Italian Purché, A Patto Che: Subjunctive Conditions (B2)

🔍 In short. Italian has a small family of conjunctions that all mean “provided that” or “on condition that”: purché, a patto che, a condizione che, plus a fourth cousin, sempre che. They share two features: they always trigger the subjunctive, and each carries a different shade of tone. Italian purché is the soft one (“just so long as”), the everyday choice for a light condition. A patto che is the negotiation one (“on condition that”), used when two sides strike a deal. A condizione che is the firm one, common in contracts and formal writing. Sempre che adds a note of doubt. This B2 guide walks through each one, shows how Italian purché differs from the purpose words affinché and pur di, and ends with a car-rental dialogue in Pisa and a quiz.

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The one-line rule for Italian purché and its cousins

All four conjunctions mean “provided that” or “on condition that”, all four take the subjunctive, and all four set up a condition without which the main clause won’t happen. What changes is register and tone. Purché is soft and personal, the kind of condition you’d set with a friend. A patto che is a negotiation, two parties agreeing on terms. A condizione che is firm, often used in writing or formal speech where the condition is non-negotiable. Sempre che flags a doubt. The choice matters less for grammar than for tone, but Italian listeners pick up the difference at once.

• Verrò a San Marino con voi, purché si spenda poco. I’ll come to San Marino with you, as long as we don’t spend much.
• Ti presto il computer a patto che tu me lo restituisca stasera. I’ll lend you the computer on condition that you give it back to me tonight.
• L’assicurazione copre il conducente a condizione che la circolazione avvenga col consenso del proprietario. The insurance covers the driver on the condition that driving takes place with the owner’s consent.

Purché: the soft condition

The word purché is the most common of these conjunctions, and the lightest in tone. Italians reach for Italian purché whenever they want to set a single, often modest requirement without sounding strict. It usually signals that the speaker has some control over the main proposition: “this is all you have to do for X to happen”. Translated as “provided that” or “just so long as”, it always takes the subjunctive in the dependent clause.

• Vengo alla riunione, purché finisca entro le sette. I’ll come to the meeting, just so long as it finishes by seven.
• I miei genitori mi permettevano di uscire purché io tornassi prima di mezzanotte. My parents let me go out as long as I came back before midnight.
• Non esiteremo a fare una grossa spesa purché le cose che compriamo siano di buona qualità. We won’t hesitate to spend a lot, provided that what we buy is of good quality.
• Le faccio uno sconto, purché lei paghi in contanti. I’ll give you a discount, as long as you pay in cash.

Notice the tone. Italian purché often softens the condition, presenting it almost as a personal preference rather than a strict rule. When a parent tells a teenager esci, purché tu sia a casa per mezzanotte, the message is “I’m easy on this, just respect this one limit”. The same condition stated with a condizione che would feel much firmer.

A patto che: the negotiation

If Italian purché is the soft cousin, a patto che is the negotiator. It comes up when two parties are striking a deal, each side setting a condition for the other. The word patto means “pact” or “agreement”, and the phrase carries that flavour: I’ll do my part, on condition that you do yours. Like purché, it always takes the subjunctive, and it usually appears in the second half of the sentence.

• Ti presto il computer a patto che tu me lo restituisca stasera. I’ll lend you the computer on condition that you give it back to me tonight.
• Il medico mi ha dato il permesso di fare sport a patto che io non mi affatichi troppo. The doctor gave me permission to do sports on condition that I don’t overdo it.
• Tommaso mi ha invitato a cena a casa sua a patto che non porti con me il mio cane. Tommaso invited me to dinner at his place on condition that I don’t bring my dog along.
• Lara mi ha invitato a casa sua al lago a patto che mi fermi per tutto il fine settimana insieme a lei. Lara invited me to her place at the lake on condition that I stay for the whole weekend with her.

The negotiation flavour is what separates a patto che from purché. A loan, an invitation, a permission: anything with a back-and-forth between two people sits naturally with a patto che. Italian also has the bare noun phrase a un patto, often introducing the same idea: te lo dico a un patto: che tu non lo ripeta a nessuno.

