{"id":17797,"date":"2016-11-02T01:23:57","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T16:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=17797"},"modified":"2026-05-17T23:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:33:55","slug":"italian-subordinating-conjunctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-subordinating-conjunctions\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Subordinating Conjunctions: 10 Types + Mood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> <strong>Italian subordinating conjunctions<\/strong> (<em>congiunzioni subordinative<\/em>) are the words that hang one clause under another: <em>perch\u00e9<\/em>, <em>bench\u00e9<\/em>, <em>affinch\u00e9<\/em>, <em>quando<\/em>, <em>se<\/em>, <em>a meno che<\/em> and the rest. They fall into ten families by meaning (causal, final, temporal, concessive, conditional, consecutive, comparative, modal, exceptive, declarative). The single thing that decides whether the verb goes in the indicative or the subjunctive is usually the conjunction itself: <em>poich\u00e9<\/em> wants the indicative, <em>bench\u00e9<\/em> and <em>affinch\u00e9<\/em> want the subjunctive, <em>anche se<\/em> stays indicative. Learn the families and their mood, and complex Italian sentences stop being a guessing game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get the italian subordinating conjunctions right and B2 writing opens up: you can build cause, purpose, concession and time without the verb falling apart. By the end you will recognise the ten types, choose the mood from the conjunction, and tell the explicit clause from the implicit one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-17797\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-h-17797 gb-headline-text\" style=\"text-align:center;font-size:24px\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What a subordinating conjunction is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ten\">The ten types at a glance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mood\">The mood question: indicative or subjunctive<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#causal\">Causal: perch\u00e9, poich\u00e9, siccome<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#final\">Final: affinch\u00e9, perch\u00e9 di scopo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#concessive\">Concessive: bench\u00e9, sebbene vs anche se<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#temporal\">Temporal: quando, prima che, dopo che<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#others\">Conditional, consecutive, exceptive and the rest<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#explicit\">Explicit vs implicit clauses<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#result\">Result or purpose: the cos\u00ec che split<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian subordinating conjunctions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialog\">Dialog: at the editorial office<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What an italian subordinating conjunction is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A coordinating conjunction (<em>e<\/em>, <em>ma<\/em>, <em>o<\/em>) links two clauses of equal weight. An italian subordinating conjunction does the opposite: it takes one clause and makes it depend on another, marking it as the reason, the purpose, the time, the condition. <em>Pietro \u00e8 rimasto a casa<\/em> is a full sentence; <em>perch\u00e9 era stanco<\/em> cannot stand alone, it hangs under the first clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main clause carries the core fact; the subordinate clause, introduced by one of the italian subordinating conjunctions, adds the relation. Two questions matter for every type: which meaning does the conjunction express, and which mood does it force on its verb. The rest of this guide answers both, family by family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ten\">The ten types of italian subordinating conjunctions at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Grammar books group the italian subordinating conjunctions into ten families by the relation they express. You do not need to label them in conversation, but seeing the map makes the mood rules predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Type<\/th><th>Conjunctions<\/th><th>Mood<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Causal<\/td><td><em>perch\u00e9, poich\u00e9, siccome, giacch\u00e9, dato che<\/em><\/td><td>indicative<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Final (purpose)<\/td><td><em>affinch\u00e9, acciocch\u00e9, perch\u00e9<\/em> (= so that)<\/td><td>subjunctive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Temporal<\/td><td><em>quando, mentre, prima che, dopo che, finch\u00e9, appena<\/em><\/td><td>both<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Concessive<\/td><td><em>bench\u00e9, sebbene, nonostante, anche se<\/em><\/td><td>subj. (anche se: indic.