How do you use the word già in Italian? What does it mean? How do you pronounce it?
In this lesson, we will look at how to use this word with the help of many audio recordings and example sentences. Read on to learn everything you need to know!
Già in Italian
What is già?
Almeno is an adverb that can be translated into English as “already”, “before” or “by now”. Make sure you don’t forget the accent mark!
Già
Already, before, by now
If you have trouble pronouncing Italian sounds, check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Now, let’s see some example sentences with già in Italian, before we take a look at how to use this word.
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
Ho già lavato i vetri questo mese.
I have already washed the glasses this month.
Sara ha già visto questo film.
Sara has seen this film before.
Sei già stato in questo ristorante?
Have you been to this restaurant before?
Sono quasi le undici. Mia nonna sarà già andata a dormire.
It is almost eleven o’clock. My grandmother will have gone to sleep by now.
Luca sarà già arrivato a casa.
Luca will have arrived home by now.
“By now” can also be translated as ormai.
Now let’s see how to use già in Italian.
Usage of già in Italian
We’ve said that già in Italian is an adverb that translates as the English adverb “already” (or “yet” in questions).
Hai già preparato la valigia?
Have you packed your suitcase yet?
When it translates as “already”, the verb is most often conjugated in the passato prossimo tense, which corresponds to the English present perfect tense.
Stefano ha già finito i compiti.
Stefano has already finished his homework.
Like English, the position of the adverb will always be between the helper verb and the past participle of the main verb.
Hai già comprato il latte? – Non ancora.
Have you bought the milk yet? – Not yet.
Sei già stato a Disneyland? – No, non ci sono mai stato.
Have you been to Disneyland before? – No, I’ve never been there.
However, già can also be used as a statement, translating “yeah” or “yeah, I know” in informal settings. It usually has a downward intonation.
Avremmo dovuto dirglielo. – Già.
We should have told him. – Yeah.
Dovresti proprio studiare di più. – Già, ma mi annoio.
You really should study more. – Yeah, but I get bored.
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to use già in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to use già in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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