{"id":18782,"date":"2017-03-20T22:48:05","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T13:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=18782"},"modified":"2026-05-17T23:21:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:21:28","slug":"addirittura-persino-webcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/addirittura-persino-webcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfino, Persino, Addirittura: How to Say &#8216;Even&#8217; in Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> English has one little word for piling on the surprising extra: <em>even<\/em>. Italian splits that job across several words, and choosing the wrong one is one of the fastest ways to sound translated. <em>Anche<\/em> is the neutral &#8220;also\/too&#8221; that sometimes does duty for &#8220;even&#8221;. <em>Perfino<\/em> and <em>persino<\/em> are the true scalar &#8220;even&#8221;, the one that flags the unexpected case. <em>Addirittura<\/em> pushes further: &#8220;even, no less, to the point of&#8221;. And the negative side has its own trio: <em>neanche<\/em>, <em>nemmeno<\/em>, <em>neppure<\/em> for &#8220;not even&#8221;. This guide shows you how to say <strong>even in Italian<\/strong> the way natives actually do, with the nuance that turns a textbook sentence into a real one.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-ev\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-ev-t gb-headline-text\">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 is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quick-rule\">The quick rule: which &#8220;even&#8221; when<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anche-pure\">Anche and pure: the everyday &#8220;also&#8221; that can mean &#8220;even&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#perfino-persino\">Perfino and persino: the scalar &#8220;even&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#perfino-vs-persino\">Perfino vs persino: is there a difference?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#addirittura\">Addirittura: &#8220;even, no less, to the point of&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#addirittura-exclamation\">&#8220;Addirittura!&#8221; on its own<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#not-even\">The negative side: neanche, nemmeno, neppure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#position\">Where these words go in the sentence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anche-se\">Anche se: why &#8220;even if&#8221; is a different animal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Mistakes English speakers make<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue in a Modena newsroom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/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<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quick-rule\">The quick rule: which &#8220;even&#8221; when<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the shortcut, then the rest of the guide fills in the edges. To add one more item to a set, &#8220;also\/too&#8221;, use <em>anche<\/em>. To say &#8220;even&#8221; in the sense of &#8220;this case is surprising, almost at the limit of what you&#8217;d expect&#8221;, use <em>perfino<\/em> or <em>persino<\/em>. To push that surprise one notch higher, &#8220;even, no less&#8221;, use <em>addirittura<\/em>. For the negative, &#8220;not even&#8221;, use <em>neanche<\/em>, <em>nemmeno<\/em> or <em>neppure<\/em>. That is the whole map of how to say <strong>even in Italian<\/strong>, and almost every real sentence is just one of these four moves.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alla riunione c&#8217;era anche il direttore. <em>The director was at the meeting too. (one more person, neutral)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>\u00c8 stato perfino al Polo Nord. <em>He has even been to the North Pole. (the surprising extreme)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Si \u00e8 addirittura dimenticato i documenti. <em>He even forgot the documents, no less. (surprise, intensified)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non ha portato neanche un ombrello. <em>He didn&#8217;t even bring an umbrella. (negative)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Notice that all four English sentences use &#8220;even&#8221; or &#8220;too&#8221;, while Italian reaches for four different words. The English speaker&#8217;s instinct is to find the single Italian &#8220;even&#8221; and stop. There isn&#8217;t one. The good news: the choice is driven by meaning, not by grammar gymnastics, so once you feel the difference you rarely get it wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anche-pure\">Anche and pure: the everyday &#8220;also&#8221; that can mean &#8220;even&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Walk into any office in Modena and you&#8217;ll hear <em>anche<\/em> within the first minute. It is the workhorse: &#8220;also&#8221;, &#8220;too&#8221;, &#8220;as well&#8221;. Its core job is additive, you are adding one more element to a list or a situation. It goes immediately before the word it points to, and that placement decides the meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Era stanco e anche un po&#8217; arrabbiato. <em>He was tired and a bit angry too.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>\u00c8 venuta anche Federica. <em>Federica came too. (she joined the others)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Anche Federica \u00e8 venuta. <em>Even Federica came. (and you wouldn&#8217;t have expected her)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lavoro anche di sabato. <em>I work on Saturdays as well.