself by asking her why his methods work, while hers clearly don't.
Mi sa spiegare perché a malapena sanno leggere e scrivere?
Can you explain to me why they can barely read and write?
Captions 62-63, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 5
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In La tempesta, a comedy set in the Venetian city of Treviso, Paolo, a photographer, knocks at the door of his new neighbor (a woman), wanting a favor. She doesn't want to open the door.
No, io a malapena ti conosco. No. -Va bene, allora facciamo le presentazioni:
No. I hardly know you. No. -All right, then let's introduce ourselves.
Captions 50-51, La Tempesta film - Part 1
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In the next example, the context is a bit different, as we are talking about the number of bottles of wine a new winery has produced.
Cavour impiega almeno una quindicina di anni per riuscire a produrre le prime bottiglie. Sono a malapena cento.
Cavour takes at least fifteen years to succeed in producing the first bottles. There were barely a hundred of them.
Captions 38-40, Meraviglie EP. 5 - Part 2
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If we look up a malapena in the dictionary, we find some synonyms: a stento, a fatica, con fatica. But if we do a little more digging, we see it also means appena. If we look for the etymology, we find that malapena is malo (an adjective meaning "bad" or an adverb meaning "badly") plus pena. While la pena is a noun meaning "suffering," a malapena likely comes from appena, from the Latin "ad paene," meaning "almost." In addition, the verb penare means "to struggle." One translation of a malapena is "with difficulty." The evolution of a word, as we have seen on many occasions, is not a straight line!
So we could say a malapena means "almost" but in the negative sense, in other words, "barely." We can use it when we have gone further than "almost," but just by a hair. You made it, but you almost didn't make it! And it took an effort, a struggle, to make it by that small margin.
So if we take our video examples, one by one, we could give these alternative (though inelegant) translations:
"She almost didn't speak Italian." "She struggled to speak Italian."
"They almost don't know how to read and write." "They struggle to read and write."
"I almost don't know you."
"There were almost less than a hundred bottles." "It was a struggle to reach one hundred bottles."
We could use appena in place of a malapena in our video examples (see above):
Pensare che parlava appena l'italiano...
Mi sa spiegare perché sanno appena leggere e scrivere?
No, io ti conosco appena.
Sono appena cento [bottiglie].
Using a malapena instead of appena gives the idea more weight, more effort to reach a limit. With mal as a sort of prefix (meaning malo), there is also a hint of a negative connotation.
In a previous lesson, we looked at the adverb appena in a different context to mean "as soon as" and "just as." But we also use appena to mean "a small amount." Almost nothing!
In the following example, we can keep to the "almost" meaning by thinking that they almost didn't know each other!
Lui e lei si sono appena conosciuti, ma già si amano.
He and she just met, but they already love each other.
Captions 6-7, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 19
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Appena in tempo, translated as "just in time," could also be interpreted as "almost late."
"Basta!" -Appena in tempo.
"Stop!" -Just in time.
Caption 33, Dixiland Coppa di cioccolato
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Here is an example of appena used just like a malapena.
Lo conoscevo proprio appena, perché vivo in Italia da un anno e...
I barely knew him, because I've been living in Italy for a year, and...
Caption 8, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 3
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I almost didn't know him, because...
To round out this lesson about a malapena and appena, let's just add that when you are talking about something very, very slight, it's common to repeat the adverb appena.
Qui ci sono ancora le tracce del colore originario che si riescono appena appena a vedere.
Here, there are still traces of the original color which one can just barely see.
Captions 13-14, In giro per l'Italia Asciano - S. Giuliano Terme: Villa Bosniascki - Part 2
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For sure, appena is used more often than a malapena, but now we see where they cross paths. Do a Yabla search of appena on the videos page and you will see scores of examples. See if you can single out the nuances of meaning.
Have questions or comments? Write to us. We love to hear from you!
When you meet someone halfway on a deal, or you go towards someone who is coming towards you, say, on the street, we often use the turn of phrase: andare incontro a.
Andare is "to go" and incontro in this case is an adverb (or preposition) meaning "toward."
Mi puoi venire incontro?
Can you meet me halfway?
Using this turn of phrase can be a little confusing, but here are the elements:
a verb of motion, which is usually andare (to go) or venire (to come). It might even be correre (to run).
the adverb or preposition incontro meaning "toward"
the preposition a (to)
an indirect object noun or pronoun
Let's look at some Yabla examples of how we can use andare incontro a.
