Linking sentences · Italian grammar A1

And, or, but: e, o, ma#

Formation

E (“and”) joins two words or two sentences that add up, o (“or”; oppure is also used) offers a choice, and ma (“but”) introduces a contrast or, after a negative, a correction. A comma often comes before ma, rarely before e and o.

Use

Two short sentences can also follow each other with no conjunction, separated by a full stop or a comma, when the link of time or cause is clear: Sono stanco. Vado a letto. A subject made of two parts joined by e takes a plural verb: Io e Sara siamo amiche.

Compro il pane e il latte.I’m buying bread and milk.
Mangiamo a casa o al ristorante?Shall we eat at home or at a restaurant?
La casa è piccola, ma è molto bella.The house is small, but it’s very nice.
Non sono spagnolo, ma italiano.I’m not Spanish, I’m Italian.

Difference from English

The conjunction e is written with no accent; the verb è (“is”) has a grave accent. The two sound almost the same, so the accent is the only sign in writing: Luca è alto e Anna è bassa. After a negative, “not… but” is non… ma: Non sono spagnolo, ma italiano.

Common mistake

~~Marco è Giulia sono qui.~~ → Marco e Giulia sono qui.“And” is e, with no accent.

Practise

“Linking sentences: e, ma, quando, per”, Linking: e, o, ma

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Too and neither: anche, neanche#

Formation

Anche (“also, too”) adds a person or a thing to a positive sentence, neanche (“not… either, neither”) to a negative one; nemmeno and neppure mean the same as neanche. Both are placed before the word they refer to: anche Marco, neanche lui. The short answer repeats the subject pronoun: anche io, neanche io (also written anch'io, neanch'io).

Use

Placed before the verb, neanche is used without non: Neanche Luca viene. Placed after the verb, it takes non before the verb: Non viene neanche Luca. With piacere, the short answer is formed with a and the stressed pronoun: anche a me, neanche a me.

Sono stanca. — Anche io.I’m tired. — So am I.
Non ho fame. — Neanche io.I’m not hungry. — Neither am I.
Anche mia sorella parla tedesco.My sister speaks German too.
Neanche Paolo sa la risposta.Paolo doesn’t know the answer either.

Difference from English

English “too” and “either” usually come at the end of the sentence (“Marco is a doctor too”); anche and neanche come before the word they refer to: Anche Marco è medico. “Me too” and “so am I” are anche io, with the subject form io, not me. “Me neither” and “neither am I” are neanche io, not anche io non. English “so do I”, “neither do I” repeat the auxiliary; Italian never does: anche io, neanche io, whatever the verb.

Common mistakes

~~Non sono stanco. — Anche io.~~ → Non sono stanco. — Neanche io.After a negative sentence, neanche is used.
~~Marco è medico anche.~~ → Anche Marco è medico.Anche is placed before the word it refers to.
~~Anche me.~~ → Anche io.“Me too” takes the subject form, io.

Practise

“Linking sentences: e, ma, quando, per”, Too and neither: anche, neanche

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When and because: quando, perché#

Formation

Quando (“when”) introduces a clause of time, perché (“because”) a clause of cause; the verb of the clause is in the indicative. The clause comes before or after the main clause; before it, it is usually followed by a comma.

Use

For a habit, both verbs are in the present: Quando fa freddo, resto a casa. Perché answers the question perché? (“why?”): Perché non vieni? — Perché sono stanco. At A1, quando and perché are the two subordinating conjunctions studied.

Quando piove, prendo la macchina.When it rains, I take the car.
Canto sempre quando cucino.I always sing when I’m cooking.
Non esco perché ho molto lavoro.I’m not going out because I’ve got a lot of work.

Difference from English

English has two words, “why” and “because”; Italian has one, perché, written with an acute accent. The question and the answer differ only by the question mark and the intonation: Perché? — Perché…. As in English, the present is used after quando for a habit.

Common mistake

~~Perché non vieni? — Perché io sono stanco.~~ → Perché non vieni? — Perché sono stanco.The subject pronoun is left out in the answer, as in the question.

Practise

“Linking sentences: e, ma, quando, per”, When: quando + verb “Questions and the negative: non, chi, dove, quando”, Questions: chi, che cosa, dove, come, quando, perché

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Purpose: per + infinitive#

Formation

Purpose is expressed with per (“to, in order to”) followed by the infinitive, when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence: Studio per imparare. The first verb is conjugated in the normal way.

Use

Per followed by the infinitive expresses purpose; perché followed by a conjugated verb expresses cause: Resto a casa per studiare (purpose), Resto a casa perché sto male (cause).

Lavoro per comprare una macchina.I work to buy a car.
Andiamo al bar per bere un caffè.We’re going to the café to have a coffee.
Mia figlia studia l'inglese per viaggiare.My daughter is studying English so she can travel.

Difference from English

English expresses purpose with the infinitive with “to”: “I work to buy a car”. The Italian infinitive has no separate “to”, so the purpose needs per: Lavoro per comprare una macchina, never Lavoro comprare. “For” followed by an -ing form, as in “a bag for carrying books”, is also per + infinitive in Italian: per is never followed by a form in -ndo.

Common mistakes

~~Vado al mercato comprare la frutta.~~ → Vado al mercato per comprare la frutta.Purpose is expressed with per + infinitive.
~~Vado al mercato perché comprare la frutta.~~ → Vado al mercato per comprare la frutta.Perché is followed by a conjugated verb, and expresses cause.

In short

Word	Meaning	Example
e	and	il pane e il latte
o, oppure	or	tè o caffè?
ma	but	È piccola, ma bella.
anche	also, too	Anche io.
neanche	not… either	Neanche io.
quando + verb	when	Quando piove, resto a casa.
perché + verb	because	Perché sono stanco.
per + infinitive	to, in order to (purpose)	per imparare

Practise

“Linking sentences: e, ma, quando, per”, Purpose: per + infinitive

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