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Parlo inglese e anche un po&#8217; di spagnolo. <em>I speak English and also a little Spanish.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Look at sentences two and three. Same words, different order, different meaning. <em>\u00c8 venuta anche Federica<\/em> simply adds her to the guest list. <em>Anche Federica \u00e8 venuta<\/em> puts the spotlight on her: of all people, even she showed up. This is the bridge by which <em>anche<\/em> slides into &#8220;even&#8221; territory. When <em>anche<\/em> sits in front of a subject that you&#8217;d least expect, English translates it as &#8220;even&#8221;, not &#8220;too&#8221;. Position is everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Pure<\/em> is the close cousin of <em>anche<\/em>. In most additive contexts they are interchangeable: <em>Lei \u00e8 di Lucca. Il marito pure<\/em> works just like <em>anche il marito<\/em>. <em>Pure<\/em> leans a little more spoken and informal. It also has a softening use after an imperative that has nothing to do with &#8220;even&#8221;: <em>Venga pure, dottore: la cena \u00e8 pronta<\/em> means &#8220;Do come in, doctor&#8221;, a polite &#8220;go ahead&#8221;. Keep that second use in a separate mental box so it doesn&#8217;t confuse you.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-ev-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Does <em>anche<\/em> here mean &#8220;too&#8221; or &#8220;even&#8221;? Decide from the word order.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ha invitato anche i vicini.<\/li>\n<li>Anche i vicini si sono lamentati del rumore.<\/li>\n<li>Studio il tedesco e anche il russo.<\/li>\n<li>Anche il professore non sapeva la risposta.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. &#8220;too&#8221;: he invited the neighbours as well (added to the guest list).<\/p>\n<p>2. &#8220;even&#8221;: even the neighbours complained (the surprising case, focus on subject).<\/p>\n<p>3. &#8220;also&#8221;: I study German and Russian too (additive list).<\/p>\n<p>4. &#8220;even&#8221;: even the teacher didn&#8217;t know (you&#8217;d least expect that).<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"perfino-persino\">Perfino and persino: the scalar &#8220;even&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you want the unmistakable &#8220;even&#8221;, the one that flags a case at the edge of what&#8217;s plausible, Italian has a dedicated word: <em>perfino<\/em> (and its twin <em>persino<\/em>). Treccani describes it as marking something &#8220;almost at the limit of possibility, so as to seem exceptional or to cause surprise&#8221;. That definition is the whole soul of the word. If a fact makes the listener raise an eyebrow, <em>perfino<\/em> is the signal.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ha girato mezzo mondo: \u00e8 stato perfino in Antartide. <em>He has travelled half the world: he has even been to Antarctica.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lo ha ammesso persino lui, e non ammette mai niente. <em>Even he admitted it, and he never admits anything.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mi viene la pelle d&#8217;oca perfino a sentirne parlare. <em>I get goosebumps even just hearing about it.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Quel cantiere non si ferma mai: lavorano persino di domenica. <em>That building site never stops: they even work on Sundays.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Faceva cos\u00ec freddo che si \u00e8 ghiacciata persino la fontana in piazza. <em>It was so cold that even the fountain in the square froze.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Feel the common thread: each sentence presents an extreme point on a scale. Half the world, and the scale goes all the way to Antarctica. A man who never admits anything, and the scale reaches even him. <em>Perfino<\/em> and <em>persino<\/em> mean &#8220;even&#8221; in the strong, scalar sense, the case that sits beyond the expected range. This is the most reliable &#8220;even in Italian&#8221; when surprise is the point, and it never gets confused with neutral &#8220;too&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treccani also lists a softer reading, &#8220;anche soltanto&#8221;, roughly &#8220;even just&#8221;: <em>mi vengono i brividi perfino a pensarci<\/em> is &#8220;even just thinking about it gives me shivers&#8221;. Same word, the scale now runs down to the smallest trigger rather than up to the biggest case. Either way, the logic is identical: <em>perfino<\/em> points to an endpoint that surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"perfino-vs-persino\">Perfino vs persino: is there a difference?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the question every learner eventually asks, and the answer is calmer than you&#8217;d fear. <em>Perfino<\/em> and <em>persino<\/em> mean exactly the same thing. Treccani states plainly that <em>persino<\/em> is &#8220;the same as <em>perfino<\/em>&#8220;, and the two alternate freely in usage. Native speakers pick one over the other mostly for sound, to avoid an awkward repetition of syllables in the sentence around it.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Persino alla fine non ha ceduto. <em>Even at the end he didn&#8217;t give in. (persino avoids the &#8220;per&#8230;fin&#8230;fine&#8221; clatter)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Ha perfino telefonato al sindaco. <em>He even phoned the mayor.