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Conditional<\/td><td><em>se, qualora, purch\u00e9, a condizione che<\/em><\/td><td>both<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Consecutive<\/td><td><em>cos\u00ec che, tanto che, al punto che<\/em><\/td><td>indicative<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Comparative<\/td><td><em>come, come se, pi\u00f9 di quanto<\/em><\/td><td>both<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Modal<\/td><td><em>come, nel modo in cui, senza che<\/em><\/td><td>both<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Exceptive<\/td><td><em>a meno che, tranne che, salvo che, fuorch\u00e9<\/em><\/td><td>subjunctive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Declarative<\/td><td><em>che<\/em> (= the fact that)<\/td><td>both<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice the pattern already: the families that express something hypothetical, willed or not-yet-real (final, concessive, exceptive) lean subjunctive; the ones that state a fact (causal, consecutive) stay indicative. That single intuition resolves most of the italian subordinating conjunctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mood\">The mood question: indicative or subjunctive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the italian subordinating conjunctions the mood is usually decided by the conjunction, not by the main verb. This is the opposite of what English speakers expect, and it is the single most useful thing to internalise.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Always subjunctive:<\/strong> <em>affinch\u00e9, bench\u00e9, sebbene, nonostante, a meno che, prima che, senza che, qualora, purch\u00e9<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Always indicative:<\/strong> <em>poich\u00e9, siccome, giacch\u00e9, dato che, anche se, dopo che, mentre, cos\u00ec che<\/em> (result).<\/li>\n<li><strong>It depends on meaning:<\/strong> <em>perch\u00e9<\/em> (cause = indicative, purpose = subjunctive), <em>quando<\/em>, <em>se<\/em>, <em>che<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-focus-mood-17797\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>The reality test.<\/strong> If the clause states a fact that happened or is true, the italian subordinating conjunctions take the indicative. If it states a goal, a concession, a hypothesis or something not (yet) real, they take the subjunctive. <em>Poich\u00e9 \u00e8 tardi<\/em> (it is late, a fact) versus <em>bench\u00e9 sia tardi<\/em> (granted it is late, a concession). Same idea, different mood, decided by the conjunction.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"causal\">Causal: perch\u00e9, poich\u00e9, siccome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The causal italian subordinating conjunctions state the reason and take the indicative, because the cause is presented as a fact. <em>Perch\u00e9<\/em> is the everyday one and goes after the main clause; <em>poich\u00e9<\/em>, <em>siccome<\/em>, <em>giacch\u00e9<\/em>, <em>dato che<\/em> are more formal and often open the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Pietro ha perso la coincidenza <strong>perch\u00e9<\/strong> il treno era in ritardo.<\/em><br>Pietro missed the connection because the train was late.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Poich\u00e9<\/strong> insisteva, Caterina gli disse tutta la verit\u00e0.<\/em><br>Since he kept insisting, Caterina told him the whole truth.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Siccome<\/strong> la qualit\u00e0 peggiorava, quel locale ha perso clienti.<\/em><br>As the quality was getting worse, that place lost customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Among the italian subordinating conjunctions, the causal family is the safe one: indicative, no exceptions, just a register difference between <em>perch\u00e9<\/em> and the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final: affinch\u00e9 and perch\u00e9 of purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Final clauses express the purpose, the goal someone wants to bring about, so they take the subjunctive. The marked conjunctions are <em>affinch\u00e9<\/em> and <em>acciocch\u00e9<\/em>; and <em>perch\u00e9<\/em> itself also joins this family when it means &#8220;in order that&#8221;, and then it switches from indicative to subjunctive.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Caterina ha aperto le finestre <strong>affinch\u00e9<\/strong> l&#8217;aria circolasse meglio.<\/em><br>Caterina opened the windows so that the air would circulate better.<\/li>\n<li><em>Te lo spiego di nuovo <strong>perch\u00e9<\/strong> tu lo capisca bene.<\/em><br>I will explain it again so that you understand it well. (purpose, subjunctive)<\/li>\n<li><em>Parla lentamente <strong>in modo che<\/strong> tutti possano seguire.<\/em><br>Speak slowly so that everyone can follow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Watch the <em>perch\u00e9<\/em> split, the classic trap of the italian subordinating conjunctions: <em>ho aperto la finestra perch\u00e9 faceva caldo<\/em> (because it was hot, cause, indicative) versus <em>ho aperto la finestra perch\u00e9 entrasse aria<\/em> (so that air would come in, purpose, subjunctive). The verb mood is what tells the reader which <em>perch\u00e9<\/em> you mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"concessive\">Concessive: bench\u00e9, sebbene versus anche se<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The concessive italian subordinating conjunctions mean &#8220;although, despite the fact that&#8221;. The concessive conjunctions <em>bench\u00e9<\/em>, <em>sebbene<\/em>, <em>nonostante (che)<\/em>, <em>per quanto<\/em>, <em>quantunque<\/em>, <em>malgrado<\/em> all take the subjunctive. The one big exception is <em>anche se<\/em> (&#8220;even though&#8221;), which keeps the indicative.