A condizione che: the formal clause

The firmest of the three is a condizione che. Unlike Italian purché, it appears in writing more than in speech: contracts, regulations, insurance terms, formal communications. The tone is stronger than a patto che: where the latter feels like a friendly deal, a condizione che feels like a legal clause, “strictly on the condition that”. It always takes the subjunctive, and it usually sits in the second half of the sentence.

• L’assicurazione copre il conducente a condizione che la circolazione avvenga col consenso del proprietario. The insurance covers the driver on the condition that driving takes place with the owner’s consent.
• Si potrà fare la festa di Ferragosto in piazza a condizione che gli spettacoli finiscano entro mezzanotte. The Ferragosto party can take place in the square on the condition that the shows end by midnight.
• Di solito guardo i film in lingua originale a condizione che ci siano i sottotitoli in italiano. I usually watch films in the original language on the condition that there are Italian subtitles.
• Parteciperemo alla gita a Matera a condizione che il viaggio duri al massimo quattro giorni. We’ll join the trip to Matera on the condition that the journey lasts no more than four days.

You’ll meet a condizione che on rental agreements, insurance policies, university regulations, municipal ordinances. In speech it sometimes works as a more emphatic a patto che: te lo dico a condizione che tu non lo ripeta. The speaker is signalling that the condition is firm, not a friendly suggestion.

Sempre che: always assuming

The fourth cousin in this family is sempre che, which adds a flavour the other three lack: doubt. Where purché sets a condition the speaker is willing to accept, sempre che sets one the speaker is not sure will hold. English “always assuming that” captures it well. It expresses reservation or scepticism about whether the condition will be met, and it points to circumstances outside anyone’s control rather than to the speaker’s own terms. Like the others, it takes the subjunctive.

• Farò finta di niente, sempre che l’incidente non si ripeta. I’ll pretend nothing happened, always assuming the incident doesn’t repeat itself.
• Andremo a Lucca domani, sempre che il tempo regga. We’ll go to Lucca tomorrow, always assuming the weather holds up.
• Possiamo prolungare il noleggio, sempre che ci sia disponibilità. We can extend the rental, always assuming there’s availability.
• Caterina arriverà in tempo, sempre che non ci sia traffico in autostrada. Caterina will get here on time, always assuming there’s no traffic on the motorway.

Notice the subtle difference from purché: purché implies the condition is something the listener can act on; sempre che implies it lies outside everyone’s control. Sempre che il tempo regga asks nobody to do anything: it flags a risk.

Why the subjunctive is mandatory

All four conjunctions, purché, a patto che, a condizione che and sempre che, share a grammatical feature that is not negotiable: they always take the subjunctive in the dependent clause, never the indicative. The reason lies in the meaning. A condition is, by definition, hypothetical: the event in the dependent clause has not happened yet, and may never happen. Italian marks this kind of unrealised proposition with the subjunctive.

Which subjunctive tense you pick depends on the main clause. The pattern follows the ordinary sequence of tenses for the subjunctive.

Main clause tense	Subjunctive in the condition	Example
presente / futuro	congiuntivo presente	Vengo con te, purché tu guidi piano.
imperfetto / passato remoto (past narrative)	congiuntivo imperfetto	I miei genitori mi permettevano di uscire purché io tornassi presto.
condizionale presente	congiuntivo imperfetto	Verrei a patto che venissi anche tu.
condizionale passato	congiuntivo trapassato	Sarei venuto a patto che me lo avessi detto.

One case breaks the neat grid. When the main verb is a passato prossimo but the condition still holds at the moment of speaking, Italian keeps the present subjunctive, not the imperfetto: Il medico mi ha dato il permesso di fare sport a patto che io non mi affatichi troppo. The permission was given in the past, yet the condition is still in force now, so affatichi stays present. The rule of thumb: match the subjunctive to when the condition actually bites, not mechanically to the past tense of the main verb.

