In Italian, “so” is really useful to know. You can use it to start conversations, ask questions, link ideas and explain things.
But “so” can be confusing in Italian because there are actually three ways to say it: allora, quindi and così.
In this post, you’ll find out exactly when to use each one to say “so” in Italian.
Allora
Pronunciation: Ahl-LOH-rah
Allora is one of those little words you hear all the time in Italian. Here’s how you can use it to mean “so”.
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For consequences
To show consequences, you often put allora at the start of the sentence. It’s similar to saying “in that case” in English
For example:
- Piove! - It’s raining!
- Allora andiamo in un museo? -So shall we go to a museum?
- L’albergo è lontano - The hotel is far away
-Allora prendiamo un taxi. -In that case (lit. so) let’s take a taxi.
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To start a sentence
You can use allora at the start of a sentence as a way of introducing a topic, getting someone’s attention or changing the direction of a conversation.
For example:
Allora, cosa facciamo stasera? -So, what should we do this evening?
Allora, ti piace Perugia? -So, do you like Perugia?
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As a question
If you say allora with your voice rising at the end, it turns into a question. You can use it when you want to nudge someone to respond or continue speaking.
For example:
-Sono andato in Puglia. -I went to Puglia.
-Davvero? Allora? -Really? So? (i.e. so, how did it go?)
Allora can have other meanings too. If you want to find out how else you can use allora to sound more natural in Italian, you can read our blogpost on the 4 meanings of allora in Italian and what do Italian words allora and anche mean?
Quindi
Pronunciation: KWEEN-dee
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For consequences
You can use quindi to link two sentences together to show that one thing is a logical consequence of another. Unlike allora, it’s usually in the middle of the sentence.
For example:
Mi piace l’Italia, quindi studio l’italiano. -I like Italy, so I’m studying Italian.
Fa caldo, quindi andiamo al mare. -It’s hot, so we’re going to the seaside.
Dobbiamo prenotare, quindi chiamo il ristorante. -We have to book, so I’ll call the restaurant.
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As a question
When quindi is used as a question (you just have to raise your voice at the end) it’s a way of prompting someone to clarify, explain or continue. It’s similar to saying “So?”, “And?” or “So what?”
For example:
- La receptionist dice che la camera non è pronta. -The receptionist says that the room isn’t ready.
-Quindi? Aspettiamo nella hall? -So? Shall we wait in the lounge?
Così
Pronunciation: KOH-zee
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To give a reason
You can use così to give a reason for doing something. It’s like saying “so” or “that way” in English.
For example:
Andiamo in gelateria, così posso provare il gelato al pistacchio. -Let’s go to the ice-cream parlor, so I can try the pistachio ice-cream.
Prenotiamo in anticipo, così non dobbiamo aspettare in fila. -Let’s book in advance, so we don’t have to wait in line.
Vorrei fare una visita guidata, così imparo qualcosa sulla città. -I’d like to do a guided tour, so I learn something about the city.
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For emphasis
It’s easy to be enthusiastic in Italy. Everything is so good , so interesting, so fun. When you want to use “so” in this way, you use così in Italian.
For example:
La pizza a Napoli è così buona! -The pizza in Naples is so good!
La Toscana è così bella! -Tuscany is so beautiful!
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To mean “so so”
If you say così twice ( così così ) it means something is just ok, or “so so”.
For example:
- Com’è il risotto al gorgonzola? -How’s the gorgonzola risotto?
-Mhm, così così -Mmm, so so
For even more details and example sentences on how to use così in Italian, you can see our blogpost così: how to say ‘so’ (and much more) in Italian .
So in Italian: There Are Actually 3 Ways to Say It!: Review
Allora
-
To show consequence, usually said at the start of a sentence
For example:
-L’albergo è lontano. -The hotel is far away.
-Allora prendiamo un taxi. -in that case (lit. so let’s take a taxi.)
-
At the start of a sentence to introduce a topic or change direction.
For example:
-Allora, cosa facciamo stasera? - So, what should we do this evening?
-
As a question to nudge someone.
For example:
-Sono andato in Puglia. -I went to Puglia.
-Davvero? Allora? -Really? So? (i.e. so, how did it go?)
Quindi
-
To show consequence, usually in the middle of a sentence.For example:
Mi piace l’Italia, quindi studio l’italiano. - I like Italy, so I study Italian.
-
To nudge someone to explain or keep talking.