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>Bench\u00e9<\/strong> fosse stanca, Elena ha finito il restauro entro sera.<\/em><br>Although she was tired, Elena finished the restoration by evening.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lo far\u00f2, <strong>sebbene<\/strong> non ne abbia molta voglia.<\/em><br>I will do it, even though I do not much feel like it.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Anche se<\/strong> piove, andiamo lo stesso al mercato di Lucca.<\/em><br>Even though it is raining, we are going to the Lucca market anyway. (indicative)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>This <em>bench\u00e9<\/em>-subjunctive versus <em>anche se<\/em>-indicative split is the most tested contrast among the concessive italian subordinating conjunctions. A useful side note: <em>bench\u00e9<\/em> followed by an indicative reads as &#8220;but, yet&#8221;, a different, looser connector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"temporal\">Temporal: quando, prima che, dopo che<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The temporal italian subordinating conjunctions place the subordinate event in time. Mood depends on the conjunction and the time relation. <em>Prima che<\/em> always takes the subjunctive (the event has not happened yet); <em>dopo che<\/em>, <em>quando<\/em>, <em>mentre<\/em>, <em>appena<\/em> take the indicative; <em>finch\u00e9<\/em> takes the indicative, often with a pleonastic <em>non<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>Prima che<\/strong> faccia buio, sistemiamo gli attrezzi in officina.<\/em><br>Before it gets dark, let us put the tools away in the workshop. (subjunctive)<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Dopo che<\/strong> ebbe firmato il contratto, ritir\u00f2 le chiavi.<\/em><br>After he had signed the contract, he picked up the keys. (indicative)<\/li>\n<li><em>Aspetta in biblioteca <strong>finch\u00e9 non<\/strong> torno.<\/em><br>Wait in the library until I come back. (indicative, pleonastic non)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The reliable rule inside the temporal italian subordinating conjunctions: only <em>prima che<\/em> and <em>senza che<\/em> are systematically subjunctive; the others stay indicative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"others\">Conditional, consecutive, exceptive and the rest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Four more families round out the italian subordinating conjunctions, each with a clear mood signature, and together they complete the map of the italian subordinating conjunctions.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Conditional.<\/strong> <em>Se<\/em> follows the if-clause rules; <em>qualora<\/em>, <em>purch\u00e9<\/em>, <em>a condizione che<\/em>, <em>a patto che<\/em> take the subjunctive. <em>Verremo, purch\u00e9 non piova.<\/em><br>We will come, provided it does not rain.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consecutive.<\/strong> <em>cos\u00ec&#8230; che<\/em>, <em>tanto&#8230; che<\/em>, <em>al punto che<\/em> state a real result, so indicative. <em>Ha studiato cos\u00ec tanto che ha superato l&#8217;esame.<\/em><br>He studied so much that he passed the exam.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Exceptive.<\/strong> <em>a meno che<\/em>, <em>tranne che<\/em>, <em>salvo che<\/em>, <em>fuorch\u00e9<\/em> take the subjunctive, usually with pleonastic <em>non<\/em>. <em>Non parto a meno che Caterina non venga.<\/em><br>I will not leave unless Caterina comes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Comparative and modal.<\/strong> <em>come<\/em>, <em>come se<\/em> (subjunctive), <em>pi\u00f9 di quanto<\/em>, <em>nel modo in cui<\/em>. <em>Si comporta come se fosse il capo.<\/em><br>He behaves as if he were the boss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The declarative <em>che<\/em> (&#8220;the fact that&#8221;) closes the list of italian subordinating conjunctions: its mood follows the governing verb, exactly like the <em>che<\/em> after <em>credo<\/em>, <em>penso<\/em>, <em>\u00e8 probabile<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"explicit\">Explicit vs implicit clauses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of the italian subordinating conjunctions have an implicit twin built with an infinitive instead of a conjugated verb, used when the two clauses share the same subject. This is a structural feature of the italian subordinating conjunctions, not an optional flourish. It is shorter and very common.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Final, explicit: <em>Ti scrivo <strong>affinch\u00e9<\/strong> tu sappia la verit\u00e0.<\/em> Implicit: <em>Ti scrivo <strong>per<\/strong> farti sapere la verit\u00e0.