A2 · Joining sentences
Conjunctions: perché, quando
And the verb stays where it is.
At a glance
- Remember
- anche se with the indicative, benché with the congiuntivo.
- Form
- perchébecause
- Signal words
- perché
- siccome
- mentre
- appena
- anche se
- Trap
- Wrong:Benché piove, esco lo stesso.Right:Benché piova, esco lo stesso.
Your turn
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The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Italian.
| because | perché |
| since (at the start) | siccome |
| while | mentre |
| as soon as | appena |
| although (indicative) | anche se |
| although (congiuntivo) | benché |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Word order in the clause is the same as in a main clause.
Non vengo perché domani lavoro.I am not coming because I am working tomorrow.
siccome opens the sentence, perche does not.
Siccome pioveva, siamo rimasti a casa.Since it was raining, we stayed at home.
anche se takes the indicative, benche the congiuntivo.
Anche se piove, esco. — Benché piova, esco.Although it is raining, I am going out.
appena means « as soon as »; in everyday speech both halves take the present, in careful speech both take the future.
Ti scriverò appena arriverò.I will write to you as soon as I arrive.
Example sentences
Mentre aspettavo, ho letto il giornale.While I was waiting, I read the paper.
Siccome era tardi, abbiamo preso un taxi.Since it was late, we took a taxi.
Anche se costa molto, lo compro.Although it costs a lot, I am buying it.
Chiamami appena puoi.Call me as soon as you can.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English has one « although » and picks no mood, so the two Italian words look interchangeable and are not. Anche se takes the indicative and benché takes the congiuntivo, and mixing them produces a sentence that is half built. There is no rule of meaning behind it: the word chosen decides the mood, and the safe one in speech is anche se.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A subordinate clause has the same word order as a main clause. Non vengo perché lavoro — the verb stays in second place, exactly as in English.
Cause: perché, siccome (at the start of the sentence), dato che, visto che.
Time: quando, mentre (while), appena (as soon as), finché (as long as), dopo che, prima che (with the congiuntivo).
Contrast: ma, però, anche se (indicative), benché and sebbene (congiuntivo).
anche se and benché both mean « although » — but one takes the indicative and the other the congiuntivo. English has one word and no such choice; when in doubt, take anche se.
mentre means « while » in the sense of time. For the contrast — « whereas » — use invece or mentre with a comma.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: piovere · essere · avere · uscire · venire · potere · prendere · aspettare