Italians use this word a lot - but what is the meaning of allora?
When you’re learning Italian, you’d be forgiven for thinking you can put it just about anywhere in a sentence.
But actually it sounds a little strange if you start using allora all the time. To sound Italian, you need to understand when to use it, and when not to.
That’s exactly what you’ll learn here: 4 meanings of allora and how to avoid the common mistakes other learners make.
Once you master this word, and start using it in the correct contexts, you’ll feel a step closer to Italian fluency.
So… what’s our first meaning of allora?
1. Allora meaning “so…” to start a sentence
Allora… cosa facciamo oggi? - So… what shall we do today?
At the beginning of a sentence, allora can mean “so”. We use it to introduce a new topic and get people’s attention when we start talking.
Let’s see some more examples:
Allora, come stai? - So, how are you?
Allora, che ha detto Matteo? - So, what did Matteo say?
Is this the only meaning of allora you need to know? Well…
2. Allora meaning “well…”
Allora can also mean “well…”, when you pause before answering a question. Here’s an example:
Dove mangiamo? - Where shall we eat?
Allora… questo ristorante è buonissimo! - Well… this restaurant is really good!
Let’s see another one. Imagine your friend asks you what you do to learn Italian. You could answer:
Allora… studio, ascolto un podcast… - Well… I study, I listen to a podcast…
(Psst… speaking of podcasts, remember to listen to our podcast on this topic in case you haven’t already - it’s at the top of this page)
Two meanings of allora down! So, you’re probably ready for number 3.
3. Allora meaning “so”, for a natural consequence
Fa caldo, allora andiamo in spiaggia. - It’s hot, so we’ll go to the beach.
Just like how in English, you can use “so” to show a natural consequence, Italians connect two ideas with allora. Here are another couple of examples:
Vado in Italia presto, allora studio l’italiano - I’m going to Italy soon, so I’m studying Italian.
Non c’è il treno, allora prendiamo il bus. - There’s no train, so we’ll take the bus.
We can also use allora to mean “then” or “in that case” when introducing a natural consequence:
Then:
Se non vuoi venire, allora non venire - If you don’t want to come, then don’t come.
In that case:
Il vino è economico? - The wine is cheap?
Allora ne prendiamo una bottiglia! In that case, let’s have a bottle!
Not so tricky, eh? Just think back to when you first started learning Italian… back then, allora must have seemed much more mysterious…
4. Allora meaning “back then”
Our fourth key meaning of allora is a bit different - and can certainly catch learners off guard when they hear it for the first time. Italians also use allora to refer to a time “back then”.
It’s a word you use to reminisce:
Ah… remember when you were little?
Allora, tutto era migliore! - Back then, everything was better!
If this meaning just seems too odd to make sense, don’t worry. This use of allora isn’t quite as common as the first three. You’re likely to encounter it more as you get to know Italians better, and you begin exchanging stories from your pasts.
When you start using allora to mean “then”, however, you have to be careful, as you’ll see here in our list of common mistakes to avoid.
When Not to Use Allora - 3 Mistakes to Avoid
When you first hear about allora, it seems like a confusing word because it has so many meanings. Then, learners start using it all the time - and sometimes, even a bit too much.
Here are 3 times when you probably shouldn’t use allora.
1. Don’t use it to replace “umm” or “uhh”, especially mid-sentence
You now know that allora means “well…” when you pause before answering a question, for example:
Dove mangiamo? - Where shall we eat?
Allora… questo ristorante è buonissimo! - Well… this restaurant is really good!
But that doesn’t mean you should use it any time you’re thinking about what to say next: it’s not really a “hesitation” word like “uhh….”.
For example, it would sound a little strange to use allora like this:
Matteo? Lui è… *allora… un amico. - Matteo? He’s… *uhhh… a friend.
That’s to say, Italians don’t use allora whenever they pause to think. They use it specifically when considering the answer to a question.
Here are another couple of examples to show the difference:
Unnatural:
Non lo so, *allora, puoi ripetere? - I don’t know, *“well”, can you repeat?
Natural:
Che facciamo? What shall we do?
Allora, abbiamo due opzioni… - Well, we have two options…
2. To mean “then” as in “next”
The fourth meaning of allora you met was “back then” - but you should be careful when using allora in general to refer to a particular time.