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Temporal, explicit: <em><strong>Prima che<\/strong> io parta<\/em>. Implicit: <em><strong>Prima di<\/strong> partire<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Causal, explicit: <em><strong>Poich\u00e9<\/strong> aveva finito<\/em>. Implicit: <em><strong>Avendo<\/strong> finito<\/em> (gerund).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Rule of thumb: same subject in both clauses, prefer the implicit infinitive (<em>prima di partire<\/em>); different subjects, you must use the explicit conjunction plus a finite verb (<em>prima che tu parta<\/em>). This is where many learners overuse the explicit form and sound heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"result\">Result or purpose: the cos\u00ec che split<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One more place where the mood, not the conjunction, carries the meaning. The phrases <em>in modo che<\/em>, <em>in maniera che<\/em>, <em>cos\u00ec che<\/em> sit on the border between two families of italian subordinating conjunctions: with the subjunctive they express an intended purpose, with the indicative they express a plain result that simply happened.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Accese un fuoco <strong>cos\u00ec che<\/strong> li vedessero subito.<\/em><br>He lit a fire so that they would see them at once. (purpose, subjunctive: he wanted it)<\/li>\n<li><em>Accese un fuoco <strong>cos\u00ec che<\/strong> li videro subito.<\/em><br>He lit a fire, so that they saw them at once. (result, indicative: it just happened)<\/li>\n<li><em>Parla piano <strong>in modo che<\/strong> tutti capiscano.<\/em><br>Speak softly so that everyone understands. (intended, subjunctive)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>This is the consecutive-versus-final overlap in a nutshell: same connector among the italian subordinating conjunctions, subjunctive for &#8220;in order that&#8221;, indicative for &#8220;with the result that&#8221;. The causative pair <em>fare che<\/em> and <em>fare s\u00ec che<\/em> are the exception: they always take the subjunctive, whether the outcome was wanted or accidental, as in <em>il sole ha fatto s\u00ec che gli alberi morissero<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian subordinating conjunctions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole system on one card. Keep it open while you build complex sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Family<\/th><th>Key conjunctions<\/th><th>Mood<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Causal<\/td><td>perch\u00e9, poich\u00e9, siccome<\/td><td>indicative<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Final<\/td><td>affinch\u00e9, perch\u00e9 (purpose)<\/td><td>subjunctive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Concessive<\/td><td>bench\u00e9, sebbene \/ anche se<\/td><td>subj. \/ indic.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Temporal<\/td><td>quando, dopo che \/ prima che<\/td><td>indic. \/ subj.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Conditional<\/td><td>se, purch\u00e9, qualora<\/td><td>both \/ subj.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Consecutive<\/td><td>cos\u00ec che, tanto che<\/td><td>indicative<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Exceptive<\/td><td>a meno che, salvo che<\/td><td>subjunctive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Comparative<\/td><td>come se, pi\u00f9 di quanto<\/td><td>subjunctive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Implicit twin<\/td><td>per, prima di, avendo<\/td><td>infinitive \/ gerund<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make with italian subordinating conjunctions<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Indicative after bench\u00e9.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Bench\u00e9 \u00e8 tardi<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Bench\u00e9 sia tardi<\/em>. Concessives take the subjunctive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subjunctive after anche se.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Anche se sia tardi<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Anche se \u00e8 tardi<\/em>. <em>Anche se<\/em> is the indicative exception.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Same mood for both perch\u00e9.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Te lo dico perch\u00e9 lo sai<\/em> for purpose. \u2705 <em>Te lo dico perch\u00e9 tu lo sappia<\/em> (so that you know).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indicative after prima che.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Prima che parti<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Prima che tu parta<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explicit clause with same subject.