Dunque: using it informally

By Sigrid Lee

There is already a lesson about dunque on Yabla. It primarily discusses the noun form of this word, il dunque, equivalent to il punto (the point.)

But dunque is first of all a conjunction, a somewhat more formal equivalent of quindi meaning "therefore," "so," or "then."

Immagina che tu e una persona di tua conoscenza siete saliti su di una barca, fate un giro in mare e chiacchierate. State dunque facendo la stessa cosa e nello stesso momento, quindi state condividendo questa esperienza.

Imagine you and a person you know have gotten on a boat. You go for a boat ride at the sea and chat. So you are doing the same thing at the same time, thus you are sharing this experience.

Captions 14-19, Marika spiega Espressioni legate al mare e al mondo nautico - Part 1
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We could have translated dunque as "therefore," "thus," "so," "so then," "as a result," etc.

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One common way to use dunque is to introduce something you are going to say, such as an explanation, a list, or a question. In other words, you are saying, in essence, "Now I am going to tell/ask you something." So it can also be an equivalent for allora. See this lesson about allora.

In the following example, an oncologist is about to list different types of tumors or cancers. He could have said, "Allora, esistono..." Dunque has a slightly different and perhaps a more serious feel to it, as in "Now I am going to tell you something important," whereas allora is very general and can be placed in a sentence just about anywhere. Allora can also stand alone.

Dunque, eh, esistono vari tipi di tumore al rene, alcuni sono più subdoli, più insidiosi, più difficili da combattere.

Well, uh, there are various types of kidney cancer. Some are sneakier, more insidious, harder to fight.

Captions 36-38, La linea verticale EP 7 - Part 2
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Professor Camilla uses dunque as she chooses a student for an oral quiz. In this case, she is going down her list of students, so we have translated dunque as "let me see..."

E mi affiderò al caso, anzi al registro. Dunque, Ilenia.

And I will rely on chance, or rather on the register. Let me see... Ilenia.

Caption 73, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 5
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Of course, at the same time, dunque can be conclusive because its original meaning is "therefore." In English, the adverb "therefore" is used less and less except in formal or technical language. It follows, then, that we use it less and less in translations. We can think of it as meaning "as a result," or "consequently." In the following example, however, we are talking about art, about history. In this case, dunque is conclusive and can be translated with "therefore."

Ecco, dunque, quale potrebbe essere stata l'occasione, il perché della Resurrezione di Piero.

That is, therefore, what the occasion could have been, the reason for Piero's Resurrection.

Captions 28-29, La pittura più bella del mondo La Resurrezione di Piero della Francesca - Part 13
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The following example is informal.

I miei genitori sono invece nonni di cinque nipoti ed io sono la zia di quattro nipoti. -Sì. Nostro figlio ha dunque... sei zii, o meglio, tre zii e tre zie, da parte mia...

My parents are, on the other hand, grandparents of five grandchildren and I'm the aunt of four nephews and nieces. -Yes. Our son has, therefore... six aunts and uncles, or better yet, three uncles and three aunts, on my side...

Captions 21-25, Giuditta e Marino presentano La nostra famiglia
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Our first instinct was to use "so." We used it at the beginning of the sentence, although the Italian has dunque at the end, or, at any rate, not at the beginning.

"Yes. So, our son has..."

But then a subscriber commented that there was no translation of dunque and suggested "then," which could possibly have worked. Instead, we inserted "let's see..." because Marino was clearly doing some calculations in his head. However, we neglected to remove "so." Another subscriber noticed that things didn't match up and wrote a comment. After considering "well", we decided that although "therefore" might not be our first choice, it is conclusive and clear in its meaning and so that's what we chose. And that is the reason for this lesson. Dunque is a great word to know, but the translation is not always clear-cut or obvious.

If you are about to make a list or explain something, dunque works great at the very beginning of a sentence. When you want it to be conclusive, it can be in the middle or at the end. It can also be used as "filler" for when you are thinking, similar to quindi and allora.

Dunque non vuoi festeggiare in compagnia?

So, don't you want to celebrate in company?

Caption 36, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 18
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Topics Conjunctions Vocabulary

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