When showing that one event follows another in time, as in “we did this, then/next we did that”, we can’t use allora.
In this case, Italians use poi.
Prima ho mangiato la pasta… First I ate pasta…
poi ho mangiato il gelato. then/next I ate ice-cream.
3. When talking to someone in a formal context
A lot of learners forget this, but allora is also quite an informal word. That means that using it too often with strangers, or people with whom you have a formal relationship can sound a little odd.
By contrast, if someone uses it with you, you can take it as a sign they’re being friendly and feel relaxed speaking to you.
Allora… that’s quite a lot of information about just one word to absorb! Listen to the podcast at the top of this page to review the 4 main meanings and learn how to pronounce it.
And don’t worry if it seems like an awful lot. With words that have several meanings, like allora, it can take time for everything to sink in. Just keep listening out for it, and you’ll naturally start to get an intuitive feel for when to use allora and when not to.
Speaking of things sinking in, here’s a review of all the main points you’ve learned in this article. Once you’ve done a recap, you can take our quick quiz to test your knowledge!
The 4 Meanings of Allora: Review
There are four key meanings of allora:
1. “So,” to introduce a new topic and get people’s attention:
Allora, cosa facciamo? - So, what shall we do?
2. “Well…”, when pausing to answer a question:
Dove mangiamo? - Where shall we eat?
Allora… questo ristorante è buonissimo! - Well… this restaurant is really good.
3. “So”, “then” or “in that case” to show a natural consequence:
Fa caldo, allora andiamo in spiaggia. - It’s hot, so we’ll go to the beach.
Se non vuoi venire, allora non venire - If you don’t want to come, then don’t come.
Il vino è economico? - The wine is cheap?
Allora ne prendiamo una bottiglia! In that case, let’s have a bottle!
4. “Back then”, when referring to the past:
Allora, tutto era migliore! - Back then, everything was better!
You also learned about three common mistakes to avoid:
- Don’t use allora like “umm” as a “hesitation” - especially in mid-sentence
- Don’t use allora to mean “then/next” as in “we did this, then/next we did that” - use poi instead.
- Don’t use allora too much in formal contexts: it’s quite an informal expression
Allora, there you have it! You’re now ready to use allora like a true Italian!
The only thing left is to take our quiz to test what you’ve learned.
Vocabulary: The 4 Meanings of Allora in Italian
Allora… cosa facciamo? = So… what shall we do?
Allora… questo ristorante è buonissimo! = Well… this restaurant is really good.
Fa caldo, allora andiamo in spiaggia = It’s hot, so we’ll go to the beach
La spiaggia = The beach
Fa caldo = It’s hot (lit: it makes heat)
Se non vuoi venire, allora non venire = If you don’t want to come, then don’t come.
Venire = To come
Allora, tutto era migliore! = Back then, everything was better!
Migliore = Better
Poi = Then
Quindi = So
Quiz: The 4 Meanings of Allora in Italian
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: The 4 Meaning of Allora in Italian
Flashcards: The 4 Meanings of Allora in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Transcript: The 4 Meanings of Allora in Italian (and 3 Mistakes to Avoid)
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
What does allora mean? Well it’s used in a few different ways. Let’s listen to a typical conversation between me and Matteo, where we’re struggling to decide what to do on our day off. Can you hear the four main meanings of allora?
M: Allora, cosa facciamo oggi?
K: Allora… è domenica… una passeggiata?
M: Fa troppo caldo.
K: Allora andiamo al lago.
M: Hmm, preferisco il mare.
K: Allora andiamo al mare!
M: Va bene.
K: Fantastico! Possiamo mangiare un gelato in spiaggia.
M: Sì, come quando ero piccolo. Allora erano più buoni.
K: Did you hear all those examples of allora? Let’s break the conversation down line by line.
M: Allora, cosa facciamo oggi? - So, what shall we do today?
Allora - so
Cosa - what
Facciamo - we do
Oggi - today
K: Here’s the first use of allora, meaning “so”. As in…
So, what shall we do?
So, I need to talk to you about something.
We use it at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a new topic or get someone’s attention. You’re showing the other person you’re about to start talking about something new.
Before moving on to the next use, it’s worth looking quickly at the pronunciation.
M: Al-lo-ra
K: First, there’s a double -L- sound. In Italian, a double letter means you have to hold it for longer:
M: aLLLLLLLora.
