How to Use Conjunctions in Italian

Conjunctions serve as connector words, bringing clauses together and, depending on their role, establishing logical connection, heightening contrast of thought and feeling, expressing relationships of time, cause, and condition, and adding a variety of so-called complements or details to the sentence.

Types of Italian Conjunctions

There are two types of conjunctions in Italian: coordinating conjunctions (congiunzioni coordinative or coordinanti), which combine two independent clauses, and subordinating conjunctions (congiunzioni subordinative or subordinanti), which combine main and subordinate clauses.

Both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions are then divided in several groups depending on the logical connection they establish; the purpose they serve. For example, among the coordinative, are copulative conjunctions, adversative, conclusive, and declarative. Among the subordinative are causal, conditional, relative, comparative, final, and the list goes on and on.

Straddling that division is another: There are congiunzioni semplici—simple conjunctions—and congiunzioni composte, which are composed of more than one word. For example, e or ma are simple; oppure and poiché are composed of two words (o and pure, and poi and che). There are simple and composed conjunctions among both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. (Note that all conjunctions that end in che have an accento acuto on them: ché.)

Don't get too bogged down on the divisions, except for organizational purposes; it's more important that you learn what they mean, and from there their role and purpose will become obvious.

Congiunzioni coordinative/coordinanti

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Congiunzioni coordinative join equivalent and independent clauses. For example:

• Siamo andati al museo e abbiamo visto un bel quadro. We went to the museum and we saw a nice painting.
• Siamo andati al museo; eppure non abbiamo visto arte bella. We went to the museum, yet we saw no good art.
• Siamo andati a casa sua, ma non c'era. We went to his house but he was not there.

Each of those sentences contain two independent clauses that stand on their own. Coordinating conjunctions also connect other parts of speech, but always of equal and homogeneous value: two adjectives, two complements, two adverbs:

• Ho mangiato la pizza e la pasta. I ate pizza and pasta.
• Ho mangiato poco, ma tuttavia bene. I ate little but well.
• La pizza era calda ma buonissima. The pizza was hot but delicious.

Among the congiunzioni coordinative or coordinanti are:

Congiunzioni subordinative/subordinanti

Congiunzioni subordinative or subordinanti create a relationship of dependence between one clause and another; a relationship in which one clause completes or clarifies the meaning of the first and could not stand on its own (or its meaning would not be complete or the same). The conjunction is followed by a complement that can be of cause, for example, or modal, or an object complement.

For example, some of the most obvious subordinating conjunction are quando and perché, which explain time and cause and are, in fact, called congiunzioni temporali and causali respectively.

• Non esco perché piove. I’m not going out because it’s raining.
• Non esco quando piove. I don’t go out when it rains.
• Esco sebbene piova. I am going out though it is raining.

Among the subordinating conjunctions are:

Note that several of the subordinating conjunctions—among them sebbene, nonostante, and benché—are followed by the congiuntivo.

Locuzioni congiuntive

These are expressions that serve as multi-word conjunctions.