Quindi

Italian word of the day

Pronunciation
English translation	Then; so, therefore

Quindi is both an adverb and a conjunction.

As an adverb it means then, as in “he laughed, then he cried”. As a conjunction, it translates into English as “so” or “therefore” and is used to connect an effect to a cause. It’s a synonym for dunque.

Examples

La donna provò un cappello dopo l’altro, quindi lasciò il negozio.	The woman tried on one hat after another, then left the hat shop.
Non posso permettermi di comprare una bicicletta nuova, quindi dovrò arrangiarmi con un vecchio modello.	I can’t afford to buy a new bicycle, so I’ll have to make do with an old model.
Bussò alla porta, quindi entrò.	He knocked on the door, then he came in.
Il cane mi ha mangiato il quaderno, quindi non ho fatto i compiti.	The dog ate my notebook, that’s why I didn’t do my homework.
Penso, dunque sono.	I think, therefore I am.

Using quindi in Italian

Quindi can start a sentence, end a sentence, or be used to introduce a subordinate clause. In the second and third cases, it is always preceded by a virgola, a comma.

When it starts a sentence, it is used to introduce an assumption or a conclusion to someone else’s statement.

Quindi non hai passato l’esame?

So you didn’t pass the exam?

It’s used at the end of a statement to finish a thought that you’re saying out loud.

Non hai passato l’esame, quindi… Avresti potuto studiare di più.

You didn’t pass the exam, then. You could have studied more.

If it starts a subordinate clause, remember to put a comma before it.

Non ho studiato, quindi non ho passato l’esame.

I didn’t study, so I didn’t pass the exam.

As a question, quindi is used to ask someone to continue talking.

Quindi?

So?

However, there’s a very popular expression in Italian that goes e quindi?, which translates into English as “and so?”. People use it when they want someone to get to the point and are getting a little impatient.

E quindi?

And so?

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