Italian word of the day
Anzi is a conjunction that most often means “actually”, “on the contrary” and “in fact. It can also be translated as “rather” and “instead”, so this little word has multiple purposes.
| Origin | From the Latin word antĕa, “after, in front of” |
| Pronunciation | /aˈvanti/ |
Anzi
Actually, on the contrary, in fact, instead, rather
Examples
Luca non è mai in ritardo, anzi è sempre in anticipo.
Luke is never late; in fact, he is always early.
Potrei avere una birra? Anzi no, mi porti un bicchiere di limonata, per favore.
Could I have a beer? Actually no, bring me a glass of lemonade, please.
Va male, anzi malissimo.
It’s bad, in fact very bad.
Using anzi in Italian
Anzi is used to emphasize or rephrase a statement. It states the opposite of what you’ve just said or serves as an intensifier.
It can stand alone at the end of a sentence to invite someone to continue.
Ti dispiace se prendo in prestito la tua penna? – No, anzi! Fai pure.
Do you mind if I borrow your pen? – Not at all! Go ahead.
It can give a positive nuance to the sentence, as in…
Ivan non è affatto un cattivo giocatore, anzi, è il più bravo della squadra.
Ivan is not a bad player at all; in fact, he is the best player on the team.
It can also convey a negative nuance, as in the example…
Paolo non ride mai, anzi è sempre scocciato.
Paul never laughs, in fact, he is always annoyed.
More free Italian resources
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