A conjunction is a word that joins things — two words, two phrases, or two clauses — and tells you how they relate. And simply adds; but contrasts; because gives a reason; so that gives a goal; if introduces a condition. Italian has roughly the same toolkit as English, but with one crucial twist that does not exist in English: the conjunction often determines the mood of the verb that follows it. Some require the indicativo (the mood of fact), others require the congiuntivo (the mood of doubt, desire, hypothesis), and a small set even require the conditional. Picking the right conjunction means thinking not just about meaning but about which mood it triggers.
This page is the map. It lists every major Italian conjunction, sorts them into functional groups, and shows the mood each one takes. Each group has a dedicated page that goes deeper; this overview is the starting point you return to whenever you lose your bearings.
Coordinating vs. subordinating — the first cut
The first division to internalize: a conjunction is either coordinating or subordinating.
- Coordinating conjunctions join two elements of equal grammatical weight — two nouns, two adjectives, two main clauses. Marco e Luigi. Lavoro ma sono stanco. Caffè o tè? They never trigger the congiuntivo.
- Subordinating conjunctions introduce a dependent clause that depends on a main clause. Lavoro *perché sono stanco — the *perché clause depends on lavoro. Subordinating conjunctions are where the mood question becomes interesting: some take the indicativo, some take the congiuntivo.
Marco lavora e Sara studia.
Marco is working and Sara is studying. (coordinating — two equal main clauses)
Marco lavora perché Sara studia.
Marco is working because Sara is studying. (subordinating — perché clause depends on the main clause)
The two sentences look almost identical, but the second has a hierarchy: Sara studia is the reason behind Marco lavora. The first just stacks the two facts side by side.
Coordinating conjunctions
These are the everyday glue of Italian sentences. They never take the congiuntivo — they simply join.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| e (ed) | and | most frequent word in Italian; ed before e- |
| o (od) / oppure | or / or else | od is now rare; oppure is more emphatic |
| ma | but | basic adversative; can start a sentence |
| però | but, however | can also end a clause: sono stanco, però |
| invece | instead, whereas | contrastive: Marco studia, Luigi invece dorme |
| anzi | on the contrary, rather | upgrades or reverses: non è triste, anzi è felice |
| tuttavia | nevertheless | formal register |
| anche | also, too | positions before what it adds |
| infatti | in fact, indeed | confirms the previous statement |
| inoltre | furthermore, moreover | adds a further argument |
| quindi / perciò | therefore, so | marks consequence |
| allora | then, so | colloquial consequence or sequencer |
| dunque | therefore, well then | slightly formal; also a reformulation marker |
È bravo, però è un po' arrogante.
He's good, but he's a bit arrogant.
Non aveva fame; tuttavia, ha mangiato per cortesia.
He wasn't hungry; nevertheless, he ate to be polite.
Non è solo bravo, anzi è il migliore della classe.
He's not only good — on the contrary, he's the best in the class.
For the three workhorse coordinators e, o, ma, see E, O, Ma: Basic Coordinators. For richer contrast (però, tuttavia, invece, anzi, bensì), see Adversative Conjunctions. For consequence connectors (quindi, perciò, dunque, allora), see Discourse Connectors.
Subordinating conjunctions — the mood question
Subordinating conjunctions are where Italian asks more of the learner than English does. Each one carries a built-in instruction: follow me with the indicativo or follow me with the congiuntivo. The mood is not optional — it is part of the conjunction's identity. Get it wrong and the sentence will sound either bookish (using the congiuntivo where it doesn't belong) or non-native (using the indicativo where the congiuntivo is required).
Causal — explaining why
All Italian causal conjunctions take the indicativo, because the cause is by definition a fact (it really did happen, and that is why the main clause happened too).
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| perché | because | indicativo | most common; ambiguous with final perché (see below) |
| poiché | since, given that | indicativo | often sentence-initial; slightly formal |
| siccome | since | indicativo | always sentence-initial |
| dato che | given that | indicativo | neutral |
| visto che | seeing that | indicativo | conversational |
Non vengo perché sono stanco.
I'm not coming because I'm tired.
Siccome piove, restiamo a casa.
Since it's raining, we're staying home.
For the full causal system, see Causal Conjunctions.
Final — explaining what for
Final (purpose) conjunctions take the congiuntivo, because the goal is by definition not yet a fact — it is what the speaker hopes or intends to bring about.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| affinché | so that, in order that | congiuntivo | unambiguous; moderately formal |
| perché | so that | congiuntivo | same word as causal perché; mood disambiguates |
| in modo che | in such a way that | congiuntivo | emphasis on manner of result |
| acciocché | so that | congiuntivo | archaic, literary only |
The most striking feature here is that perché is the same word as the causal because, and only the mood of the verb tells you which meaning is intended.
Ti chiamo perché voglio sapere come stai.
I'm calling because I want to know how you are. (causal — indicativo)
Ti chiamo perché tu sappia come sto.