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Esco prima che io mangi<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Esco prima di mangiare<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>For the families that take it, see our guide on the <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-present-subjunctive\/\">Italian present subjunctive<\/a>. For the <em>-ch\u00e9<\/em> group in detail, <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-che-conjunctions\/\">Italian -ch\u00e9 conjunctions<\/a>. For concession specifically, <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-concessive-clauses-sebbene-bench\u00e9-anche-se\/\">Italian concessive clauses<\/a>. The institutional reference is the Accademia della Crusca note on the <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-del-congiuntivo\/104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uso del congiuntivo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-1-17797\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge.<\/strong> Choose the mood the conjunction forces. Read each sentence aloud once.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Poich\u00e9 _____ (essere) tardi, Pietro \u00e8 tornato a casa.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Te lo ripeto affinch\u00e9 tu lo _____ (capire) bene.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Bench\u00e9 _____ (piovere), siamo andati a Padova lo stesso.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Anche se _____ (essere) stanca, Caterina ha finito il lavoro.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Prima che _____ (fare) buio, rientriamo.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Non parto a meno che tu non _____ (venire) con me.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>1. <em>era<\/em> (causale, indicativo) \u00b7 2. <em>capisca<\/em> (finale, congiuntivo) \u00b7 3. <em>piovesse<\/em> (concessiva, congiuntivo) \u00b7 4. <em>era<\/em> (anche se, indicativo) \u00b7 5. <em>faccia<\/em> (prima che, congiuntivo) \u00b7 6. <em>venga<\/em> (eccettuativa, congiuntivo)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialog\">Dialog: at the editorial office<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Elena and Pietro close a manuscript at a small publishing office in Lucca. The dialog runs the italian subordinating conjunctions across cause, purpose, concession, time and condition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-17797\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Elena:<\/strong> <strong>Siccome<\/strong> il refuso \u00e8 a pagina due, lo correggo subito <strong>prima che<\/strong> vada in stampa.<br><em>Since the typo is on page two, I will fix it right away before it goes to print.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Bene. Rileggi anche la nota, <strong>affinch\u00e9<\/strong> il senso sia chiaro al lettore.<br><em>Good. Reread the footnote too, so that the meaning is clear to the reader.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Elena:<\/strong> <strong>Bench\u00e9<\/strong> sia lunga, la lascio: spiega bene il contesto.<br><em>Although it is long, I am keeping it: it explains the context well.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> D&#8217;accordo. <strong>Anche se<\/strong> il tempo \u00e8 poco, controlliamo le citazioni una per una.<br><em>All right. Even though time is short, let us check the citations one by one.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Elena:<\/strong> Le mando in tipografia <strong>dopo che<\/strong> avr\u00f2 finito la revisione.<br><em>I will send them to the printer after I have finished the proofreading.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Perfetto, <strong>purch\u00e9<\/strong> il file sia pronto entro venerd\u00ec.<br><em>Perfect, provided the file is ready by Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Elena:<\/strong> Lo sar\u00e0, <strong>a meno che<\/strong> non saltino di nuovo le prove di stampa.<br><em>It will be, unless the print proofs fall through again.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Count the moods: <em>siccome<\/em> and <em>dopo che<\/em> indicative; <em>prima che, affinch\u00e9, bench\u00e9, purch\u00e9, a meno che<\/em> subjunctive; <em>anche se<\/em> indicative. One short exchange exercises the whole table of italian subordinating conjunctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A quiz on the italian subordinating conjunctions, the ten types and the mood each one forces, is on its way. For now, redo the mini-challenge from memory and rebuild the cheat-sheet table by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-quiz-17797\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:36px;color:#ab2227;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:10px;letter-spacing:0.3em;font-family:Georgia,serif\">\u00a7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven questions about the italian subordinating conjunctions come up in every B2 cohort. The answers draw on classroom usage and on the Accademia della Crusca note on the <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-del-congiuntivo\/104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uso del congiuntivo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-sc-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is a subordinating conjunction in Italian?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It is a word that makes one clause depend on another, marking it as the cause, purpose, time, condition or concession. Perche, poich\u00e9, bench\u00e9, affinch\u00e9, quando, se, a meno che are all subordinating conjunctions. The clause they introduce cannot stand alone: perch\u00e9 era stanco needs a main clause to lean on.