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Si \u00e8 offerto persino di pagare il conto. <em>He even offered to pay the bill.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>If pressed, speakers will tell you <em>perfino<\/em> feels a touch more formal and <em>persino<\/em> a touch more spoken, the same kind of light contrast you get between <em>fra<\/em> and <em>tra<\/em> or <em>fino<\/em> and <em>sino<\/em>. It is a preference, not a rule. Write whichever reads more smoothly aloud and you will always be correct. Do not lose a second of study time agonising over the choice; spend it on the genuinely different word, <em>addirittura<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"addirittura\">Addirittura: &#8220;even, no less, to the point of&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Picture an editor in a Modena newsroom skimming a price-comparison piece and muttering that the deals were cheap, &#8220;se non addirittura gratis&#8221;, if not actually free. That is <em>addirittura<\/em> doing what it does best: it takes the surprise of <em>perfino<\/em> and adds a layer of &#8220;and it goes that far&#8221;. It often translates as &#8220;even&#8221;, but the closest feel in English is &#8220;even, no less&#8221; or &#8220;to the point of&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non solo \u00e8 arrivato tardi: si \u00e8 addirittura dimenticato i documenti. <em>Not only did he arrive late: he even forgot the documents.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Costava cos\u00ec poco che l&#8217;ho comprato addirittura in due colori. <em>It was so cheap that I even bought it in two colours.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Hanno aperto la nuova officina e ci lavora addirittura mio cugino. <em>They opened the new workshop and my cousin even works there.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il libro \u00e8 piaciuto a tutti, addirittura al critico pi\u00f9 severo. <em>Everyone liked the book, even the harshest critic.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Treccani lists <em>addirittura<\/em> among the synonyms of <em>perfino<\/em>, and in many sentences you genuinely can swap them. The difference is degree of astonishment. <em>Perfino il critico pi\u00f9 severo<\/em> states the extreme calmly; <em>addirittura il critico pi\u00f9 severo<\/em> says it with widened eyes. Reach for <em>addirittura<\/em> when the fact is not just surprising but borders on the unbelievable, or when the scale jumps further than the listener expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"addirittura-exclamation\">&#8220;Addirittura!&#8221; on its own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the use that <em>perfino<\/em> and <em>persino<\/em> simply do not have. <em>Addirittura<\/em> can stand alone as a one-word reaction. Someone tells you a piece of news that strikes you as exaggerated or hard to credit, and you reply: <em>Addirittura!<\/em> It means something like &#8220;Really?&#8221;, &#8220;That much?&#8221;, &#8220;No less?&#8221;, with a flavour of polite disbelief or &#8220;well, that&#8217;s a bit strong&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ha aspettato tre ore alla posta. <em>He waited three hours at the post office.<\/em><br>Addirittura! <em>Three whole hours? Wow.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Dice che non ti parler\u00e0 mai pi\u00f9. <em>He says he&#8217;ll never speak to you again.<\/em><br>Addirittura. <em>Really, that far? Come on.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Vogliono licenziare met\u00e0 ufficio. <em>They want to lay off half the office.<\/em><br>Addirittura?! <em>Seriously, that drastic?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Tone carries a lot here. With genuine surprise it is &#8220;wow, that much&#8221;; with a flat or sceptical delivery it gently pushes back, &#8220;isn&#8217;t that an exaggeration?&#8221;. You&#8217;ll hear it constantly in spoken Italian as a reaction token, and using it well is a small marker of fluency. Neither <em>perfino<\/em> nor <em>persino<\/em> can do this job, which is the clearest practical reason to keep <em>addirittura<\/em> filed separately in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"not-even\">The negative side: neanche, nemmeno, neppure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Even&#8221; has a shadow: &#8220;not even&#8221;. You cannot translate <em>non ha portato perfino un ombrello<\/em>; that is broken Italian. The negative scalar belongs to a separate trio: <em>neanche<\/em>, <em>nemmeno<\/em>, <em>neppure<\/em>. All three mean &#8220;not even&#8221; (and, in lists, &#8220;and nor&#8221;, &#8220;neither&#8221;), and like <em>perfino<\/em> versus <em>persino<\/em>, they are interchangeable in meaning, varied mostly for rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non ha portato neanche un ombrello, con quel temporale. <em>He didn&#8217;t even bring an umbrella, in that storm.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non ha detto niente, nemmeno &#8220;grazie&#8221;. <em>He said nothing, not even &#8220;thank you&#8221;.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non mi ha risposto n\u00e9 al telefono n\u00e9 ai messaggi: neppure un cenno. <em>He answered me neither by phone nor by message: not even a sign.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non lo sapeva neanche lui. <em>Not even he knew.