The word order can change and often the indirect object comes first, as in the following examples. In this case, the preposition a is included or implied in the indirect pronoun.
Ti vengo incontro (I'll meet you halfway).
È successo che stavo pulendo il locale e...
What happened is that I was cleaning the bar and...
poi l'ho sentita e gli [sic: le] sono andato incontro,
then I heard her and I went towards her,
ma non c'è stato verso di farla ragionare.
but there was no way to get her to reason.
Captions 2-4, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore - S1EP1 L'estate del dito
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La notte, Roma, le sue luci e tu che mi vieni incontro.
The night, Rome, its lights and you coming towards me.
Captions 1-2, La Ladra - EP. 12 - Come ai vecchi tempi
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In the following example, the verb correre (to run) is used instead of andare (to go) or venire (to come), but it works the same way.
Attori, tecnici, comparse gli corrono incontro.
Actors, technicians, extras run towards them.
Caption 16, Vivere - Un'avventura di Vittorio De Sica - Part 10
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If, rather than a pronoun, I use a noun (la difficoltà) as an object, as in the next examples, then I will need the proposition a.
Vado incontro a tante difficoltà.
(I'm going to run into plenty of difficulties).
Io vado incontro al mio destino
I go towards my destiny
Caption 21, Niccolò Fabi - Lontano da me
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Io e Sua Eminenza cercheremo una soluzione
His Eminence and I will look for a solution
quanto possibile per venire incontro
as far as possible to meet you half way
a quello che Lei mi ha chiesto.
for what you have asked me.
Captions 29-31, Vivere - Un'avventura di Vittorio De Sica - Part 9
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In the next example, it's a bit different, because Nora is using the first person plural to make things sound more collaborative, but the meaning is clear. She wants a discount.
Senta, io so che Lei è un professionista, una brava persona,
Listen, I know that you are a professional, a good person,
quindi non possiamo venirci incontro un pochino sul prezzo?
so can't we meet halfway a bit on the price?
Captions 25-26, Sposami - EP 4 - Part 14
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Another reason andare incontro a can cause confusion is that l'incontro exists as a noun (the encounter) and incontrare means "to meet" or "to encounter." The first person singular of incontrare is incontro (I encounter, I meet). For more on these meanings, see this lesson: Close Encounters with Incontro.
In addition, in is a preposition all on its own meaning "to" or "in." Contro is a preposition meaning "against."
Let's talk about a word that is used a lot in Italian to mean more than its one-word, traditional translation. We're talking about sotto (under, underneath, below). Not only is it a preposition, but it's also an adverb and sometimes a noun. It can combine with other words to take on a new meaning, and in this lesson, we will just mention a few of the common ways it's used to mean something different than what we might expect.
Sotto is often preceded by qua, qui, or là when indicating something either close by or further away, but in a downward direction.
E qua sotto c'è il fiume Tevere.
And down here is the river Tiber.
Caption 19, Anna e Marika - Trattoria Al Biondo Tevere
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When we talk about the stories or floors in a building or house, we can use sotto to indicate a lower floor. Usually, in this context, it's preceded by di (of).
Andiamo giù a vedere che cosa c'è al piano di sotto.
Let's go down to see what's on the lower floor.
Caption 23, In giro per l'Italia - Firenze
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When you want to talk about downstairs, you can also use sotto.
Ah, perché non è di sotto?
Ah, because she's not downstairs?
Caption 4, Sposami - EP 4 - Part 9
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Vai di sotto!
Go downstairs!
Sometimes sotto means "in front of," usually referring to a house, a building, or... one's nose. Lots of people live on the upper floors of apartment buildings, so you have to go down to get to the front of the building.
Appena ha visto i carabinieri sotto casa Sua,
As soon as you saw the carabinieri in front of your house,
se n'è scappato tipo "Fuga di mezzanotte".
you ran away, "Midnight Express" style.
Captions 8-9, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore - S1 EP2 Come piante fra sassi
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Sotto il profilo is used to mean something to the effect of "in terms of" or "as regards." Il profilo is a true cognate and friend of "the profile," but it's used figuratively here.
Rita abbia dedicato la sua vita a fare crescere la sua anima
Rita devoted her life to nurturing her soul,
e non soltanto sotto il profilo della ricerca scientifica, eh.
and not only in terms of her scientific research, uh.
and not only as regards her scientific research, uh.
Captions 41-43, Illuminate - Rita Levi Montalcini
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Here, the Italian expression uses the preposition sotto, but the English one uses the preposition "on."
