🔍 In short. Italian causal clauses (“frasi causali”) explain the reason behind the main clause. They come in two flavours: esplicite, built with a connector plus a finite verb (perché, siccome, poiché, dato che, visto che, in quanto, dal momento che, per il fatto che), and implicite, built without a personal subject using infinitive (per essere), gerundio (lavorando), or past participle (vista la pioggia). This guide covers all the connectors, when to place them before or after the main clause, and the rare cases where the subjunctive sneaks in.
The single rule worth remembering before everything else: perché sits after the main clause, siccome/poiché/dato che/visto che sit before. Get that right and 80% of B1 causal sentences sound native immediately.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- What italian causal clauses are
- Perché: the everyday “because”
- Siccome: when the cause comes first
- Poiché and giacché: written register
- Dato che, visto che, dal momento che
- In quanto and per il fatto che
- Ché after imperatives: spoken shortcut
- Non perché + subjunctive: rejecting a cause
- Implicit causal clauses: infinito, gerundio, participio
- Cheat sheet: italian causal clauses connectors
- Three common mistakes
- Dialog: a delivery delay at the bookshop
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
What italian causal clauses are
An italian causal clause (frase causale) is a subordinate clause that explains why the main clause happens. Strip it out and the main clause stands; strip out the main clause and the causal one is left hanging.
- Visto che non hai voglia di uscire, stasera rimaniamo a casa.
Since you don’t feel like going out, tonight we’ll stay home.
Italian causal clauses split into two big families. The esplicite (explicit) ones use a conjunction plus a finite verb, usually in the indicative: perché parlo, siccome ho fame, dato che piove. The implicite (implicit) ones drop the conjunction and the subject, using an infinitive, a gerundio, or a past participle: per essere stato in ritardo, lavorando con Pietro, vista la pioggia.
The choice between the two depends on whether the subject of the cause is the same as the main clause (often implicit form possible) and on the register (written essays favour poiché and the participle absoluto; spoken conversation favours perché, siccome, and gerundio).
Perché: the everyday “because”
The most common connector in italian causal clauses is perché (because). It works exactly like English “because”: main clause first, perché introducing the reason after it. Use it in conversation, emails, essays, anywhere.
- Vado al lavoro in treno perché odio guidare nel traffico di Modena.
I go to work by train because I hate driving in Modena traffic. - Stasera Pietro non chiude la libreria presto perché aspetta una consegna importante.
Tonight Pietro isn’t closing the bookshop early because he’s waiting for an important delivery. - Caterina ha rifiutato l’ordine perché il cliente voleva il vestito per dopodomani.
Caterina turned down the order because the customer wanted the dress by the day after tomorrow.
The strict rule: perché never starts a sentence in declarative use. If you want the cause first, you must swap to siccome or poiché. The only time perché appears at the start is in questions (Perché non vieni?) or in answers that begin with Perché + subject (Perché Caterina ha detto di sì).
🔍 Cleft trick. Perché is the only italian causal clauses connector that can be focused in a cleft sentence: È proprio perché piove che non esco (“It’s precisely because it’s raining that I’m not going out”). With poiché, siccome, dato che this cleft pattern does not work. If you need to emphasise the cause, reach for perché.
Siccome: when the cause comes first
Among italian causal clauses, siccome is the everyday cousin of poiché. It always introduces a cause clause that comes before the main clause; in the middle of a sentence it sounds wrong. Spoken Italian uses it constantly: at the bar, in the office, on the phone.
- Siccome ho mangiato troppo a pranzo, stasera salterò la cena.
Since I ate too much at lunch, I’ll skip dinner tonight. - Siccome Caterina non aveva tempo, Pietro è andato lui al mercato di Lucca.
Since Caterina didn’t have time, Pietro went to the Lucca market himself. - Siccome il treno per Padova era in ritardo, Matteo ha preso la macchina.
Since the train to Padova was late, Matteo took the car instead.
One trap: never write siccome che. The Accademia della Crusca and every Italian grammar mark it as sub-standard. It does appear in informal speech in some regions, but in writing and in any school context it is wrong. Siccome sono stanco is correct; siccome che sono stanco is not.