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Neanche per sogno. <em>Not even in a dream. (i.e. no way, not a chance)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Two practical points. First, when the negative word comes before the verb, you usually drop the separate <em>non<\/em>: <em>Neanche lui lo sapeva<\/em>, not <em>non neanche lui<\/em>. When it comes after, you keep <em>non<\/em>: <em>Non lo sapeva neanche lui<\/em>. Second, <em>neppure<\/em> doubles as the negative partner of <em>n\u00e9&#8230; n\u00e9<\/em> for stringing negatives together. Think of the whole picture as a mirror: <em>anche\/perfino\/persino\/addirittura<\/em> on the positive side, <em>neanche\/nemmeno\/neppure<\/em> on the negative side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"position\">Where these words go in the sentence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The single most useful habit: put the focusing word immediately before the element it points to. The word that follows is the one being highlighted, and moving the particle moves the meaning. This is true for the whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Anche Lorenzo ha firmato il contratto. <em>Even Lorenzo signed the contract. (focus on who: surprisingly, Lorenzo)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo ha firmato anche il contratto. <em>Lorenzo signed the contract too. (focus on what: among other things, the contract)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Perfino di notte risponde alle email. <em>He answers emails even at night. (focus on when)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Risponde alle email perfino di notte. <em>He answers emails even at night. (same idea, end-weight)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>With a compound verb, the focusing word slides between auxiliary and participle when it points at the action: <em>Ha persino telefonato al sindaco<\/em>, &#8220;he even phoned the mayor&#8221;. When it points at a noun, it hugs that noun: <em>Ha telefonato persino al sindaco<\/em>. Read each sentence aloud and ask &#8220;what is the surprising bit here?&#8221;. Whatever the answer, the particle wants to sit right in front of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anche-se\">Anche se: why &#8220;even if&#8221; is a different animal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One trap deserves its own section. English &#8220;even if&#8221; and &#8220;even though&#8221; do not use <em>perfino<\/em> or <em>addirittura<\/em>. They use <em>anche se<\/em>. This is a concessive conjunction, it introduces a whole clause, and it is grammatically unrelated to the focusing particles above, even though it borrows the word <em>anche<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Anche se piove, andiamo lo stesso. <em>Even if it rains, we&#8217;ll go anyway.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Anche se non sei pi\u00f9 giovanissimo, puoi ricominciare. <em>Even though you&#8217;re not that young any more, you can start over.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Vengo anche se sono stanco. <em>I&#8217;m coming even though I&#8217;m tired.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The test is simple: if &#8220;even&#8221; is followed by &#8220;if&#8221; or &#8220;though&#8221; and a full clause, you want <em>anche se<\/em>, never <em>perfino se<\/em> or <em>addirittura se<\/em>. If &#8220;even&#8221; is followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a single phrase you&#8217;re singling out, you want the focusing particles. Keep the concessive conjunction in its own drawer and this stops being confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Mistakes English speakers make<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The errors below come from real learner conversations online. Each one traces back to forcing a single English &#8220;even&#8221; onto Italian&#8217;s richer set.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Using anche for the surprising &#8220;even&#8221;.<\/strong> <em>Anche il critico ha pianto<\/em> sounds like the critic was added to a list. For the &#8220;you&#8217;d least expect it&#8221; reading, fronting helps, but <em>perfino il critico ha pianto<\/em> is unambiguous.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saying perfino se \/ addirittura se for &#8220;even if&#8221;.<\/strong> Always <em>anche se<\/em> + clause.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reaching for non perfino in negatives.<\/strong> &#8220;Not even&#8221; is <em>neanche \/ nemmeno \/ neppure<\/em>, never <em>non perfino<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Treating perfino and persino as different words.<\/strong> They are the same; choose by sound.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Missing standalone &#8220;Addirittura!&#8221;.<\/strong> Learners answer surprising news with <em>davvero?<\/em> only; natives often say <em>Addirittura!<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wrong placement.<\/strong> <em>Ho anche comprato il pane<\/em> versus <em>Ho comprato anche il pane<\/em>: the first highlights the action, the second the bread. Put the particle where the surprise is.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Word<\/th><th>Core meaning<\/th><th>Use it when<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>anche \/ pure<\/td><td>also, too (sometimes &#8220;even&#8221; by position)<\/td><td>adding one more item; fronted for surprise<\/td><td>\u00c8 venuta anche Federica<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>perfino \/ persino<\/td><td>even (scalar, the surprising case)<\/td><td>the fact is at the edge of the expected<\/td><td>\u00c8 stato perfino in Antartide<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>addirittura<\/td><td>even, no less, to the point of<\/td><td>surprise pushed one notch higher<\/td><td>Si \u00e8 addirittura dimenticato i documenti<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Addirittura!