Where learners stumble is not the conjunction but the pull toward the indicative when the condition feels concrete. Te lo presto a patto che me lo restituisci stasera sounds reasonable, yet it is wrong: the verb must be restituisca.

Condition vs purpose: affinché and pur di

It helps to keep two ideas apart. Italian purché, a patto che and a condizione che set a condition: X happens if Y is met. A different set of words sets a purpose: X is done so that Y can happen. The two families look alike but answer different questions, and Italian keeps them separate. For purpose with two different subjects, Italian uses affinché or perché plus the subjunctive, usually at the front of the sentence.

• Affinché Margherita passi gli esami, i genitori le pagano un corso d’inglese a Brighton. So that Margherita passes her exams, her parents are paying for an English course in Brighton.
• Affinché la mia ragazza trovi un buon lavoro, sono disposto a seguirla in qualsiasi città. So that my girlfriend finds a good job, I’m willing to follow her to any city.
• Affinché i dipendenti siano più motivati, il direttore aumenta lo stipendio a tutti. So that the employees are more motivated, the director is increasing everyone’s pay.

So if you mean “in order that”, reach for affinché or perché, not purché. In standard use Italian purché introduces a condition, not a goal. You will occasionally meet purché at the head of a sentence with a goal-like flavour, close to affinché, but for a clear purpose the dedicated words are the safe choice.

Pur di: determination, not condition

When a purpose clause shares its subject with the main clause, Italian drops the subjunctive and uses an infinitive. The neutral choice is per + infinitive (studio per passare l’esame). For a stronger flavour, the kind that says “I would do anything to get there”, Italian reaches for pur di + infinitive. It signals determination, even sacrifice, in pursuit of a goal.

• Pur di andare bene a scuola, Margherita studia anche la domenica. To do well at school, Margherita even studies on Sundays.
• Pur di vederla, ha guidato sette ore da Pisa a Catania. Just to see her, he drove seven hours from Pisa to Catania.
• Lucia darà tre esami in giugno pur di non passare l’estate sui libri. Lucia will take three exams in June just to avoid spending the summer with her books.
• Accetterei qualsiasi lavoro pur di guadagnare qualcosa. I’d take any job just to earn something.

Notice that pur di belongs to the purpose family, not the condition family. It is not the infinitive version of purché “provided that”. The same-subject form of a condition is different: there Italian uses a patto di or a condizione di + infinitive (vengo a patto di non dover guidare, “I’ll come on condition I don’t have to drive”). Keep the two apart: pur di + infinitive for a goal you chase, a patto di + infinitive for a condition you set.

Solo se: the colloquial alternative

In casual speech, Italians often replace Italian purché and the formal trio with the plainer solo se (“only if”). The meaning is roughly that of purché: a single condition without which the main clause won’t happen. Unlike the others, solo se follows the rules of ordinary se-clauses: it takes the indicative or the subjunctive, depending on whether the condition is real or hypothetical.

• Filippo resterà a Pisa solo se troverà presto un lavoro. Filippo will stay in Pisa only if he finds a job soon.
• Vengo alla festa solo se ci sei anche tu. I’m coming to the party only if you’re there too.
• Ti aiuto a finire il progetto solo se mi prometti di non chiedermi più favori. I’ll help you finish the project only if you promise not to ask me for any more favours.

The trade-off: solo se sounds more natural in conversation, but it loses the precision of the trio. In a formal email, you’d reach for Italian purché or a patto che or a condizione che. Between friends, solo se does the job.

Position and punctuation

Each conjunction has its preferred slot in the sentence, and Italian punctuation follows the slot. The pattern is consistent enough to memorise in two minutes.

Word	Position	Punctuation
purché (condition)	second clause, after a comma	main clause, purché + subjunctive
affinché (purpose)	first clause, opening the sentence	Affinché + subjunctive, main clause
a patto che	second clause, comma optional	main clause + a patto che + subjunctive
a condizione che	second clause, after a comma	main clause, a condizione che + subjunctive
sempre che	second clause, after a comma	main clause, sempre che + subjunctive
pur di (purpose)	first or second clause	flexible: comma when initial, none when final

The comma rules are flexible. Italian writers often drop the comma before a patto che when the two clauses feel tightly joined, and they almost always keep it before a condizione che, because the formal tone wants the pause. Reading a few real contracts makes the rhythm second nature.

