Conjunctions · 44be093f039d6aeebb5397f3bcedc769
E is one of the most common words in Italian, and it means and.
Donne e ragazzeWomen and girls
E usually becomes ed before a vowel.
Un ragazzo ed una ragazzaA boy and a girl
Remember that è with an accent mark is a form of the verb to be.
Why? Because...
The Italian word perché means both because and why. But don’t worry! It won’t be too confusing. Context will always help you understand what perché means.
Perché non mangi la verdura?Why don’t you eat the vegetables?
Tu mangi perché hai fame.You eat because you are hungry.
Don’t Be So Negative!
You’ve already come across the negative words no and non. But how can you say neither ... nor in Italian? You can use a similar pattern and say né ... né.
Lei non mangia né pollo né pesce.She eats neither chicken nor fish.
Careful! Notice how in Italian you’ll still need to add non before the verb, even if you’re saying né ... né.
Ma perché?
Here are some other important words and expressions you will come across.
Lei mangia pollo ma non mangia pesce.
She eats chicken but does not eat fish.
Non so se lui ha un cavallo.
I do not know if he has a horse.
Bevo tè o caffè.
I drink tea or coffee.
Io non parlo mentre mangio.
I do not talk while I eat.
Cucino sia la carne sia la verdura.
I cook both the meat and the vegetables.
Io aspetto finché non trovi il cane.
I wait until you find the dog.