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

 Play Caption

 

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

 

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

 Play Caption

banner PLACEHOLDER

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

 

"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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

 

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!

banner6 PLACEHOLDER

We often wonder: When do we use il congiuntivo (the subjunctive) in Italian?

For curiosity's sake, let's have a look at where the subjunctive came from. 

The word "subjunctive," as used to denote a grammatical mood, derives directly from the Latin "modus subjunctivus." This, in turn, is a translation from the original Greek term "hypotaktike enklisis" (subordinated mood/mode). In Greek, the subjunctive is almost exclusively used in subordinate clauses (hence the "sub" in subjunctive).

We talk about the subjunctive mood, but "mood" was a variant coming from the original Latin word "modus" (mode), meaning "way" or "manner" (among other things). One way to look at the subjunctive is as a way of using verbs in a subordinate clause. 

The earliest known usage of the term "subjunctive" in English dates from the 16th century. Nowadays, this mood or mode is used only sporadically in English. But in Italian, as a language based on Latin, it is used quite a bit. Of course, given that language is in continual evolution, nowadays, people dispense with the subjunctive some of the time, especially in informal speech, as you will discover in watching Yabla videos. Not everyone uses correct grammar all the time. 

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

The sentences below are fairly simple, where the main clause is not much more than just a pronoun (included in the conjugation of the verb) and a verb. And instead of an object, we have a new (subordinate) clause beginning with che (that) or with other conjunctions.

It's common in Italian to find words beginning with a (usually meaning "to" or "towards") followed by a double consonant. Often, these words stem from other root words. Before becoming one word, there were two. When two verbs become one (univerbiazione), the initial consonant of the second word likely gets doubled—for example, the double m in ammettere (to admit). The verb ammettere contains the verb mettere (to put) and the preposition a (to, at). See this lesson about ammettere. 

Però devi ammettere che ha agito a fin di bene.

But you have to admit that his actions were for a good cause.

Caption 8, Sposami EP 4 - Part 13

 Play Caption

 

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

Accanto (beside). Canto (the noun we see within accanto), besides having to do with song and singing, also means "corner" or "border." Accanto can be both a preposition and an adverb, depending on how it's used. When it's a preposition we find it in the "normal" word order (after the verb and before the indirect object), and it might also have an additional preposition following it, in this case, a (to, at).

Come puoi continuare a vivere accanto a quell'uomo così cattivo?

How can you continue to live at the side of such an evil man?

Caption 31, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 16

 Play Caption

 

But when it's used as an adverb, it can follow both the verb and the object. 

Lo segui, gli stai accanto.

You guide him, you're at his side.

Caption 25, La compagnia del cigno EP4 - Part 4

 Play Caption

 

It's useful to be aware of this phenomenon of adding a to the beginning of a word. It's used when turning a noun into a verb, for example. This helps us both to understand the verb and to figure out the noun. We can also try inventing a verb from a noun and it might just be right! 

Affrettare (to rush). This verb was made out of the noun la fretta (the hurry). 

Ma non ti sembra un po' affrettato? -Affrettato?

But doesn't it seem a bit rushed to you? -Rushed?

Captions 10-11, Stai lontana da me Rai Cinema - Part 17

 Play Caption

 

Appresso (near to)

We discuss the preposition appresso in contrast to presso in this lesson. 

E Brunella, una compagna della nuova classe che si porta sempre appresso il fratellino di sei anni.

And Brunella, a friend from his new class who always takes her six-year-old little brother with her.

Captions 5-6, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 15

 Play Caption

 

Addosso (on)

And we talk about addosso in this lesson. 

Abbiamo la stampa addosso...

We have the press on our backs...

Caption 92, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP4 Gelo - Part 10

 Play Caption

 

Io questo ciondolo l'ho visto addosso a qualcuno.

I've seen this pendant on someone.

Caption 30, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 14

 Play Caption

 

Here again, we've seen addosso (like accanto) as both a preposition and as an adverb. It is not important to know which part of speech it is; it's just important to know how to use the words and to understand them.

Allora is discussed in this popular lesson.

Allora is one of the most popular words in the Italian language. It has various nuances and is commonly used as filler. 

Allora, tu ti chiami Chiara, vero?

So, your name is Chiara, right?

Caption 46, Liberi tutti EP7 Quanto vale una pera al Milanetto? - Part 6

 Play Caption

But allora can also mean "at that time." You can see the word ora (time, hour) within allora. 

E da allora, non ho più avuto problemi con la giustizia.

And since then, I haven't had any problems with the law.

Caption 16, Provaci ancora prof! S2E4 L'amica americana - Part 26

 Play Caption

 

Aggirare (to skirt, to circumvent). Here, the verb aggirare seems like a shortcut to replace girare intorno. 

Siamo diventati un paese dove siamo esperti nell'arte di aggirare gli ostacoli.

We've become a country where we're experts in the art of skirting obstacles.

Caption 31, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 18

 Play Caption

 

Addetto (in charge) 

Here we can discern the past participle — detto — of the verb dire (to say, to tell). So, someone has been told to take care of something. 

Si chiamava Sandro Stefani, quarantacinque anni, lavorava qui, era addetto alla fermentazione del vino.

His name was Sandro Stefani, forty-five years old, he worked here. He was in charge of wine fermentation.

Captions 41-42, Il Commissario Manara S2EP8 - Fuori servizio - Part 1

 Play Caption

We've only touched on some of the Italian words that fall into this loosely-fashioned category. The words are kind of fun to discover and take apart. Please write to us about any similar words you come across in your Italian studies. And... thanks for reading. 

banner5 PLACEHOLDER