Common mistakes

Italian purché trips B2 learners in a handful of predictable ways. Most slips come from English habits: dropping the subjunctive, splitting the spelling, or confusing a condition with a purpose.

• Using the indicative after these conjunctions: te lo presto a patto che me lo restituisci stasera. The subjunctive is mandatory: restituisca.
• Writing pur che as two words. The correct spelling is purché, one word, acute accent on the final é, like perché, nonché, né.
• Using purché for a goal when the subject is shared. Studio purché passi l’esame mixes condition and purpose. If you mean “I study in order to pass”, the subject is the same and the idea is a goal: pur di passare l’esame, studio, or simply studio per passare l’esame.
• Confusing a patto che with a patto di + infinitive. With a shared subject the condition goes to the infinitive: vengo a patto di non dover guidare. Same logic as a condizione di + infinitive.
• Translating “provided that” as provvisto che. That doesn’t exist in Italian. The equivalents are purché, a patto che, a condizione che.
• Opening a sentence with a condizione che in casual speech: A condizione che tu venga, anche io vengo sounds like a contract clause. In speech, prefer purché tu venga, anche io vengo or restructure with solo se.

Cheat sheet for the purché family

Quick reference for Italian purché and its cousins. Use this table to check the right tone, mood, and typical context at a glance.

Conjunction	Meaning	Mood	Tone	Typical use
purché	provided that, just so long as	subjunctive	soft, personal	everyday speech, mild conditions
a patto che	on condition that	subjunctive	negotiation, two-party	deals, invitations, permissions
a condizione che	strictly on the condition that	subjunctive	firm, contractual	contracts, regulations, formal speech
sempre che	always assuming that	subjunctive	doubt, scepticism	risks beyond anyone’s control
solo se	only if	indicative or subjunctive	colloquial	casual speech, friend-to-friend
a patto di / a condizione di + infinitive	on condition of	infinitive	same-subject condition	when the condition shares the subject
pur di + infinitive	just to, in order to	infinitive	emphatic purpose	same-subject goal pursued with determination

Dialogue at a car rental in Pisa

The dialogue below puts Italian purché and its cousins to work in a real setting: a car-rental counter at Pisa airport. Lorenzo works the desk; Caterina has flown in from Trieste for a long weekend and needs a car. The tone is professional but warm, with both sides setting small conditions for the rental terms.

What to notice in the dialogue

• purché paghi in contanti, purché lo riporti pulito: soft personal conditions set by Lorenzo, the friendly counter-offer.
• a patto che il chilometraggio sia illimitato, a patto che la riporti col pieno: real negotiations, both sides stating their part of the deal.
• a condizione che presenti la patente in originale, a condizione che la circolazione avvenga col consenso: firm contractual conditions, citing company policy.
• sempre che riesca a passare, sempre che ci sia disponibilità: doubt about whether the condition will hold, both outside the speaker’s control.
• Pur di non pagare quaranta euro di pulizia, lo lavo io stessa: same-subject purpose. Pur di + infinitive shows determination to reach a goal (here, dodging the cleaning fee), not a condition.

Test your understanding

Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about Italian purché and its conditional cousins.

Frequently asked questions

These questions about Italian purché and its conditional cousins come from real B2 learners working through the subjunctive triggers. For the dictionary view, the Treccani entries on purché and condizione cover the full range in standard Italian.

Related guides

• Italian Subordinating Conjunctions: All 10 Types With Examples and Mood
• Italian Subjunctive Tenses: How to Match Them With the Main Clause
• Affinché, Poiché, Benché: Subjunctive Conjunctions With -ché
• Italian Nonché, Peraltro, Viceversa: Formal Connectives (C1)