How do you use the word mai 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!
Mai in Italian
What is mai?
Mai is an adverb that can be translated into English as “never” or “ever”, depending on whether the sentence is negative or a question.
Mai
Never, ever
Its pronunciation is close to mah-ee. If you have trouble pronouncing Italian sounds, check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Now, let’s see some example sentences with mai 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
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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.
Non ho mai dormito in tenda.
I have never slept in a tent.
Sei mai stato a Lisbona?
Have you ever been to Lisbon?
Non parlarmi mai più con quel tono!
Don’t ever speak to me in that tone of voice again!
Hai mai letto Il Signore degli Anelli?
Have you ever read The Lord of the Rings?
Giorgia non si è mai sposata.
Giorgia never got married.
Now let’s see how to use mai in Italian.
Use of mai in Italian
We’ve said that mai in Italian is an adverb that translates to the English adverb “never” or “ever”.
Unlike English, it’s used in negative affirmative sentences with the particle non, so you basically have a double negative.
Non ho mai mangiato in un ristorante.
I have never eaten in a restaurant.
Literally: I haven’t never eaten in a restaurant.
In questions, however, you don’t need a negative verb, unless you want to express surprise.
Hai mai guardato Zootropolis?
Have you ever watched Zootopia?
Non hai mai letto Harry Potter? Ma dove vivi?!
You have never read Harry Potter? Where have you been living?
Mai can also translate ever/never in negative imperatives, such as…
Non attraversare mai la strada senza guardare.
Never cross the road without looking.
Non arrenderti mai.
Don’t ever give up.
Expressions with mai in Italian
There are a number of common expressions featuring mai in Italian. These are…
- mai e poi mai (never ever)
- mai dire mai (never say never)
- meglio tardi che mai (better late than never)
- ora o mai più (now or never)
- come mai? (how come?)
- non si sa mai (you never know)
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And that’s the end of our lesson on how to use mai in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to use mai in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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