How do you use the word ogni 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!
Ogni in Italian
What is ogni?
Ogni is an adjective that can be translated into English as “every”, “each” or also “all”, depending on the sentence. It’s a very versatile word!
Ogni
Every, each, all
Its pronunciation is close to oh-ñee, with the Spanish palatalized ñ. If you have trouble pronouncing Italian sounds, check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Now, let’s see some example sentences with ogni in Italian, before we take a look at how to use this word in other contexts as well.
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Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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Vado a ballare ogni domenica.
I go dancing every Sunday.
Giulia cammina nel parco ogni giorno.
Giulia walks in the park every day.
Ogni studente ha il proprio computer.
Every student has their own computer.
Ogni cittadino ha diritti e doveri.
Every citizen has rights and duties.
Now let’s see how to use ogni in Italian.
Use of ogni in Italian
Unlike regular adjectives in Italian, ogni doesn’t have to match the gender and number of the noun: there’s only one form, and that’s ogni.
Ogni giorno, ogni mattina, ogni anno…
Every day, every morning, every year…
Ogni is also a synonym for tutti (“every” or “all”). Tutti, however, behaves like a regular adjective and must be followed by a plural noun and a definite article.
Tutti i giorni, tutte le mattine, tutti gli anni…
Every day, every morning, every year…
Pay attention to these examples:
Ho visto ogni episodio di questa serie.
Ho visto tutti gli episodi di questa serie.
I’ve watched every episode of this series
Ogni anno andiamo a sciare in montagna.
Tutti gli anni andiamo a sciare in montagna.
We go skiing in the mountains every year.
Ogni or ognuno?
Ognuno is a pronoun (it replaces a noun) and it translates each (one) of, while ogni in Italian only translates each or every.
Ognuno can be used as a subject. Ogni, as an adjective, can’t stand alone.
Be careful, because the difference in English is very subtle.
Ogni uomo aveva una spada.
Every/each man had a sword.
Ognuno literally means “each one of a certain group of things or people that were previously mentioned” or “every person alive in a general sense”.
Ognuno (di loro) aveva una spada.
Each (of them) had a sword.
Everyone (of them) had a sword.
Ognuno fa quello che vuole.
Everyone does what they wish.
Each one does what s/he wishes.
You can’t really say ogni aveva una spada. Remember that ogni is an adjective, so it can’t stand alone!
You can’t translate each other using ogni in Italian either. To do this, you either use a reflexive pronoun or l’un l’altro (masculine subjects) or l’un l’altra (feminine subjects).
Non ci siamo mai capiti.
We never understood each other.
Gli uomini si fissarono l’un l’altro.
The men stared at each other.
Le ragazze si fissarono l’un l’altra.
The girls stared at each other.
Other examples with ogni in Italian
Conosco ogni angolo della città.
I know every corner of the city.
Andiamo a scuola ogni giorno tranne la domenica.
We go to school every day except Sunday.
Ogni regola ha delle eccezioni.
Every rule has exceptions.
Idiomatic expressions with ogni in Italian
Since ogni is a very common word in Italian, there are many expressions that use it. Some of these are…
- in ogni caso (in any case, at any rate)
- ogni volta che (every time that)
- ogni tanto (every once in a while, every now and then)
- ogni cosa (everything)
- ogni lasciata è persa (any chance you don’t take is lost forever)
- a ogni morte di Papa (once in a blue moon)
- è fuori da ogni logica (it doesn’t make the slightest sense)
- a Carnevale ogni scherzo vale (anything goes at Carnival)
Sara sorride ogni volta che mi incrocia per strada.
Sara smiles every time she crosses my path.
Ogni tanto vado al poligono di tiro.
Every now and then I go to the shooting range.
FAQ on how to use OGNI in Italian
What is ogni in Italian?
Ogni is an Italian adjective that can be translated as “every”, “each” or also “all”.
How do you use ogni in Italian?
Ogni is an adjective, but it doesn’t have to match the gender and number of the noun: there’s only one form, and that’s ogni.
It is a synonym of tutti (“every” or “all”). Tutti, however, behaves like a regular adjective.
Notice that ogni is different from ognuno.
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to use ogni in Italian!
What next?
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