The Italian word così is widely used in Italy. Of course, this word can be used in different contexts. So, today I’d like to explain to you how to use the Italian word così properly.
Let’s start.
Così
The first meaning of così is “in this way; in that way”.
Examples:
Se lo pieghi così, si rompe
If you bend it like that, it’ll break
Perché ti comporti sempre così?
Why do you always behave like that?
Sometimes, Italians use così combined with some gestures. In these cases, the gestures they make are used to explain what they mean with the word “così”.
Example:
Ieri ho visto un ragno grosso così
Yesterday I saw a spider this big
The gestures here explain the size of the spider
It can be used to strengthen the meaning of words such as anche and pure to say “in the same way”.
Examples:
Marco è stato arrestato e così anche suo fratello
Marco was arrested and so was his brother
Marco è stato arrestato e così pure suo fratello
Marco was arrested and so was his brother
The Italian word così can be used to say “extremely, very, to such a degree”.
Examples:
Sono così stanca che potrei addormentarmi subito
I’m so tired that I could fall asleep right now
Ero così stupita dalla sua reazione che non ho spiccicato parola
I was so shocked by his reaction that I didn’t say a word
Così can be a synonym of quindi, dunque, perciò. So, it’s used to introduce the result or the logical consequence of something you’ve just mentioned.
Examples:
Avevo la febbre, così ho preferito restare a casa
I had a fever, so I preferred to stay home
Era in difficoltà, così l’ho aiutato
He was in trouble, so I helped him
As an adjective the Italian word così can be used to say “like that”. When così has this functions, it’s always placed after nouns.
Examples:
E’ difficile ottenere un risultato così
It’s difficult to get such a result
Un gioiello così dev’essere costato un occhio della testa!
A jewel like that must have cost you a fortune
Così can be used in comparative sentences to form a comparative of equality “as…as”.
Example:
Non era così intelligente come credeva
He wasn’t as smart as he thought he was
If this article helped you a little bit to understand how to use the Italian word così, don’t forget to share it!
Credits
Original image by sasint
Typical Italian products: Puncetto Valsesiano