Eh... eh, non è questione di non avere nessuno sottomano,
Uh... uh, it's not a question of not having anyone on hand,
è che è molto difficile trovare la donna giusta.
it's that it's very difficult to find the right woman.
Captions 28-29, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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Sottomano can also mean "handy," or "close by."
Non ho il numero sottomano ma lo posso cercare nella rubrica.
I don't have the number handy, but I can look it up in my address book.
When you are talking about a 2-piece outfit, such as pyjamas, bikini, or athletic wear, you can refer to the bottoms as il sotto (the bottom part).
We have just scratched the surface of sotto but if you absorb all these meanings (or even one or two), you will be one step closer to becoming fluent.
Why not check out Marika's video about adverbs of place (avverbi di luogo)? Attenzione: Sometimes what are considered adverbs in Italian might be considered prepositions in English.
Poi is a short word, and it's an adverb, but it is used extremely often, and more often than not, it means something other than its basic translation of "then." The English word "then" is also one of those words we find in all sorts of situations, meaning various things. Sometimes it's tricky to find the "right" English equivalent of poi, since it is also used as a kind of filler word in Italian.
Let's look at the dictionary definition of poi. The first definition is "then." How helpful is that? Not so helpful, except in the most basic cases.
At its most basic, poi may be used like "then" to put things in order, in a series. For example, if you are giving someone instructions, you will use "Then you do this..." The same thing can be done in Italian. Here, Daniela is listing the colors and how they work in Italian.
I colori positivi sono: grigio.
The positive colors are: gray.
Grigio. La maglia di Sandra è grigia.
Gray. Sandra's sweater is gray.
Poi abbiamo il nero.
Then we have "nero" (black).
La mia maglia è nera.
My sweater is black.
Poi abbiamo la maglia di Ingeborg che è... bianca.
Then we have Ingeborg's sweater, which is... white.
Captions 4-8, Corso di italiano con Daniela - I colori
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When someone is telling a story, you might ask:
E poi cosa è successo?
And then what happened?
Caption 30, Acqua in bocca - Rapimento e riscatto - Ep 12
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But poi can also mean later. Maybe the easiest way to remember this is in the expression prima o poi (sooner or later).
Se nascevo da un'altra parte,
If I was [had been] born somewhere else,
prima o poi, il destino bussava.
sooner or later, destiny would have come knocking.
Caption 20, Chi m'ha visto - film
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Speaking of expressions, another one that's used a lot is d'ora in poi from now on:
Siamo una cinquantina
There are about fifty of us
e siamo tutti pronti ad avere,
and we are ready to have,
d'ora in poi, come soli referenti voi.
from now on, you as our sole representative,
Captions 24-25, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2
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In other words, we're talking about "later than this moment," or "henceforth." But we can also say da quel moment in poi, when we're talking about the past or the future — from then on, from that moment forward.
Sometimes poi is used like "besides," "in the end," "all in all."
Poi, adesso che ha deciso di candidarsi alle elezioni,
Besides, now that he has decided to run for election,
ha in testa soltanto la politica e il Movimento Comunità.
he has only politics and the Community Movement in mind.
Captions 4-5, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2
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In the following example, we could even leave poi out, and the sentence would make sense.
...perché questo serve per
...because this serves to
rendere ermetica la chiusura,
create the hermetic seal,
quindi non far entrare l'aria,
meaning it doesn't let in any air,
che poi è quella che va a far deteriorare la marmellata.
which is, in the end, what makes the jam deteriorate.
Captions 75-78, Andromeda - Marmellata anti spreco
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So, often, poi is just used as filler. In fact, here, it's even left out of the translation, because del resto is already complete. But poi embellishes it a bit, to mean "also" or "too."
Come prosciutto e melone poi del resto, però la mozzarella...
Like cured ham and melon, for that matter, but mozzarella...
Caption 23, Anna e Marika - La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli
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We have just scratched the surface. If you find instances of poi that you don't understand, please let us know and we will add on to this lesson.
Troppo (too, too much, too many) is an essential word to know. It's also easy because its meaning is clear even if you use it by itself, even if you use it incorrectly. It is a word that will serve you well if you travel to Italy, and especially if you do any shopping. But let's remember that it can be used as either an adverb or an adjective. So it's just one more thing to think about when using it (correctly).
Troppo caro! is an important phrase to memorize. Too expensive!
The question you might ask before saying that is:
Quanto costa (how much does it cost)?
If you don't understand the answer, try to get the vendor to write down the price.
