Italian word of the day: 'Già'
If you think you already know this word, you might be surprised.
On the face of it, già (pronunciation available here) looks so simple it seems like it shouldn’t need its own explainer.
It directly translates as ‘already’ and can be used in almost any context where we might use the adverb in English.
Ho già visto questo film.
I’ve already seen this film.
Sei già tornata!
You’re already back!
Non vi siete già conosciuti?
Haven’t you already met?
But già also has its own slightly different uses, for which ‘already’ doesn’t quite work as a translation.
There’s the phrase già che ci (siamo/sei/siete/sono)..., which mostly cleanly translates as ‘while (we’re/you’re/I’m) at it…’.
If you want to understand why già is used, you could think of it as meaning ‘since (we’re/you’re/I’m) already here…’
Già che ci sei, potresti lavare i piatti.
While you’re here, you could do the washing up.
Già che ci sono, fammi scattare una foto.
While I’m here, let me take a photo.
Già che ci siamo, ti faccio vedere le me nuove scarpe.
While we’re here, I’ll show you my new shoes.
Next, if you spend any length of time in Italy you’ll often hear già used by itself in informal conversation as a sort of filler response.
In this context it’s effectively short for e già lo sapevo (I already knew that), and signals agreement with what the speaker’s saying.
You could use it as a stand in for ‘yes, that’s exactly right’ in certain situations where someone’s asked a question and expects you to reply in the affirmative.
La pasta era particolarmente buona oggi, non trovi?
Già, concordo pienamente.
The pasta was especially good today, don’t you think?
Yes, I totally agree.
It can also be used to express agreement with an opinion expressed by the speaker, or to say ‘yes, I know’ when someone’s sharing information with you.
In this case già might be sincere and possibly sympathetic, but it can also be a bit sarcastic if your interlocutor’s saying something obvious.
Questa torta è buonissima, ma mi sembra molto difficile preparare!
Già, lo è!
This cake is delicious, but it looks really hard to make!
You’re right, it is!
Hai sentito della morte della mamma di Roberto, è davvero triste.
Già, è stata molto dura per tutti noi.
Did you hear about Roberto’s mum’s death, it’s really sad.
Yes, it’s been very hard on all of us.
Niente cambierà con questo nuovo governo.
Eh, già…
Nothing will change under this new government.
Obviously…
Now that you know some of the alternative ways to use this popular word, you can go around sounding like a native.
Già!
Do you have an Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Don't miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
Comments (2)
See Also
On the face of it, già (pronunciation available here) looks so simple it seems like it shouldn’t need its own explainer.
It directly translates as ‘already’ and can be used in almost any context where we might use the adverb in English.
Ho già visto questo film.
I’ve already seen this film.
Sei già tornata!
You’re already back!
Non vi siete già conosciuti?
Haven’t you already met?
But già also has its own slightly different uses, for which ‘already’ doesn’t quite work as a translation.
There’s the phrase già che ci (siamo/sei/siete/sono)..., which mostly cleanly translates as ‘while (we’re/you’re/I’m) at it…’.
If you want to understand why già is used, you could think of it as meaning ‘since (we’re/you’re/I’m) already here…’
Già che ci sei, potresti lavare i piatti.
While you’re here, you could do the washing up.
Già che ci sono, fammi scattare una foto.
While I’m here, let me take a photo.
Già che ci siamo, ti faccio vedere le me nuove scarpe.
While we’re here, I’ll show you my new shoes.
Next, if you spend any length of time in Italy you’ll often hear già used by itself in informal conversation as a sort of filler response.
In this context it’s effectively short for e già lo sapevo (I already knew that), and signals agreement with what the speaker’s saying.
You could use it as a stand in for ‘yes, that’s exactly right’ in certain situations where someone’s asked a question and expects you to reply in the affirmative.
La pasta era particolarmente buona oggi, non trovi?
Già, concordo pienamente.
The pasta was especially good today, don’t you think?
Yes, I totally agree.
It can also be used to express agreement with an opinion expressed by the speaker, or to say ‘yes, I know’ when someone’s sharing information with you.
In this case già might be sincere and possibly sympathetic, but it can also be a bit sarcastic if your interlocutor’s saying something obvious.
Questa torta è buonissima, ma mi sembra molto difficile preparare!
Già, lo è!
This cake is delicious, but it looks really hard to make!
You’re right, it is!
Hai sentito della morte della mamma di Roberto, è davvero triste.
Già, è stata molto dura per tutti noi.
Did you hear about Roberto’s mum’s death, it’s really sad.
Yes, it’s been very hard on all of us.
Niente cambierà con questo nuovo governo.
Eh, già…
Nothing will change under this new government.
Obviously…
Now that you know some of the alternative ways to use this popular word, you can go around sounding like a native.
Già!
Do you have an Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Don't miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.