Knowing Italian connectives is very useful for both improving your writing and organizing your speech more logically.
In some previous articles I talked about the following useful Italian connectives anche, cioè, nonostante, siccome.
Today, I’m going to talk about other four useful Italian connectives: perciò, quindi, però and poi.
1. Quindi, perciò
The first useful Italian connectives to know are quindi and perciò. Quindi and perciò can be synonyms in Italian when they express a consequence or a conclusion. In English they can be translated as therefore, so, as a result.
Examples:
a. Ero stanco, quindi/perciò sono andato a letto
I was tired, so went to bed
b. Non aveva niente da fare e quindi ha deciso di passare per fare una chiacchierata
She had nothing special to do and so she decided to stop by for a chat
In addition to this, quindi is also a very common way to resume a conversation that has been interrupted.
Examples:
Quindi, ti stavo dicendo che…
Quindi, dicevo che…
So, I was saying that…
2. Però
Però is one of those useful Italian connectives that are used to introduce a statement that contrasts or seems in contrast with something that have been said previously.
In the majority of cases però can be translated as but in English.
Examples:
a. Sarà anche stato un bestseller, però a me questo libro non è piaciuto per niente
This book might have been a bestseller but I didn’t like it at all
b. Il sentiero per arrivare in cima è lungo, però la vista lassù è pazzesca!
The path to get to the top is long but the view up there is amazing!
3. Poi
Poi is a very used Italian connective that has a temporal value and is also used to add additional information.
Examples:
a. Prima andiamo in libreria e poi al supermercato
First we go to bookstore and then to the supermarket
b. Non esco con lui. E’ brutto e poi è pure sposato
I’m not going out with him. He’s ugly and, in addition, he’s also married
Which of these four Italian connectives do you use the most?
Credits
Original image by nastya_gepp
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