<\/td><td>&#8220;really?! that much?!&#8221;<\/td><td>one-word reaction to strong news<\/td><td>Tre ore? Addirittura!<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>neanche \/ nemmeno \/ neppure<\/td><td>not even<\/td><td>negative scalar<\/td><td>Non ha detto nemmeno grazie<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>anche se<\/td><td>even if, even though<\/td><td>concessive clause follows<\/td><td>Anche se piove, andiamo<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue in a Modena newsroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Caterina and Lorenzo are closing the local edition late in a Modena newsroom. Watch how the focusing words do real work: surprise, escalation, the standalone reaction, and the negative.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-ev\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Lorenzo, hai visto? La storia sul ponte chiuso l&#8217;hanno ripresa perfino i giornali nazionali.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Addirittura i nazionali? Pensavo restasse roba locale.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> E non solo. Ci ha telefonato persino l&#8217;assessore, di sabato sera, per chiedere una rettifica.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Di sabato? Addirittura! Quello non risponde nemmeno alle email in settimana.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Esatto. Comunque ho controllato le fonti due volte, anche i numeri del Comune.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Bene. Manca solo la foto. Il fotografo non ha mandato neppure un file.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Lo chiamo io. Se non risponde, usiamo l&#8217;archivio: ne abbiamo persino una del 2019 con il ponte aperto.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Perfetta per il confronto. Chiudiamo entro mezzanotte?<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Ce la facciamo. Ho preparato anche il titolo e il sommario.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Sei avanti di un&#8217;ora su tutti. Allora vado a impaginare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>L&#8217;hanno ripresa perfino i giornali nazionali<\/strong>: scalar &#8220;even&#8221;, the surprising endpoint.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Addirittura i nazionali? \/ Addirittura!<\/strong>: first as an intensified &#8220;even&#8221;, then as a standalone reaction of disbelief.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ci ha telefonato persino l&#8217;assessore<\/strong>: <em>persino<\/em> chosen over <em>perfino<\/em> for smoother sound, same meaning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Non risponde nemmeno alle email<\/strong> and <strong>non ha mandato neppure un file<\/strong>: the negative trio in action.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ho controllato anche i numeri \/ ho preparato anche il titolo<\/strong>: plain additive <em>anche<\/em>, &#8220;as well&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-ev-final\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Final challenge:<\/strong> Translate into natural Italian, choosing the right &#8220;even&#8221;.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even the manager apologised.<\/li>\n<li>He didn&#8217;t even call to say sorry.<\/li>\n<li>It was so good I even ordered a second one, no less.<\/li>\n<li>Even if it&#8217;s late, finish the article.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;They waited four hours.&#8221; &#8220;Really?! That much?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>She speaks French and a bit of German too.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Perfino il direttore si \u00e8 scusato.<\/em> (scalar surprise; <em>persino<\/em> equally fine)<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Non ha nemmeno chiamato per scusarsi.<\/em> (negative; <em>neanche\/neppure<\/em> also fine)<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Era cos\u00ec buono che ne ho addirittura ordinato un secondo.<\/em> (intensified surprise)<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Anche se \u00e8 tardi, finisci l&#8217;articolo.<\/em> (concessive clause: <em>anche se<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>5. &#8220;Hanno aspettato quattro ore.&#8221; &#8220;<em>Addirittura?!<\/em>&#8221; (standalone reaction)<\/p>\n<p>6. <em>Parla francese e anche un po&#8217; di tedesco.<\/em> (plain additive)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the quiz below to test what you&#8217;ve learned about how to say &#8220;even&#8221; in Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These questions about how to say even in Italian come from real conversations among learners online. The meaning of the scalar particle is documented in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/perfino\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani vocabolario entry on perfino<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is there any difference between perfino and persino?