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]. 

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