Italian Connectors (I Connettori)

Connectors (or linking words) are the glue that holds your sentences together. They turn simple, robotic sentences into fluid, natural speech. “I like pizza. I eat it.” becomes “I like pizza, so I eat it.”

Common Coordinating Conjunctions

These link two similar things or sentences.

Connector	Meaning	Example
e	and	Io mangio e bevo. (I eat and drink)
o / oppure	or	Caffè o tè? (Coffee or tea?)
ma	but	È bello, ma costoso. (It’s nice, but expensive)
però	but/however	Vorrei venire, però non posso. (I’d like to come, however I can’t)
quindi / perciò	so / therefore	Ho fame, quindi mangio. (I’m hungry, so I eat)
cioè	that is / I mean	Vengo domani, cioè martedì. (I’m coming tomorrow, I mean Tuesday)
infatti	in fact / indeed	Fa freddo, infatti nevica. (It’s cold, in fact it’s snowing)

Note on “ma” vs “però”: They mean the same thing, but ma is always at the start of the clause (…ma non posso), while però can go at the end (…non posso, però).

Subordinating Conjunctions

These link a main sentence to a dependent one (often giving a reason, time, or condition).

Connector	Meaning	Example
perché	because / why	Mangio perché ho fame. (I eat because I’m hungry)
quando	when	Ti chiamo quando arrivo. (I’ll call you when I arrive)
se	if	* Se piove, non esco.* (If it rains, I won’t go out)
mentre	while	Leggo mentre mangio. (I read while I eat)
anche se	even though	Esco anche se piove. (I’m going out even though it’s raining)
siccome	since (as)	* Siccome piove, sto a casa.* (Since it’s raining, I’m staying home)

Tip: Siccome usually starts the sentence, while perché usually comes in the middle.

Logical Connectors (Structuring your speech)

Use these to organize your thoughts and arguments.

Beginning

• Prima di tutto (First of all)
• Per cominciare (To start)
• Innanzitutto (First of all - formal)

Adding ideas

• Inoltre (Furthermore/Also)
• Poi (Then)
• Anche (Also/Too)
• D’altra parte (On the other hand)

Concluding

• Infine (Finally)
• Per finire (To finish)
• In conclusione (In conclusion)
• Insomma (In short/So…)

Useful Conversational Fillers

These don’t always translate perfectly, but Italians use them constantly!

• Allora… (So / Well then…) - Used to start a sentence or change topic.
  • Allora, andiamo? (So, are we going?)
• Dunque… (So / Therefore…) - Similar to allora, slightly more logical.
• Boh! (I don’t know!) - Include a shoulder shrug.
• Magari! (I wish! / If only!)
• Meno male! (Thank goodness!)

Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the best connector:

1. Non ho fame, _______ non mangio. (so)
2. Mi piace l’Italia, _______ non parlo bene la lingua. (but)
3. _______ piove, porto l’ombrello. (If)
4. Non esco _______ sono stanco. (because)
5. _______ sono stanco, non esco. (Since)
6. Mangio pizza _______ pasta. (and)
7. Ti ascolto _______ guido. (while)
8. È tardi, _______ devo andare. (however/but - careful with position!) - Wait, però works, quindi works better for logic. Let’s look for “therefore”. -> quindi
9. Vuoi acqua _______ vino? (or)
10. _______, vorrei ringraziare tutti. (To start)

Answers

1. quindi
2. ma / però
3. Se
4. perché
5. Siccome
6. e
7. mentre
8. quindi (so)
9. o
10. Per cominciare / Prima di tutto

Great! Connectors are the secret to sounding less like a student and more like a local. Keep connecting! 🔗