Here below, troppo is used as an adverb. We see there is an adjective following it: caro (expensive, dear).
Ma è troppo caro, ma questo vasetto qua...
But that's too expensive, but this little pot here...
Caption 60, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP10 - Un morto di troppo
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You can also just say È troppo (it's too much) or Costa troppo (it costs too much).
Typical uses of troppo as an adverb:
Troppo difficile (too difficult)
Troppo forte (too loud, too strong)
Troppo caldo (too hot)
Troppo complicato (too complicated)
Even when the adjective modifies an adjective with a feminine ending, troppo (as an adverb) remains the same.
Lei è troppo ansiosa (she is too anxious).
I miei professori sono troppo esigenti (my teachers are too demanding).
But we can also use troppo as an adjective. Attenzione! When we use troppo as an adjective it has to agree, or correspond, to the noun it is modifying. We have to consider gender and number and thus, in translating troppo as an adjective, we have to think of whether it's "too much" or "too many."
So let's say we are again finding an item to be too expensive. We can say:
Sono troppi soldi (that's too much money) .
Remember money is countable in Italian. Un soldo (a penny) or i soldi (the money).
Chances are that when you see troppo (with an o at the end) it will be an adverb but look around to see whether there is an adjective or a noun after it.
C'è troppo aglio.
There's too much garlic.
Caption 1, Dafne - Film - Part 18
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When you see troppi or troppe, then you know they are adjectives.
Tu ti fai troppi problemi, troppi.
You're having too many scruples, too many.
Caption 16, Sposami - EP 3 - Part 20
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Ti ho perdonato... ti ho perdonato troppe volte.
I've forgiven you... I've forgiven you too many times.
Caption 43, Concorso internazionale di cortometraggio - A corto di idee
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Let's also be aware that troppo is often used by itself: È troppo! to mean, "that's too much!" in a figurative way.
Tanto is another word that is very useful and very common, although it does have various meanings and uses that we won't cover here. We'll limit ourselves to talking about its function as an adjective or adverb to mean "a lot," "much," "many," or "very."
Ben presto però si sviluppò in Europa, dove ebbe tanto successo.
Quite early on, it spread to Europe, where it had a lot of success.
Caption 7, Adriano - balla il Tango Argentino
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In the example above, there's a noun after tanto, so we can see it's an adjective. But in the following example, there's an adjective after tanto, so it's an adverb. When translating, we'll need "very" when tanto is used as an adverb.
Il problema principale è che Boss era un gatto...
The main problem was that Boss was a cat...
era ed è un gatto tanto socievole.
he was, and is, a very sociable cat.
Captions 31-32, Andromeda - La storia di Boss
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We use tanto a lot in negative sentences too, or we can use poco the same way:
Non è tanto bello (it's not very nice).
È poco bello (it's not very nice).
When tanto is used as an adjective, we have to watch the endings, just as we did with troppo.
Si può aggiungere il caffè, si possono aggiungere tanti ingredienti...
One can add coffee, one can add many ingredients...
Caption 10, Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato
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...in vista di tante passeggiate all'aria aperta.
...in anticipation of many walks in the open air.
Caption 35, Adriano - Le stagioni dell'anno
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So basically troppo and tanto work the same way, in terms of grammar. As we said before, tanto has other meanings or nuances, so we suggest doing a search of tanto in the lessons tab, to see multiple lessons about the word. Check them out!
Let's talk about adverbs we can use to add a qualifier to an adjective. We can say someone is gentile (nice). But we can qualify that with an adverb such as molto (very), poco (not very), abbastanza (rather, enough), and others.
Molto (very) and poco (not very) go hand in hand. They can be either adjectives or adverbs. When they're adjectives, we change the ending according to what they modify. But when they're used as adverbs, they are invariable.
Molto is perhaps the one we hear most often. In our first example, molto becomes molti to agree with negozi (the plural of negozio). This is because it is functioning as an adjective. For more on this topic, see Daniela's lessons.
A qui [sic], a Mondello ci sono molti negozi.
Here in Mondello there are many shops:
Caption 18, Adriano - a Mondello
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In the next example, however, molto is an adverb modifying forte (strong). As an adverb, the ending doesn't ever change. And in English, the meaning changes to "very."
In estate qui il sole è molto forte.
In summer, the sun here is very strong.
Caption 40, Adriano - Le stagioni dell'anno
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Poco works the same way as molto and can be used as an adjective or an adverb. Here, poche agrees with ore (the plural of ora).
