All 133 topics

Alphabet and pronunciation

Tenses and if-sentences

The present tense

The past

The future

If-sentences

Verbs: modals, si, subjunctive

To be and to have

Can, must, want

The imperative

Verbs with si

The passive

The subjunctive (congiuntivo)

Verb + infinitive

Articles, nouns and pronouns

The articles

The noun

The adjectives

The pronouns

Prepositions

Sentence structure

Questions and negation

Joining sentences

Reported speech

Politeness, style, fine points

Formal and informal you

Fine points and style

B2 · If-sentences

Conditions without se

« Unless » already carries its negative — and so does a meno che non.

At a glance

Remember: The non after a meno che belongs to the phrase.
When: If and would — Here the condition decides the form, not the position on the clock.
Form: a meno che non piovaunless it rains
Signal words: a meno che
purché
nel caso in cui
altrimenti
fossi in te
Trap: Wrong:Usciamo, a meno che non fa troppo freddo.
Right:Usciamo, a meno che non faccia troppo freddo.

Start practising · 5 exercisesabout 2 minutesRead the full explanation

Your turn

5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.

Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.

The form

How the forms are built

Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Italian. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.

stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending negation

unless it rains	a meno che non piova
provided that you come	purché tu venga
in case he arrives	nel caso in cui arrivasse
otherwise you will miss the train	altrimenti perdi il treno
if I were you	fossi in te
on condition that	a condizione che
that I come	che io venga
that you come	che tu venga
that he / she comes, that you come (formal)	che lui / lei / Lei venga
that we come	che noi veniamo
that you come (plural)	che voi veniate
that they come	che loro vengano
that I arrived	che io arrivassi
that you arrived	che tu arrivassi
that he / she arrived, that you arrived (formal)	che lui / lei / Lei arrivasse
that we arrived	che noi arrivassimo
that you arrived (plural)	che voi arrivaste
that they arrived	che loro arrivassero

The rules one by one

The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it

a meno che and purche take the congiuntivo.
Usciamo, a meno che non faccia troppo freddo.We are going out, unless it is too cold.
The non after a meno che negates nothing.
Vengo, a meno che non ci sia sciopero.I am coming, unless there is a strike.
altrimenti takes the indicative.
Parti adesso, altrimenti perdi il treno.Leave now, otherwise you will miss the train.
The congiuntivo alone can replace se.
Fossi in te, ci penserei due volte.If I were you, I would think twice.

Example sentences

Ti presto la macchina, purché tu guidi piano.I will lend you the car, provided you drive slowly.

Lascio il numero, nel caso in cui servisse.I will leave the number, in case it is needed.

Sbrigati, sennò facciamo tardi.Hurry up, otherwise we will be late.

Verremmo volentieri, a condizione che ci sia posto.We would gladly come, provided there is room.

The trap English speakers fall into

Watch out

The non in a meno che non is not a negation. A meno che non piova is « unless it rains », not « unless it does not rain ». Reading it literally turns the sentence inside out. The English word helps here: « unless » has the negative built in and nobody adds a second one. The non may be left out; the congiuntivo may not — « unless it is » pulls towards a meno che non fa, and that is wrong.

Wrong:Usciamo, a meno che non fa troppo freddo.

Right:Usciamo, a meno che non faccia troppo freddo.

The full explanation

Read it all · about 1 min

Not every condition begins with se. A meno che (unless), a condizione che and purché(provided that)nel caso in cui(in case) do the same job by other means

All four take the congiuntivo: a meno che non piova, purché tu venga, nel caso in cui arrivasse tardi. The non after a meno che negates nothing — and English does the same thing invisibly, since « unless it rains » already means « if it does not rain ». Leaving it out is not wrong, only less usual.

Altrimenti and sennò name the consequence of the opposite: parti adesso, altrimenti perdi il treno. They take the indicative, because they open a warning and not a condition.

And the shortest condition in the language needs no conjunction at all: fossi in te, non lo farei. The congiuntivo alone carries the se — which English does too, in « were I you ».

How well do you know this topic?

Next on the path: 115 · Past historic (passato remoto)Back to the learning path

The verbs on this page, in every form: essere · fare · venire · lasciare · servire · uscire · pensare