For example: -La reception dice che la camera non è pronta. - Reception says that the room isn’t ready.
-Quindi? Aspettiamo nella hall? - So? Shall we wait in the lounge?
Così
-
To give a reason
For example:
-Andiamo in gelateria, così posso provare il gelato al pistacchio. - Let’s go to the ice-cream parlor, that way I can try the pistacchio ice-cream
-
For emphasis
For example:
La pizza a Napoli è così buona! - The pizza in Naples is so good!
-
To mean “so so”
For example:
-Com’è il risotto al gorgonzola? -How is the gorgonzola risotto?
-Mhm, così così. -Mmm, so so.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: “So” can be used in all sorts of common conversation situations, like asking questions or explaining why you’ve made certain plans in Italy. “So” (see what I did there?) it’s very useful to know.
K: To make your Italian sound natural, it really helps to know which version of “so” you should use for different situations.
But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore ? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you click the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: In this conversation between me and Katie, you’ll hear us giving advice to one of our students.
K: A lot of students ask us for recommendations on things to do in Italy. When we talk about where we think our student, Lisa, should go, see if you can hear the different words for “so” in Italian and how they’re used.
K: Lisa vuole sapere se andare a Venezia o no.
M: Mhm…
K: Allora?
M: Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file.
K: E il cibo?
M: Così così. In centro è caro e non sempre buono.
K: Ok...allora il consiglio è... non andare a Venezia!
M: Può andare a Treviso, così vede Venezia in giornata.
K: I said to Matteo:
M: Lisa vuole sapere se andare a Venezia o no - Lisa wants to know whether to go to Venice or not. Literally:
Lisa
Vuole - wants
Sapere - to know
Se - if
Andare - to go
A - to
Venezia - Venice
O - or
No - no
K: Then Matteo was thinking for a bit, so he said
M: Mhm …
K: And because he took awhile to answer, I said:
M: Allora?
K: Which means: “so”?
Students hear allora used all the time in Italy so they often ask us what it means. Here, I’m using it to say “so” to try and prompt an answer.
M: Just remember to raise your voice at the end to show you’re asking a question: allora? (x2)
K: Then Matteo answered:
M: Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file - too many tourists, so too many lines. Literally:
Troppi - too many
Turisti - tourists
Quindi - so
Troppe - too many
File - lines
K: You’ve just heard the next word for “so” in Italian
M: Quindi (x2)
K: You can use quindi to give the idea of something being a consequence of something else. Matteo said that there are too many tourists and, as a consequence, there are too many lines.
M: Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file.
K: Or you might want to say something like “Today is Sunday so (as a consequence) the supermarket is closed”, which in Italian would be:
M: Oggi è domenica, quindi il supermercato è chiuso (x2)
K: Then I asked Matteo: E il cibo? And the food? Literally:
M: E - and
Il - the
Cibo - food
K: And Matteo replied: Così così. In centro è caro e non sempre buono - So so. In the center it’s expensive and not always good. Literally:
Così - so
Così - so
In - in
Centro - Center
È - it is
Caro - expensive
E - and
Non - not
Sempre - always
Buono - good
K: If you want to say you’re not very impressed with something, it’s just ok, you can use così così in Italian, like you’d use “so so” in English. Here, remember to put emphasis on the last part, the eee. Così.
M: Così così
K: Then I replied:
M: Ok...allora il consiglio è... non andare a Venezia! - Ok, so the advice is, don’t go to Venice! Literally:
Ok
Allora - so
Il - the
Consiglio - advice
È - is
Non - not
Andare - to go
A - to
Venezia - Venice
K: To say “so” I used allora again and, like with quindi , it’s being used to show a consequence. In other words, the consequence of all the things that Matteo said is not to go to Venice. There’s some overlap between the words quindi and allora when we introduce a consequence, but a good rule of thumb is that quindi is used more often in the middle of a sentence. Too many tourists, so (quindi), too many lines. We use allora more often at the beginning of a sentence to reply to something someone else has just said. You just heard how, after Matteo listed some not-so-great things about Venice, I replied, so the advice is not to go to Venice:
M: Allora il consiglio è non andare a Venezia!
K: Or if an Italian tells you it’s raining (piove) you could say “so let’s take the umbrella”, i.e. as a consequence of the fact it’s raining, let’s take the umbrella.
M: And in Italian, that’s allora prendiamo l’ombrello (x2).
