Conjunctions are words or phrases that join or connect two or more elements within a sentence so that you can add information, give alternatives, or present contrasting ideas. In Italian, there are two types of conjunctions, depending on the nature of the elements being connected: congiunzioni coordinative(coordinating conjunctions) and congiunzioni subordinative(subordinating conjunctions). Luckily, all conjunctions are invariable, which means they only have one form!
In this post, we’ll take you through these two main types of conjunctions in Italian and describe how to use them. We use conjunctions all the time, in any language: mastering them in Italian will definitely step up your conversation skills, so keep reading!
Italian coordinating conjunctions, or congiunzioni coordinative / coolrdinanti, connect elements or clauses of the same level and type. This means that they can connect:
a with a noun:
Suoni la chitarra o il violino?
Do you play guitar or violin?
a with another verb:
Amo disegnare e dipingere.
I love drawing and painting.
two :
Ho giocato ma non ho vinto.
I played but I didn’t win.
E(and), one of the most common conjunctions, becomes ed when it precedes a word starting with “e,” as in io ed Elena(Elena and I). It’s just because it’s nicer to hear.
Less commonly, you might stumble into ed before words starting with any vowel, like in io ed Ada(Ada and I), but having the “d” (called a euphonic “d” ) is more of a stylistic choice.
Coordinating conjunctions can be divided into the following types, according to their function:
Conjunction type | Used to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
avversative adversative | express | Pisa è piccola ma molto viva. Pisa is small but very lively. |
conclusive conclusive | introduce a | Ho deciso, perciò è inutile cercare di farmi cambiare idea. I made my choice, therefore there’s no point in trying to make me change my mind. |
copulative copulative | add one element | Ho studiato cinese e giapponese. I studied Chinese and Japanese. |
correlative correlative → these always appear in pairs! | correlate | Ho portato non solo l’ombrellone ma anche due lettini. I brought not only a beach umbrella but also two beach loungers. |
dichiarative declarative | explain or | Giorgia, cioè mia cugina, lavora in quel negozio. Giorgia, that is, my cousin, works in that store. |
disgiuntive disjunctive | present | Vuoi il gelato o il tiramisù? Would you like ice-cream or tiramisu? |
Cioè(that is), the word we used as an example of declarative conjunctions, is actually one of the most commonly used conversation fillers. The other one is allora(so), which you must have SURELY noticed if you have ever talked to a native speaker. When used as a filler, cioè just means… really nothing, but it helps to take time or to shape your thoughts.
To leave nothing to chance, we have prepared for you a comprehensive list of Italian conjunctions. But here we still have to tackle the second big group: the subordinating conjunctions.
Italian subordinating conjunctions, or congiunzioni subordinative / subordinanti connect two clauses when one of them depends on the other. In the sentence below for instance, there are two clauses:
Martina non è venuta perché non si sente bene.
Martina did not come because she doesn’t feel well.
While the first clause (called the main clause) expresses a complete thought and can stand on its own, the second one (the subordinate clause) depends on the first and cannot stand on its own. The word perché(because) that introduces the subordinate clause, is the subordinating conjunction.
According to their function, subordinating conjunctions can be divided into several types. The type name most often gives away their function, so don’t be intimidated by the amount of them!
Conjunction type | Used to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
avversative adversative | contrast | Anziché telefonare, preferisco parlargli di persona. Instead of calling, I’d rather talk to him in person. |
causali causative | explain why | Sono stanca perché non dormo bene. I’m tired because I don’t sleep well. |
comparative comparative | make comparisons | Preferiamo uscire piuttosto che restare a casa. We prefer to go out rather than staying home. |
concessive concessive | say that something | Benché adori il mare, odio avere i capelli pieni di sale. Despite the fact that I adore the sea, I hate having my hair full of salt. |
conclusive conclusive | say that something | C’è il sole, quindi vado a piedi. It’s sunny outside, therefore I’ll walk. |
condizionali conditional | express a condition | Se piove, rimandiamo a settimana prossima. If it rains, we’ll postpone it to next week. |
consecutive consecutive | introduce a | Eravamo così stanchi che abbiamo deciso di stare a casa. We were so tired that we decided to stay home. |
dichiarative (esplicative) declarative | explain or clarify | Ho fatto tardi, infatti ho perso l’autobus. I was late and, indeed, I missed the bus. |
eccettuative exceptive | express an | A meno che me lo chieda direttamente, non gli dirò niente. Unless he asks directly, I won’t tell him anything. |
esclusive exclusive | introduce an | Sta studiando molto così che domenica possa uscire. She’s studying hard so that she can go out on Sunday. |
interrogative interrogative | ask questions | Ci chiediamo se Carlo verrà alla fine. We wonder if Carlo will eventually come. |
limitative limitative | state a limit | Per quanto adori lo sport, oggi proprio non riesco. As much as I love sports, today I really can’t. |
relative relative | introduce a | È il paese dove ho vissuto fino al 2015. It’s the town where I lived until 2015. |
temporali temporal | give time-related | Finché abbiamo vissuto entrambi a Milano, andavamo al cinema insieme tutti i venerdì. While we both were living in Milan, we went to the movies together every Friday. → Learn more about this conjunction from our post on finché vs. finché non. |
Here's our comprehensive list of Italian conjunctions.
Some subordinating conjunctions — namely, concessive, purpose, exceptive, limitative, and exclusive conjunctions — are followed by the in the subordinate clause:
Affinché tutti possano partecipare, dobbiamo considerare le esigenze di ognuno.
We have to consider everyone's needs so that everybody can participate.
Check out our post on the Italian subjunctive for all the details.
Che can work either as a conjunction (see consecutive conjunctions in the table above) or as a relative pronoun, as in:
L’edificio che vedi è del 1813.
The building that you see dates back to 1813.
As you probably have noticed from our many examples, conjunctions can take a few different forms:
semplici(simple), that is, made with one word:
Vado con Pietro e Francesca.
I’m going with Pietro and Francesca.
composte(compound), made by combining two or more words:
Ho studiato molto, eppure non ho passato l’esame.
I studied a lot, and yet I failed my exam.
locuzioni congiuntive(conjunctive clauses), that is, expressions made by two or more words:
Ho lavorato più ore in modo da avere un giorno libero.
I worked more hours so that I could have a day off.
Conjunctions are invariable parts of the speech used to connect words or clauses. In Italian, there are two types of conjunctions: coordinating and subordinating.
Coordinating conjunctions mainly add, contrast information, or give alternatives.
Subordinating conjunctions express finality, concession, establish temporal relationships, express consequences, or comparisons.
In addition to checking out our list of common Italian conjunctions, the best thing to do is... practice! Said and done: here’s a series of activities for you!
