Of all the small and widely used adverbs in Italian, already Undoubtedly one of the most important.Its most common English translation is already it comes from the latin word I am have the same meaning.
It is mainly related to present perfect tense tense, which occurs between the auxiliary verb and the past participle (e.g. I’ve eaten = I’ve eaten).
already Pronounced as one syllable (“jah”) rather than two separate syllables (“ji-ah”). Note that in Italian, the vast majority of monosyllabic words ending in two vowels are accented on the second vowel, provided it has a truncated sound.Some other examples include That is (That), the following (down) and more (more).
I have read this book. Do you have another one?
I have read this book. Do you have another one?
already? This is a commonly heard expression in Italian to indicate that something happened earlier than expected. In English we usually say something like “What, already?” or”What, so fast?“
Sorry, but I have to go. – already?
Sorry, but I have to go. – What, already?
already can also be translated as However and forward when they can be replaced already There is no significant change in meaning. For example:
- Have you seen Scorsese’s new film yet? = Have you seen Scorsese’s new movie? (or have you already seen it Scorsese‘s new movie?)
- I’ve told you a thousand times. = I’ve told you a thousand times. (or I’ve told you a thousand times.)
Are your parents here? – No, I’m late.
Are your parents here? – No, they are late.
(Another possible translation is: “Have your parents arrived yet?”)
Have you been to Florence yet?
Have you been to Florence before?
(Another possible translation is: “Have you been to Florence already?”)
Another meaning is evenas shown in the following example:
- When she was a child, she wanted to be a dancer. = When she was a little girl, she wanted to be a dancer.
- In ancient times, chocolate was considered a food for the privileged class. = Even in ancient times, chocolate was considered a food for the privileged classes.
when written into a word since, it is a conjunction in Italian and means “because”.with other, more casual synonyms such as since, Whereasand Whereas.
Since you can’t come on Saturday, we decided to postpone the appointment to Sunday.
Since you can’t come on Saturday, we’ve decided to change the date to Sunday.
YesWritten as two words, it does appear in some informal fixed phrases, namely:
- While you are here/we are here… = While you/we are doing it… (literally “because you/we are here”) – also While we’re on the subject… / Speaking of which…
- When you get up… = Now that you’re up… (literally “because you stood up”)
- And while we’re at it, let’s dance = Now that we’ve started, we have to solve this problem (literally “Now we are dancing, let us dance”)
While you’re at it, eat some fruit, too.
While you’re at it, pick some fruit too.
In spoken Italian, already Also often used to confirm a previous statement, usually (but not always) with a bitter, sarcastic, or annoyed tone.Can be preceded by an interjection Well.Potential English equivalents include Yes, Yes Yes, certainly, that’s rightor indeed.
Is he the new coach? – certainly.
Is he the new coach? – Yes.
all in all, already can mean Earlier or predecessor And used before nouns and adjectives.
- George Napolitano, former President of the Republic = George Napolitano, former President of the Republic
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