Poche ore fa, non più di tre.
Just a few hours ago, no more than three.
Caption 43, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP2 - L'addio di Lara
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But here, it's an adverb modifying chiaro (clear).
C'è sicuramente qualcosa di poco chiaro là sotto.
There is for sure something not very clear underneath it all.
Caption 40, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone - EP1 I Bastardi - Part 15
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Molto and poco are opposites, more or less, but we have some "in-between" words, too.
Abbastanza is interesting because it comes from the verb bastare (to suffice). So the most logical translation for abbastanza might be "sufficiently" — to the degree of being sufficient, or "enough," which in English comes after the adjective it modifies. In everyday speech, however, we often equate abbastanza with "rather," "fairly," or in colloquial speech, "pretty."
Era abbastanza timida, abbastanza riservata.
She was rather shy, rather reserved.
Caption 2, Illuminate - Rita Levi Montalcini
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Certo, Lojacono mi sembra uno abbastanza sveglio,
Of course, Lojacono seems quite smart to me,
ma per quanto riguarda il resto della squadra,
but regarding the rest of the team,
Lei è messo male, io lo so.
you are in bad shape, I know.
Captions 36-38, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone - EP1 I Bastardi - Part 9
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A synonym for abbastanza is piuttosto, usually translated as "rather." It's on the positive end of the scale but not at the top. When you say abbastanza, you might be saying something is lacking, that something is just sufficient, especially when coupled with a positive adjective such as buono (good) bene, (good, well) or bello (beautiful, nice).
Come ti senti?
How do you feel?
Abbastanza bene. -Ce la fai?
Pretty good. -Can you manage?
Captions 72-73, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP11 - Uno strano incidente di caccia
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But with piuttosto, it's usually positive relative to what it's modifying and serves to reinforce the positive aspect of something without actually going to the point of saying molto (very). So it's generally (but not always) higher on the scale than abbastanza.
Anche se, su certi argomenti, se la cava piuttosto bene devo dire.
Even though, on some subjects, she manages rather well, I must say.
Caption 52, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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So of course it can also modify a negative adjective, and reinforces its characteristic, as in this example:
La gestione all'interno della casa
The running of the household
è stata piuttosto complicata, i primi giorni,
was quite complicated, the first days,
Captions 2-3, COVID-19 - 3) La quarantena
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Nella memory card ce n'erano anche altre, piuttosto sfocate.
On the memory card there were others too, and rather blurry.
Caption 9, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP4 - Miss Maremma
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This adverb is similar to piuttosto, but is often another way of saying molto (much, very). But it can also be just a short step lower than molto, depending on the context and the region the speaker is from.
Ma in realtà, pensate, dopo praticamente sette secoli e più,
But actually, just think: After practically seven-plus centuries,
questi colori si sono leggermente sbiaditi. Sono assai meno brillanti.
these colors have faded somewhat. They are much less brilliant.
Captions 26-27, Meraviglie - EP. 4 - Part 4
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Another qualifying adverb is parecchio (a great deal). It's used a lot as an adjective, but works fine as an adverb, too. See this lesson.
Quindi, quando sarà finito, sicuramente mi riposerò,
So, when it's all done, I'll take a break, for sure,
perché sto parecchio stressata.
because I am totally stressed out.
Captions 50-51, Fuori era primavera - Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown
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See this video for some explanations in Italian about qualifying adverbs, now that we've given you some pointers in English.
People have their personal favorites when it comes to adverb qualifiers. So keep your eyes and ears open. Listen for the variable endings when these qualifiers are adjectives, and the invariable ending when they're adverbs. This takes patience and experience. But little by little, you will put two and two together.
This list isn't set in stone, as these adverbs can be used differently by different people, but it can help give you an idea.
- •molto, parecchio
- •assai
- •piuttosto
- •abbastanza
- •poco
- •per niente (at all) — We didn't discuss this here but you will find it mentioned in other lessons if you do a search of niente.
In a previous lesson, we looked at the preposition presso. It's used, for example, when you are staying with someone and can stand for "c/o." You can use it to say in which organization you are working. It's always followed by a noun.
Lavoro presso la biblioteca comunale (I work at the public library).
Please see this lesson to get more information about presso.
In a recent video, we find a related word, appresso, usually used as an adverb, but also as a preposition. In this particular case, Alberto Manzi has been sent to a juvenile detention center to try to teach kids how to read and write. They are unwilling, and prefer to follow the "leader of the pack."
Tutti appresso a lui come delle pecore.