Then Matteo said:
M: Può andare a Treviso, così vede Venezia in giornata - she can go to Treviso, so she can see Venice during the day. Literally:
Può - she can
Andare - to go
A - to
Treviso
Così - so
Vede - she sees
Venezia - Venice
In - in
Giornata - day
K: Così , used just once, means “so” in the sense of “so that” or “that way”. It’s a way to show the reason for doing something.
M: So when we say così può vedere Venezia in giornata , it’s like saying “that way she can see Venice during the day”.
K: Or you could also use così if you were saying “let’s take a taxi, so we arrive in time”, which in Italian is:
M: Prendiamo un taxi, così arriviamo in tempo (x2)
K: And by the way, we really do recommend going to Treviso over Venice. Venice can get very crowded and touristy, but Treviso still has an authentic Italian feel. We went there this year and really enjoyed it. You see lots of Italians just going about their daily lives.
M: I really loved the faded frescoes you see everywhere, just wandering around the center in Treviso on the walls and the tops of the porticoes, or arches.
K: And if you do really want to go to Venice, from Treviso it only takes about half an hour on the train, so it’s definitely doable in a day.
M: Now that you’ve heard three ways to say “so” in Italian, let’s see what you can remember.
K: What’s the word for “so” when you want to show there’s a consequence? It’s the one that tends to come in the middle of the sentence, like when Matteo said “too many tourists, so too many lines”.
[...]
M: Quindi (x2) . Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file.
[...]
K: And what about the word for “so” that’s also used as a consequence, but usually comes at the start of a sentence? I used it when I said “so the advice is…not to go to Venice!”[...]
M: Allora (x2) . Allora il consiglio è... non andare a Venezia!
K: I also used this one when I wanted to say “so” to get a response out of Matteo. So?
M: Allora? (x2)
K: What’s the word for “so” that means “so that” or “that way”? It’s used when you want to emphasize the reason for doing something. We used it in the sentence “she can go to Treviso, so (or that way) she can see Venice during the day”.
[...]
M: Così. (x2) Può andare a Treviso, così vede Venezia in giornata .
K: And finally, what’s the Italian for “so so” when you don’t think something’s very good?
[...]
M: Così così (x2) . For example, I described the food in Venice as così così.
K: Let’s listen to the whole conversation again.
K: Lisa vuole sapere se andare a Venezia o no.
M: Mhm…
K: Allora?
M: Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file.
K: E il cibo?
M: Così così. In centro è caro e non sempre buono.
K: Ok...allora il consiglio è... non andare a Venezia!
M: Può andare a Treviso, così vede Venezia in giornata.
K: Understanding the different shades of meaning between the words for “so” in Italian can be difficult. Understanding the nuances of these words is actually a pretty advanced topic, so don’t worry if you feel you haven’t got it perfectly yet.
M: If you go to our blogpost, you’ll see all the explanations for how to use “so” in one place, so you can read it over as many times as you like. K: You’ll also find some other ways to use “so” in Italian that we haven’t mentioned. Like do you know which “so” we’d use when you’re starting off a conversation or just about to tell a story?
M: To see all the different explanations for “so”, plus more example sentences showing how to use them in everyday conversations, click the link in the description to head over to our website, or go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 201.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: So in Italian: There Are Actually 3 Ways to Say It!
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Click here to take the quiz for this episode: So in Italian: There Are Actually 3 Ways to Say It!
Vocabulary
Allora, cosa facciamo stasera? = So, what should we do this evening?
Mi piace l’Italia, quindi studio l’italiano = I like Italy, so I’m studying Italian
Fa caldo, quindi andiamo al mare = It’s hot, so we’re going to the seaside
Andiamo in gelateria, così posso provare il gelato al pistacchio = Let’s go the ice-cream parlor, so I can try the pistachio ice-cream
La pizza a Napoli è così buona! = The pizza in Naples is so good!
Com’è il risotto al gorgonzola? Mhm, così così = How is the gorgonzola risotto? Mmm, so so
Troppi turisti, quindi troppe file = Too many tourists, so too many lines
Così così = So so
Ok...allora il consiglio è... non andare a Venezia! = Ok, so the advice is, don’t go to Venice!
Può andare a Treviso, così vede Venezia in giornata = She can go to Treviso, so she can see Venice during the day
Flashcards: So in Italian: There Are Actually 3 Ways to Say It!
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