Different ways to say "again" in Italian

By Sigrid Lee

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!