e, ma, anche, o, perché, che and se - CONJUNCTIONS - Easy Learning Italian Grammar

Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

CONJUNCTIONS

What is a conjunction?

A conjunction is a word such as and, but, or, so, if and because, that links two words or phrases, or two parts of a sentence, for example, Diane andI have been friends for years; I left because I was bored.

1. e, ma, anche, o, perché, che and se

These common Italian conjunctions correspond to common English conjunctions, such as and and but. However they are sometimes used differently from their English counterparts, for example, Ma no! (literally, But no!) means No!, or Of course not!

Shown below are the common Italian conjunctions e, anche, o, ma, perché, che and se and how they are used:

e and, but, what about

io e Davide

David and I

tu ed io

you and me

Lo credevo simpatico e non lo è.

I thought he was nice, but he isn’t.

Io non ci vado, e tu?

I’m not going, what about you?

Note that you use di or a, not the conjunction e, to translate try and, go and and so on.

Cerca di capire!

Try and understand!

Vado a vedere.

I’ll go and see.

For more information on di and a, see page 174.

ma but

strano ma vero

strange but true

Dice così, ma non ci credo.

That’s what he says, but I don’t believe it.

Note that ma is used for emphasis with and no.

Ti dispiace? – Ma no!

Do you mind? – Of course not.

Non ti piace? – Ma sì!

Don’t you like it? – yes of course I do.

anche also, too, even

Parla tedesco e anche francese.

She speaks German and also French.

Ho fame. – Anch’io!

I’m hungry. – Me too!

Lo saprebbe fare anche un bambino.

Even a child could do it.

o or

due o tre volte

two or three times

Tip

oppure is another word for or. It is used to join two parts of a sentence when you’re talking about alternatives.

Possiamo guardare la TV oppure ascoltare musica.

We can watch TV or listen to music.

perché because

Non posso uscire perché ho molto da fare.

I can’t go out because I’ve got a lot to do.

Note that perché also means why.

Perché vai via? – Perché è tardi.

Why are you going? – Because it’s late.

che that

Ha detto che farà tardi.

He said that he’ll be late.

Penso che sia il migliore.

I think that it’s the best.

For more information on che followed by the Subjunctive, see page 130.

Tip

In English you can say either He says he loves me or He says that he loves me. In Italian che is NOT optional in this way.

So che le piace la cioccolata.

I know (that) she likes chocolate.

se if, whether

Fammi sapere se c’è qualche problema.

Let me know if there are any problems.

Se fosse più furbo verrebbe.

If he had more sense he’d come.

Non so se dirglielo o no.

I don’t know whether to tell him or not.

For more information on se followed by the Subjunctive, see page 130.