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Which subordinating conjunctions take the subjunctive?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The ones that express purpose, concession, hypothesis or something not yet real: affinch\u00e9, bench\u00e9, sebbene, nonostante, a meno che, prima che, senza che, qualora, purch\u00e9, come se. The ones that state a fact take the indicative: poich\u00e9, siccome, dato che, anche se, dopo che, mentre, cos\u00ec che (result).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why does perch\u00e9 sometimes take the subjunctive?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because perch\u00e9 has two jobs. As a causal conjunction (because) it takes the indicative: ho aperto la finestra perch\u00e9 faceva caldo. As a final conjunction (so that, in order that) it takes the subjunctive: ho aperto la finestra perch\u00e9 entrasse aria. The verb mood is what tells the reader which perch\u00e9 you mean.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between bench\u00e9 and anche se?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both mean although, but the mood differs. Benche, sebbene, nonostante, quantunque take the subjunctive: bench\u00e9 sia tardi. Anche se takes the indicative: anche se e tardi. This bench\u00e9-subjunctive versus anche se-indicative split is the most tested concessive contrast.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How many types of subordinating conjunctions are there?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Grammars list ten by meaning: causal, final, temporal, concessive, conditional, consecutive, comparative, modal, exceptive and declarative. You do not label them in speech, but the family predicts the mood: factual families stay indicative, hypothetical or willed families take the subjunctive.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between an explicit and an implicit subordinate clause?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>An explicit clause uses a conjunction plus a finite verb: prima che tu parta. An implicit clause uses a preposition plus an infinitive or a gerund, when both clauses share the same subject: prima di partire, per farti sapere, avendo finito. Same subject favours the implicit form; different subjects force the explicit one.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-sc-7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does prima che always take the subjunctive?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. Prima che describes an event that has not happened yet, so it always takes the subjunctive: prima che faccia buio, prima che tu parta. With the same subject, switch to the implicit prima di plus infinitive: prima di partire. The same subjunctive rule covers senza che.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three guides that pair with the italian subordinating conjunctions, plus an institutional reference.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-present-subjunctive\/\">Italian Present Subjunctive<\/a>: the mood half the families force.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-che-conjunctions\/\">Italian -ch\u00e9 Conjunctions<\/a>: affinch\u00e9, purch\u00e9, bench\u00e9, poich\u00e9 in detail.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-concessive-clauses-sebbene-bench\u00e9-anche-se\/\">Italian Concessive Clauses<\/a>: bench\u00e9, sebbene, anche se in depth.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-del-congiuntivo\/104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Accademia della Crusca: uso del congiuntivo<\/a>: institutional note.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. Italian subordinating conjunctions (congiunzioni subordinative) are the words that hang one clause under another: perch\u00e9, bench\u00e9, affinch\u00e9, quando, se, a meno che and the rest. They fall into ten families by meaning (causal, final, temporal, concessive, conditional, consecutive, comparative, modal, exceptive, declarative). The single thing that decides whether the verb goes in &#8230; <a title=\"Italian Subordinating Conjunctions: 10 Types + Mood\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-subordinating-conjunctions\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian Subordinating Conjunctions: 10 Types + Mood\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1866],"tags":[1194,1147,1144,1141,1201,1192,1190,1206,1204,931,1205,1142,1200,1196,1145,1197,1198,1140,1202,1193,1139,1195,1203,1191],"class_list":["post-17797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b2","tag-a-meno-che","tag-anche-se","tag-ancorche","tag-benche","tag-come-se","tag-eccetto-che","tag-fuorche","tag-laddove","tag-malgrado-che","tag-mentre","tag-nel-modo-che","tag-nonostante-che","tag-ome","tag-per-quanta","tag-per-quanto","tag-per-quello-che","tag-quando","tag-quantunque","tag-quasi","tag-salvo-che","tag-sebbene","tag-senza-che","tag-seppure","tag-tranne-che","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17797"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60185,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17797\/revisions\/60185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}