All of you following him like sheep.
Caption 52, Non è mai troppo tardi EP1 - Part 8
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Our translation, "following," doesn't really do the word justice. It might be easier to have a visual cue. Think of how sheep really act. They don't follow each other neatly in a line. They kind of crowd one another without thinking.
In the following example, Lara's father is talking about an ancient tomb he has been studying for years. Again, the translation doesn't do it justice, but the preposition appresso gives you the feeling that he has been obsessing over that tomb, that it has been consuming his time and energies.
Sono quattordici anni che sto appresso a quella tomba!
I've been on that tomb for fourteen years.
Caption 52, Il Commissario Manara S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne - Part 8
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Let's consider for a moment the addition of an A to the beginning of the preposition presso. It is very reminiscent of the relation between dosso and addosso, or poggio and appoggio. The prefix A can change a noun into a different part of speech.
But whereas addosso has to do with the back as a body part, often used figuratively, appresso is more about being nearby.
Cucina contadina che emigra nelle città, portandosi appresso conoscenze e tradizioni.
Country cooking that emigrates to the cities, taking along with it knowledge and traditions.
Captions 15-16, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 13
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In terms of clothing and accessories, addosso might have to do with the clothes you have on, and appresso will be more related to your briefcase, laptop, carry-on bag, or handbag.
Speaking figuratively, when you are keeping at someone to do something, or just coming too close, addosso and appresso can practically coincide.
Non mi stare così addosso (get off my back)!
Non mi stare così appresso (give me some space)!
Addosso may be more common in this context, but the example can serve to see what the difference is.
An adverb modifies, or describes, a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. But in Italian (as in other languages), we sometimes mix and match. Sometimes we use an adjective like an adverb and vice versa. Let's look at a few of the common adjectives that fall into this category.
One of these cases is the adjective leggero (light, lightweight). It might be more correct to say Guarda come vola in modo leggero, (look how she is flying, as light as a feather). Or we could consider leggera (lightweight) as modifying the noun, in this case, una farfalle (a butterfly).
Guarda come vola leggera.
See how weightlessly it's flying.
Caption 19, Gatto Mirò EP 10 Piantiamo un albero
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Another is forte. It's basically an adjective, as in the following example.
Orfeo era... aveva un carattere forte.
Orfeo was... He had a strong personality.
Caption 35, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 4
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But forte is used quite often as an adverb, especially after a verb. In the following example, it's translated as "great," also primarily an adjective, but we use it as an adverb, too.
Sto andando forte, eh?
I'm doing great, right?
Caption 24, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 12
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Fortemente exists as an adverb and is used in some contexts, especially before the adjective it happens to be modifying.
Io non le ho prese. -Non lo so, ma sei fortemente indiziata! -Ma!
I didn't take them. -I don't know, but you're a very strong suspect [strongly suspected]. -Well!
Caption 62, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 4
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But it's very common to use the forte when it comes to modifying verbs. Fortemente would sound wrong.
Dai papà, alza la testa e fai resistenza mentre io ti spingo giù, ispirando forte.
Come on Daddy, lift your head and press while I push you down, inhaling deeply.
Captions 18-19, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 22
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Like forte, veloce is often used in place of the adverb velocemente.
Dixi l'aveva soprannominata saetta, perché andava veloce come un fulmine.
Dixi nicknamed it "Saetta" (lightning bolt), because it went fast like lightning.
Captions 8-9, Dixiland In bicicletta
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E perché, vado troppo veloce?
And why? Am I going too fast?
Caption 56, Il Commissario Manara S2EP11 - Uno strano incidente di caccia - Part 3
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Oh cowboy, se tu cambi obiettivo così velocemente, la selvaggina scappa!
Oh, cowboy, if you change your target so quickly, the game gets away!
Caption 35, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 6
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Piano is the opposite of both forte and veloce. There is no specific adverbial version, but it can be used both as an adjective and an adverb. Piano has different meanings, so it's not always clear, even from the context, which meaning it has.
Ciao. -A presto. Vai piano.
Bye. -See you soon. Go slowly.
Captions 48-49, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 6
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Luca, non senza autorizzazione! -Shh. Parla piano.
Luca, not without authorization! -Shh, speak softly.
Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 12
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Let's keep in mind that adjectives used as adjectives need to agree with the nouns they modify, but when they are used as adverbs, they stay just the way they are. In the following example, forte is used as an adjective to describe i sentimenti (the feelings).
Spero solo che anche i suoi sentimenti siano altrettanto forti.