Poiché and giacché: written register
If siccome is the spoken cause-first connector, poiché is its written counterpart. You see it in essays, newspapers, formal correspondence, academic prose. Spoken Italian uses it too, but it sounds slightly elevated; siccome is more natural in conversation.
- Poiché non amo la vita in spiaggia, raramente vado al mare in agosto.
Since I don’t like beach life, I rarely go to the seaside in August. - Poiché il municipio di Lucca ha negato il permesso, la mostra è stata rinviata.
Since the Lucca town hall denied permission, the exhibition was postponed. - Poiché Elena ha già letto tutti i romanzi di Tabucchi, Pietro le consiglia Pennacchi.
Since Elena has already read all the Tabucchi novels, Pietro recommends Pennacchi.
The connector giacché is even more formal and rarely used today, mostly in legal or bureaucratic writing. You can safely recognise it and not produce it. A typical case: Lavoreremo sabato mattina giacché ce lo ha chiesto il direttore. In conversation you would say dato che or visto che instead.
Dato che, visto che, dal momento che
These three articulated connectors are the workhorses of spoken italian causal clauses. They all mean “given that/seeing that/since”, they are interchangeable in most contexts, and they all let the cause clause come either before or after the main one.
- Dato che fa troppo caldo per uscire, le biblioteche di Lucca sono piene di studenti tutto il giorno.
Given that it’s too hot to go out, the libraries in Lucca are full of students all day. - Mi hanno dato una multa, visto che ho parcheggiato sulle strisce pedonali.
I got fined, seeing that I parked on the pedestrian crossing. - Vorremmo che tu fossi nostro testimone di nozze, dal momento che ci conosciamo da una vita.
We’d like you to be our wedding witness, since we’ve known each other forever. - Pietro è stato promosso responsabile, dato che ha fatto un ottimo lavoro a Natale.
Pietro was promoted to manager, since he did an excellent job at Christmas.
The slight nuance: visto che often points to evidence the speaker has just observed (you can almost translate it as “I see that…”), dato che presents a fact already accepted (“given that…”), and dal momento che adds a hint of “from the moment that”. In practice, native speakers swap them freely.
In quanto and per il fatto che
Two more articulated italian causal clauses connectors round out the family. In quanto is concise and slightly formal, common in journalism and academic writing. Per il fatto che (and the variants per il motivo che, per la ragione che) is verbose and works well when you want to spell out the cause as a concrete fact.
- Hanno annullato il concerto in piazza Anfiteatro, in quanto molti biglietti non sono stati venduti.
They cancelled the concert in piazza Anfiteatro, as many tickets were not sold. - In quanto socia della cooperativa, Caterina può votare nell’assemblea di lunedì.
As a member of the cooperative, Caterina can vote in Monday’s meeting. - La mia carta è stata bloccata per il fatto che la banca sospetta una truffa.
My card was blocked because the bank suspects a fraud. - Il governo è caduto per il motivo che ha perso la maggioranza in parlamento.
The government fell because it lost the parliamentary majority.
Ché after imperatives: spoken shortcut
In spoken italian causal clauses, after an imperative perché shrinks to che (sometimes written ché with an accent to distinguish it from plain che). It is informal, very common in family conversation, and untranslatable in literal English (you’d just use a colon).
- Copriti che fa freddo!
Bundle up: it’s cold! - Prendi l’ombrello che piove a dirotto.
Take the umbrella: it’s pouring. - Entra in libreria che ho una novità per te.
Come into the bookshop: I have something new for you. - Stai attento che il pavimento è scivoloso.
Watch out: the floor is slippery.
You will hear this constantly from Italian parents, grandparents, and shopkeepers. The accent ché distinguishes the causal connector from che as a relative pronoun; in casual writing many people drop the accent and rely on context.
Non perché + subjunctive: rejecting a cause
One special case of italian causal clauses requires the subjunctive: the pattern non perché… ma perché…, which rejects one possible cause and offers another. The rejected cause goes in the subjunctive, the real cause in the indicative.