Then, the Italian -R- at the end can also be a bit tricky. It’s actually the same as the T in the American pronunciation of words like oughta, as in “ought to”. Oughta, oughta, oughta, ora, ora, ora, hear how it sounds like the end of allora? Oughta, oughta, oughta, ora, ora, ora…. now we just add the “all” at the beginning, allora, allora, allora
M: Allora
K: Pay attention to the last A, too. Learners tend to make it an -uh- sound. Allor-uh. In Italian, it’s a real -A- sound, like in “apple” or “act” . A sneaky tip to get it right is to say allor-act - but drop the -ct- at the end. Have a practise:
Al-lor-act… al-lora-act… al-lora-... al-lora-... allora!
Listen to Matteo, and feel free to practise it aloud!
M: Allora x3
Allora… ready for the next use? I then said:
M: Allora… è domenica… una passeggiata? - Well… it’s Sunday… a walk?
Allora… - well…
È domenica - it’s Sunday
Una passeggiata - a walk?
K: Here, I used allora to mean “well…”. To show that we’re thinking about how to answer a question. Imagine you asked an Italian where to have lunch. They might say:
M: Allora… questo ristorante è buonissimo.
K: Well… this restaurant is really good.
K: Next, Matteo said:
M: Fa troppo caldo - it’s too hot.
Fa - it does
Troppo - too much
Caldo - heat
K. Just watch out for the weather expression here. Italians literally say “it does heat”. Then, I said:
M: Allora andiamo al lago. - Well then, let’s go to the lake
Allora - well
Andiamo - we go
Al - to the
Lago - lake
A third use of allora! Here allora is showing a natural consequence.
It’s too hot, so let’s go to the lake. You don’t want to cook? Well then, let’s order a takeaway, or takeout.
You heard another example of this kind of allora. Matteo said:
M: Hmm, preferisco il mare. - Hmm, I prefer the sea
Preferisco - I prefer
Il mare - the sea
K: Then I replied:
M: Allora andiamo al mare! - Well then, let’s go to the sea!
Allora - well
Andiamo - we go
Al mare - to the sea
Here’s our second example of allora for a consequence. Matteo prefers the sea, well then let’s go to the sea!
Matteo agrees:
M: Va bene. - OK.
K: So I said:
K: Fantastico! Possiamo mangiare un gelato in spiaggia. - Fantastic. We can eat an ice-cream on the beach
Fantastico - fantastic
Possiamo - we can
Mangiare - eat
Un gelato - an ice-cream
In spiaggia - on the beach. Italians say “in beach”, rather than “on the beach”.
Matteo then said:
M: Sì, come quando ero piccolo. - Yes, like when I was little
Sì - yeah
Come - like
Quando - when
Ero - I was
Piccolo - little
K: Then Matteo said:
Allora erano più buoni - Back then they were tastier
Allora - back then
Erano - they were
Più - more
Buoni - tasty
M: Our fourth meaning of allora is really different to the other ones. In this case, it means “back then”.
K: It isn’t quite as common, but I think if you hear allora in that context, it can really throw you as a learner, because you might not expect it to have that kind of meaning.
Now, you know the 4 main meanings of allora - let’s review! Have a listen one more time to the conversation in Italian and see if you can tick off each meaning:
M: Allora, cosa facciamo oggi?
K: Allora… è domenica… una passeggiata?
M: Fa troppo caldo.
K: Allora andiamo al lago.
M: Hmm, preferisco il mare.
K: Allora andiamo al mare!
M: Va bene.
K: Fantastico! Possiamo mangiare un gelato in spiaggia.
M: Sì, come quando ero piccolo. Allora erano più buoni.
K: Allora, so. The 4 meanings are… so, to start a sentence.
M: Allora, cosa facciamo oggi? - So, what shall we do today?
K: Well… when you’re answering a question
M: Allora… è domenica. - Well... it’s Sunday.
K: So or well then, to show a consequence
M: Fa troppo caldo. Allora andiamo al lago. - It’s too hot. So let’s go to the lake / Well then let’s go to the lake.
K: And “back then”
M: Allora i gelati erano più buoni. - Back then ice-creams were tastier.
K: There are also a few mistakes learners tend to make with allora - and we’ll talk more about them in our blog post on the same topic. To avoid falling into the same traps as other learners, see everything written down and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Join our Italian club
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