I only hope that his feelings are as strong as yours.
Caption 12, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 11
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Lo spada è uno dei pesci più veloci esistenti,
Swordfish is one of the fastest fish in existence.
Caption 10, Linea Blu Sicilia - Part 3
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Some cases don't seem to fit the pattern. In this final example, veloce seems to be used as an adverb, but its plural ending agrees with the plural noun like an adjective.
Poi dice che sono gli etiopi che corrono veloci, eh.
Then they say that the Ethiopians are the ones who run fast, huh.
Caption 42, Sposami EP 6 - Part 4
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Let's talk about how we use adverbs in Italian.
Adverbs are easy because they don't change according to gender or number, as adjectives do. Knowing a few basic adverbs can help you ask and answer questions in general conversation with strangers or new friends. Adverbs in Italian (gli avverbi) are used to modify, clarify, qualify, or quantify the meaning of a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
Adverbs can be categorized according to what they describe, or what questions they answer: Read more about Italian adverbs.
avverbi di modo (how?)
avverbi di quantità (how much or many?)
avverbi di luogo (where?)
avverbi di tempo (when, how often?)
Here's a list of some of the common adverbs you need to know:
Let's concentrate on two adverbs that often go hand in hand, but for now, we'll look at them separately:
Leonardo, molto spesso, nelle sue opere,
Leonardo, very often in his works,
faceva le figure centrali quasi fossero delle piramidi.
made the central figures almost as if they were pyramids.
Captions 10-12, Meraviglie - EP. 3 - Part 12
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Spesso is a great adverb to know. Just tack it on to a verb and you're all set.
Vengo spesso in questo posto (I often come to this place).
Non viaggio spesso in treno (I don't often travel by train).
Volentieri is also a wonderful adverb to have in your toolbox. When someone invites you to do something, you can answer with one word: Volentieri! (I'd be happy to, I'd love to). It may be helpful to consider that this adverb comes from the verb volere (to want). We can also translate volentieri as "willingly." For more about volentieri, read this lesson.
This is an expression you will hear now and then, and it's an Italian favorite. Although we have looked at the two adverbs making up this expression, we might still be perplexed about what it might mean, exactly. "Often and willingly"??? It's not something we say, or not often anyway.
Although it can mean "often and willingly," it usually means "more often than not!" So when you are thinking about how to say "more often than not" in Italian, you might be tempted to translate each word: più spesso che non... but you might want to try to resist that temptation. Italians prefer to say spesso e volentieri. So we have two adverbs: one is an adverb of time: spesso = often. The other is an adverb of manner: volentieri = willingly.
In the following example, Marika and Anna are making a wonderful frittata out of leftover spaghetti! Non si butta via niente (nothing gets thrown away)!
Tutto si ricicla e, spesso e volentieri,
Everything gets recycled and, more often than not,
è più saporito, no, il piatto riciclato che quello originale.
the recycled dish — you know? — is tastier than the original one.
Captions 8-10, L'Italia a tavola - Frittata di spaghetti
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One thing to keep in mind is that in this case, volentieri doesn't necessarily refer to anyone being willing or glad to do something, although it might. It's that something happens easily, without extra effort: often and easily. In the following example, Daniela is talking about the special past tense, il passato remoto, which has gone out of fashion in many parts of Italy, but is still used, a lot of the time, in the south of Italy.
Se vi piace l'Italia del Sud, quindi Napoli...
If you like the south of Italy, in other words: Naples...
la Sicilia, la Sardegna, la Puglia, la Calabria,
Sicily, Sardinia, Apulia, and Calabria,
dovete conoscere il passato remoto
you should know the remote past
perché nel sud Italia si parla molto spesso e volentieri
because in the south of Italy people speak using, more often than not,
al passato remoto.
the remote past tense.
Captions 21-24, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il passato remoto
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In the following example, it is a matter of preference and willingness.
Lavo i panni spesso e volentieri a mano
(I often prefer to wash my laundry by hand).
Spesso e volentieri, mia mamma fa la spesa nelle botteghe
(My mom often prefers to shop in the small grocery stores).
We hope you enjoy using this new expression, and that we have given you some insight into it. Let us know if you have any questions! Write to us at [email protected].
Let’s talk about adverbs. While adjectives describe nouns, adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Many adverbs are closely connected to adjectives, especially those that answer the question, come (how). In fact, there are a good number of adverbs that can be easily formed if we are familiar with the adjectives. And just remember, while adjectives can have different endings according to number and gender, adverbs stay the same!