- Non frequento più quel bar, non perché sia caro, ma perché è sempre troppo affollato.
I don’t go to that bar anymore, not because it’s expensive, but because it’s always too crowded. - Non faccio sport, non perché sia pigro, ma perché non ho tempo libero la sera.
I don’t do sports, not because I’m lazy, but because I have no free time in the evening. - Caterina ha rifiutato il lavoro non perché fosse mal pagato, ma perché era troppo distante.
Caterina turned down the job not because it was badly paid, but because it was too far away.
The logic is that the rejected cause is hypothetical or untrue, so it takes the subjunctive (a mood for non-factual content); the real cause is factual, so it stays in the indicative. Same pattern with the conditional, used when the cause is presented as a softened possibility: Ti scrivo stasera, perché vorrei chiederti un consiglio.
Implicit causal clauses: infinito, gerundio, participio
The second family of italian causal clauses drops the connector and the explicit subject. They use the three indefinite verb forms: infinito (with per or a), gerundio (semplice or composto), past participle. The subject must be the same as the main clause, or clearly inferable.
1. Per + infinito composto. Past cause, same subject.
- Pietro è stato premiato per avere venduto il romanzo più letto della stagione.
Pietro was rewarded for having sold the most-read novel of the season. - Sono stati arrestati per essere entrati in banca con un coltello.
They were arrested for having entered the bank with a knife. - Francesco si è scusato per essere arrivato un’ora dopo l’inizio della cena.
Francesco apologised for arriving an hour after the dinner started.
2. A (forza di) + infinito semplice. Continuous cause built up over time.
- Matteo è diventato molto muscoloso ad andare sempre in palestra dopo il lavoro.
Matteo got very muscular from always going to the gym after work. - Ha perso la voce a forza di urlare allo stadio per due ore di fila.
He lost his voice from shouting at the stadium for two hours straight.
3. Gerundio semplice or composto (causal use). Same subject implied.
- Lavorando con Pietro tutti i giorni, lo conosco molto bene.
Working with Pietro every day, I know him very well. - Avendo vissuto dieci anni in Argentina, Elena parla molto bene lo spagnolo.
Having lived in Argentina for ten years, Elena speaks Spanish very well. - Avendo lavorato a Modena per quindici anni, Matteo conosce ogni quartiere della città.
Having worked in Modena for fifteen years, Matteo knows every neighbourhood of the city.
4. Participio passato assoluto. Past cause with subject of the participle inside the clause.
- Vista la pioggia, abbiamo annullato il picnic al parco di Lucca.
Seeing the rain, we cancelled the picnic at the Lucca park. - Finita la lezione, gli studenti sono usciti dall’aula in silenzio.
The lesson over, the students left the classroom in silence. - Letto il primo capitolo, Elena ha capito che il romanzo non faceva per lei.
Having read the first chapter, Elena realised the novel wasn’t for her.
🔍 Subject rule. Implicit italian causal clauses work only when the subject of the cause is the same as the main clause (or, with participio assoluto, when the subject of the participle is explicitly inside the clause). If the subjects differ and the participle is not used, you must switch to explicit form with a connector.
🎯 Mini-task #1. Pick the right italian causal clauses connector for each sentence.
- ___ piove molto, oggi non vado a correre. (siccome / perché)
- Non sono uscito ___ avevo mal di testa. (perché / poiché)
- ___ Caterina ha già letto Pennacchi, le consiglio Tabucchi. (poiché / perché)
- Copriti ___ fa freddo! (perché / che)
- Pietro è stato premiato ___ avere venduto cento copie. (per / siccome)
- Non mi piace quel bar, non ___ sia caro, ma ___ è rumoroso. (perché… perché / poiché… poiché)
👉 Show answers
1. Siccome (cause first) · 2. perché (after main) · 3. Poiché (cause first, formal alternative to siccome) · 4. che (informal after imperative) · 5. per (implicit + infinito composto) · 6. perché… perché (rejected cause subjunctive + real cause indicative)
Cheat sheet: italian causal clauses connectors
One table, every connector at a glance. Keep it open while drafting your next causal sentence.