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No real difference in meaning. Treccani states that persino is the same as perfino and the two alternate freely in usage. Speakers choose one over the other mainly for sound, to avoid an awkward repetition of syllables nearby: persino alla fine reads more smoothly than perfino alla fine. If pressed, many feel perfino is slightly more formal and persino slightly more spoken, the same light contrast as fra and tra. It is a stylistic preference, not a grammar rule, so pick whichever sounds better aloud.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">When does anche mean &#8216;even&#8217; instead of &#8216;too&#8217;?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It depends on position and on how expected the element is. \u00c8 venuta anche Federica adds Federica to a list: &#8216;Federica came too&#8217;. Anche Federica \u00e8 venuta, with anche fronted before a subject you would least expect, shifts to &#8216;even Federica came&#8217;. So anche slides into &#8216;even&#8217; when it sits in front of a surprising element. When the surprise needs to be unmistakable, perfino or persino remove all ambiguity, because they are dedicated scalar words and never read as neutral &#8216;too&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What does &#8216;Addirittura!&#8217; mean on its own?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It is a one-word reaction to news that strikes you as strong or hard to believe, roughly &#8216;Really?!&#8217;, &#8216;That much?!&#8217;, &#8216;No less?&#8217;. With genuine surprise it means &#8216;wow, that far&#8217;; said flatly or sceptically it gently pushes back, &#8216;isn&#8217;t that an exaggeration?&#8217;. You hear it constantly in spoken Italian: &#8216;Ha aspettato tre ore.&#8217; &#8216;Addirittura!&#8217; Neither perfino nor persino can be used this way, which is the clearest reason to keep addirittura mentally separate.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do you say &#8216;not even&#8217; in Italian?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>With neanche, nemmeno or neppure, never with non perfino. The three are interchangeable in meaning and varied mostly for rhythm: Non ha detto neanche grazie, non ha detto nemmeno grazie, non ha detto neppure grazie all mean &#8216;he didn&#8217;t even say thank you&#8217;. When the negative word comes before the verb you drop the separate non (Neanche lui lo sapeva); when it comes after, you keep it (Non lo sapeva neanche lui). Neppure also serves as the negative partner in n\u00e9&#8230; n\u00e9 sequences.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is &#8216;even if&#8217; translated with perfino se?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No. &#8216;Even if&#8217; and &#8216;even though&#8217; are anche se, a concessive conjunction that introduces a full clause: Anche se piove, andiamo lo stesso. Perfino se and addirittura se are not used. The quick test: if &#8216;even&#8217; is followed by &#8216;if&#8217; or &#8216;though&#8217; plus a clause, use anche se; if &#8216;even&#8217; is followed by a noun, pronoun or single phrase you are singling out, use perfino, persino or addirittura.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ev-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Where do I place perfino or anche in the sentence?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Immediately before the element you are highlighting; the word that follows is the one in focus. Anche Lorenzo ha firmato means even Lorenzo signed (focus on who), while Lorenzo ha firmato anche il contratto means Lorenzo signed the contract too (focus on what). With a compound verb the particle slips between auxiliary and participle when it targets the action: Ha persino telefonato al sindaco. Read the sentence aloud, find the surprising bit, and put the particle right in front of it.<\/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<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/niente-nessuno-mai-neanche-podcast\/\">Niente, Nessuno, Mai, Neanche: Italian Negatives Explained<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ma-pero-eppure\/\">Italian Ma, Per\u00f2, Eppure: Adversative Conjunctions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-adverbs-complete-guide\/\">Italian Adverbs: Formation, Position and Types<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/perfino\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani vocabolario: perfino<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. English has one little word for piling on the surprising extra: even. Italian splits that job across several words, and choosing the wrong one is one of the fastest ways to sound translated. Anche is the neutral &#8220;also\/too&#8221; that sometimes does duty for &#8220;even&#8221;. Perfino and persino are the true scalar &#8220;even&#8221;, &#8230; <a title=\"Perfino, Persino, Addirittura: How to Say &#8216;Even&#8217; in Italian\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/addirittura-persino-webcast\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Perfino, Persino, Addirittura: How to Say &#8216;Even&#8217; in Italian\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":18783,"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":[1246,1047,1247],"class_list":["post-18782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-b2","tag-addirittura","tag-perfino","tag-persino","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18782","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=18782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60271,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18782\/revisions\/60271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}