Let's look at how to use adjectives to form Italian adverbs with the suffix -mente. Using -mente is similar to using "-ly" in English, in cases such as "nice — nicely," "loud —loudly," and "forceful — forcefully."
Of course, there are many exceptions, but here are some common and useful Italian adverbs that will be easy to remember since they are formed by adding -mente to the root form of the adjective.
In order to build Italian adverbs with -mente, you just have to follow this very simple formula:
Feminine form of the adjective + mente
For example, if we want to form an adverb with the adjective ultimo (last), we just need to take the feminine form of that adjective (ultima) and add the suffix -mente, like this:
ultima (last) + mente = ultimamente (lastly, lately)
chiaro (clear) + mente = chiaramente (clearly)
L'ho detto chiaramente ai suoi collaboratori, prima di prendere qualsiasi iniziativa...
I told your colleagues very clearly: before taking any initiative at all...
Caption 19, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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Let’s look at some more examples:
Vero (true) + mente = veramente (truly, really)
Le dimensioni sono veramente compatte. -Sì, sì.
The dimensions are really compact. -Yes, yes.
Caption 29, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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Onesto (honest): onesta + mente = onestamente (honestly)
Giacomo, onestamente non ci aspettavamo questa cosa.
Giacomo, honestly, we didn't expect this thing.
Caption 53, Questione di Karma - Rai Cinema
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More adverbs like these:
Lento (slow) + mente = lentamente (slowly)
Stupido (stupid) + mente = stupidamente (stupidly)
Ironico (ironic) + mente = ironicamente (ironically)
Serio (serious) + mente = seriamente (seriously)
Raro (rare) + mente = raramente (rarely)
You might have noticed that all these adjectives ended in o. This means they have both a masculine and feminine ending, and apart from lento, they also happen to be similar to their English equivalents. Some adjectives, however, end in e, and therefore have the same ending in both the masculine and feminine. When this is the case, the adverb will simply add -mente to the adjective without changing it.
Let's take the adjective semplice (simple).
Semplice (simple) + mente = semplicemente (simply)
If, on the other hand, the adjective ends in -le or -re, we drop the final vowel e before adding the suffix -mente:
Here are some very common and essential adverbs in this category.
Speciale (special) - e: special + mente = specialmente (especially)
Gentile (kind) -e: gentil + mente = gentilmente (kindly)
Normale (normal) -e: normal + mente = normalmente (normally)
Practice:
Can you turn these common and useful Italian adjectives into adverbs, keeping in mind the three ways we talked about in this lesson?
probabile (probable)
tranquillo (calm)
felice (happy)
fortunato (lucky)
sicuro (sure)
musicale (musical)
forte (strong)
rapido (fast, rapid)
veloce (fast)
cortese (courteous)
coraggioso (courageous)
scientifico (scientific)
possibile (possible)
comodo (comfortable)
maggiore (greater)
ulteriore (additional)
You'll find the solutions here.
Thanks for reading!
Don't forget to send your questions and topic suggestions to [email protected].
A presto!
Here are the adverbs easily formed from adjectives.
probabile (probable) probabilmente (probably)
La vittima è, molto probabilmente, un barbone.
The victim is, most probably, a homeless man.
Caption 14, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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tranquillo (calm, without worries) tranquillamente (calmly, easily)
felice (happy) felicemente (happily)
fortunato (lucky) fortunatamente (luckily, fortunately)
sicuro (sure) sicuramente (surely, of course)
musicale (musical) musicalmente (musically)
forte (strong) fortemente (strongly)
rapido (fast, rapid) rapidamente (rapidly)
veloce (fast) velocemente (rapidly)
cortese (courteous) cortesemente (politely, corteously)
coraggioso (courageous) coraggiosamente (courageously)
scientifico (scientific) scientificamente (scientifically)
possibile (possible) possibilmente (possibly)
comodo (comfortable, convenient) comodamente (comfortably, conveniently)
maggiore (greater) maggiormente (to a greater degree)
Queste erano le cose che maggiormente si ricordavano.
These were the things people remembered most.
Caption 48, L'arte della cucina - L'Epoca delle Piccole Rivoluzioni
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ulteriore (additional) ulteriormente (further)
Be', non voglio disturbarLa ulteriormente.
Well, I don't want to disturb you any further.
Caption 9, Trailer ufficiale - Benvenuti al sud
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How did you do? If you had trouble, let us know at [email protected]
A presto!
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