| Connector | Position | Register | Mood | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| perché | after main | spoken + written | indicative (subjunctive after non perché) | because |
| siccome | before main only | spoken (everyday) | indicative | since / as |
| poiché | before main | written / formal | indicative | since / as |
| giacché | before main | literary / legal | indicative | since (archaic) |
| dato che | before or after | spoken + written | indicative | given that |
| visto che | before or after | spoken + written | indicative | seeing that |
| dal momento che | before or after | spoken + written | indicative | since / given that |
| in quanto | after main | formal / journalistic | indicative | in as much as |
| per il fatto che | after main | written, explicit | indicative | because of the fact that |
| ché (= perché) | after imperative | spoken informal | indicative | colon: (“…”) |
| per + inf. composto | implicit | spoken + written | infinitive | for having + past part. |
| gerundio (causale) | implicit, often first | written / elevated | gerundio | -ing / having + past part. |
| participio assoluto | implicit, first | written / formal | past participle | seeing X / once X done |
Three common mistakes
Three slips with italian causal clauses flag a B1 sentence as written by a learner. Fixing them is fast.
Mistake 1. Starting a sentence with perché in a declarative. Wrong: Perché piove, non esco. Correct: Siccome piove, non esco or Poiché piove, non esco. Perché at the start only works in questions or in elliptical answers.
Mistake 2. Writing siccome che. Wrong: Siccome che fa freddo, resto in casa. Correct: Siccome fa freddo, resto in casa. The Crusca explicitly marks siccome che as sub-standard; in school and writing it always counts as an error.
Mistake 3. Using indicative after non perché. Wrong: Non frequento quel bar, non perché è caro, ma perché è rumoroso. Correct: …non perché sia caro, ma perché è rumoroso. The rejected cause takes the subjunctive; the real cause keeps the indicative.
🎯 Mini-task #2. Transform each explicit causal clause into an implicit one (or vice versa).
- Esplicita → Implicita: Poiché ha lavorato a Modena per dieci anni, Matteo conosce bene la città.
- Implicita → Esplicita: Visto il traffico in autostrada, siamo arrivati con due ore di ritardo.
- Esplicita → Implicita: Siamo stati multati perché abbiamo parcheggiato male.
- Implicita → Esplicita: Avendo perso il treno, Caterina è tornata a casa a piedi.
👉 Show answers
1. Avendo lavorato a Modena per dieci anni, Matteo conosce bene la città. (gerundio composto) · 2. Dato che c’era traffico in autostrada, siamo arrivati con due ore di ritardo. · 3. Siamo stati multati per avere parcheggiato male. (per + inf. composto) · 4. Siccome Caterina ha perso il treno, è tornata a casa a piedi. (or: Poiché… / Dato che…)
Dialog: a delivery delay at the bookshop
Caterina drops by Pietro’s Lucca bookshop on a Friday afternoon to pick up a book she had ordered. Pietro is on the phone with the courier; the delivery is late. Notice every italian causal clauses connector they use.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Ciao Pietro, sono passata perché volevo ritirare il romanzo di Pennacchi che ho ordinato lunedì.
👨🏼🦰 Pietro: Caterina, scusa, ma siccome il corriere non è ancora arrivato, il pacco non è qui. Sto al telefono con loro proprio adesso.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Non è grave. Dato che devo passare anche dalla sartoria di mia cugina, posso tornare verso le sei. Va bene?
👨🏼🦰 Pietro: Sì, perfetto. Visto che il pacco doveva arrivare stamattina, dovrebbero portarlo entro le cinque al massimo.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Mi raccomando, ché lo regalo a Elena per il compleanno domani.
👨🏼🦰 Pietro: Tranquilla, ti chiamo non appena arriva. Avendo già perso una consegna la settimana scorsa, sto controllando il tracking ogni mezz’ora.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Bene. E poi, dal momento che ci sono, vorrei dare un’occhiata anche al nuovo saggio di Cazzullo. Hai ancora qualche copia?
👨🏼🦰 Pietro: Sì, sullo scaffale in fondo. Ne ho ordinate quattro la settimana scorsa, in quanto sapevo che sarebbe stato di moda dopo l’intervista in TV.
Count the italian causal clauses connectors Caterina and Pietro use: perché, siccome, dato che, visto che, ché, avendo (gerundio), dal momento che, in quanto. Eight different forms in a single short conversation, all natural in spoken Italian.
🎯 Mini-challenge. Write five sentences about a missed appointment, using at least five different italian causal clauses connectors (one perché, one siccome, one dato che, one implicit with gerundio, one ché after an imperative). Read your sentences out loud to feel the rhythm of the connectors.
Test your understanding
A short quiz on italian causal clauses, covering the position rules (perché vs siccome), the explicit-vs-implicit split, the imperative ché, and the non perché + subjunctive pattern.
(Quiz coming soon)
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Frequently asked questions
Six questions about italian causal clauses come up in every B1 cohort. The answers below draw on real classroom usage and on the Crusca note Siccome che.
What is the difference between perché, poiché, and siccome?
All three mean because/since, but they sit in different places and registers. Perché goes after the main clause and works in any register: Resto a casa perché piove. Siccome goes before the main clause and is everyday spoken: Siccome piove, resto a casa. Poiché also goes before the main clause but feels more written and formal: Poiché piove, resto a casa. The rule of thumb: spoken conversation favours siccome and perché; essays and journalism favour poiché.
Why can’t perché start a declarative sentence?
Perché is built like a true subordinator, designed to introduce information that follows from the main clause. Linguistically, declaratives in Italian present the main clause first as foreground, with perché clauses adding background; this is opposite to English because, which can swap sides freely. If you want the cause first, swap perché for siccome (spoken) or poiché (written). Perché at sentence start only works in questions (Perché non vieni?) or in standalone answers (Perché ho fame).
When do I use the subjunctive after perché?
Only in the pattern non perché… ma perché…, which rejects one cause and offers another. The rejected cause goes in the subjunctive (because it is hypothetical or untrue): Non frequento quel bar, non perché sia caro, ma perché è rumoroso. Outside this pattern, declarative perché takes the indicative. The conditional appears when the cause is presented softly: Ti chiamo, perché vorrei parlarti.
What is the difference between explicit and implicit italian causal clauses?
Explicit (esplicite) clauses use a finite verb plus a connector: perché, siccome, poiché, dato che, in quanto. Implicit (implicite) clauses drop the connector and use an indefinite verb form: per + infinito composto (Pietro è stato premiato per avere venduto), gerundio (Lavorando con Pietro, lo conosco bene), or past participle absoluto (Vista la pioggia, siamo rimasti a casa). Implicit form requires the same subject as the main clause, or a subject made explicit inside the participle clause.
Is siccome che correct Italian?
No. The Accademia della Crusca explicitly marks siccome che as sub-standard. Siccome by itself already carries the causal connector; adding che is redundant. The error appears in informal regional speech but counts as a mistake in school and writing. Always say siccome sono stanco, never siccome che sono stanco. The same rule does not apply to perché or poiché, which never combine with a rafforzativo che.
When do Italians use ché instead of perché?
Spoken informal Italian shortens perché to che (written ché with an accent in careful prose) after imperatives. Typical examples: Copriti che fa freddo, Prendi l’ombrello che piove, Stai attento che si scivola. The shortcut works only after an imperative; in declarative sentences perché stays full. The accent ché distinguishes the causal connector from che as a relative pronoun, but in casual writing many native speakers drop the accent and rely on context.
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Related guides
Three guides that pair well with this one, plus an institutional reference on the most contested causal connector.
- Italian Indicativo Tenses: All 8: the indicative mood, which carries explicit italian causal clauses by default.
- Italian Gerundio: Adverb, Causal, Modal: deeper coverage of the gerundio causale used in implicit clauses.
- Italian Concessive Clauses: the sister category (anche se, sebbene, nonostante) that runs in parallel to causal clauses.
- Accademia della Crusca: Siccome che: institutional note on why siccome che is sub-standard and how it spread in spoken Italian.