I'm calling so that you know how I am. (final — congiuntivo)
For the full final system and the same-subject per + infinitive reduction, see Final Conjunctions.
Concessive — granting an obstacle
Concessive conjunctions acknowledge a fact that should logically have prevented the main-clause action — and assert it anyway. Although it was raining, we went out. Almost all concessive conjunctions take the congiuntivo; the major exception is anche se, which takes the indicativo.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| benché | although | congiuntivo | most common literary concessive |
| sebbene | even though | congiuntivo | elegant near-synonym of benché |
| per quanto | however much, no matter how | congiuntivo | with adjectives: per quanto bravo sia |
| nonostante (che) | despite | congiuntivo | can take noun directly |
| malgrado (che) | despite | congiuntivo | same syntax as nonostante |
| quantunque | although | congiuntivo | literary/archaic |
| anche se | even if, even though | indicativo | colloquial; the lone indicativo concessive |
Benché piova, usciamo.
Although it's raining, we're going out.
Anche se piove, usciamo.
Even if it's raining, we're going out.
The two sentences mean nearly the same thing but mark the concession differently — one with benché + congiuntivo, one with anche se + indicativo. For the full system, see Concessive Conjunctions.
Temporal — locating in time
Temporal conjunctions situate one clause in time relative to another. Most take the indicativo, but the crucial exception is prima che (before), which takes the congiuntivo.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| quando | when | indicativo | future contexts use the futuro semplice |
| mentre | while | indicativo | simultaneous action |
| appena | as soon as | indicativo | future contexts use the futuro anteriore |
| dopo che | after | indicativo | typically with anterior tense |
| finché (non) | until, as long as | indicativo | pleonastic non with until meaning |
| fino a quando | until | indicativo | like finché, more transparent |
| prima che | before | congiuntivo | the only common temporal congiuntivo trigger |
Quando arrivi, chiamami.
When you arrive, call me.
Prima che parta, devo dirgli una cosa.
Before he leaves, I need to tell him something.
For the full temporal system, see Temporal Conjunctions.
Conditional — laying out conditions
Conditional conjunctions introduce a condition under which the main clause holds. The most basic conditional, se (if), behaves differently across the three Italian conditional types. Other conditional conjunctions almost all take the congiuntivo.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Mood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| se (real) | if | indicativo | real or open conditions |
| se (hypothetical) | if | cong. imperfetto | improbable / hypothetical |
| se (counterfactual) | if | cong. trapassato | past, contrary to fact |
| purché | provided that | congiuntivo | positive condition |
| a condizione che | on condition that | congiuntivo | more formal version of purché |
| a patto che | on the condition that | congiuntivo | conversational |
| a meno che (non) | unless | congiuntivo | pleonastic non |
| qualora | should, in case | congiuntivo | formal/legal |
Se vieni, ti aspetto.
If you come, I'll wait for you.
Verrò purché tu sia d'accordo.
I'll come provided you agree.
Non uscirò a meno che non smetta di piovere.
I won't go out unless it stops raining.
For the full conditional system, see The Conditional Conjunction Se and the broader conditionals overview.
Why mood matters: the underlying logic
There is a unifying logic behind which conjunction takes which mood. The indicativo is the mood of facts and assertions: things the speaker presents as real. The congiuntivo is the mood of subjectivity: doubts, hopes, fears, evaluations, hypotheses, possibilities, goals, and concessions of facts the speaker wants to override.
Looking at the table above with that lens, the pattern emerges:
- Causal conjunctions take the indicativo because the cause is a fact: because I'm tired asserts that I am tired.
- Final conjunctions take the congiuntivo because the goal is not yet a fact: so that you know expresses a hoped-for outcome.
- Concessive conjunctions take the congiuntivo because the speaker is conceding something against their own argument: although it's raining sets up the rain as an obstacle to be overridden, not as the main message.
- Temporal conjunctions mostly take the indicativo because temporal location is factual — but prima che is special, because saying "before X happens" implies X has not yet happened.
- Conditional conjunctions vary, because conditions range from real (indicativo) to hypothetical (congiuntivo) to counterfactual (cong. trapassato).
Correlative pairs
Some conjunctions come in pairs that wrap around two elements: both X and Y, either X or Y, neither X nor Y, not only X but also Y. These are called correlative conjunctions and they all behave like coordinators (no congiuntivo trigger).
| Pair | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sia... sia... (or sia... che...) | both... and... | sia Marco sia Maria |
| o... o... | either... or... | o vieni o resti |
| né... né... | neither... nor... | né caldo né freddo |
| non solo... ma anche... | not only... but also... | non solo parla, ma anche canta |
| più... più... | the more... the more... | più studi, più impari |
Sia Marco sia Maria sono italiani.
Both Marco and Maria are Italian.
Non mangio né carne né pesce.
I eat neither meat nor fish.
For the né family see Né... né... (Neither... Nor); for the rest see Correlative Conjunctions.
Comparison with English
English has lost most of its mood distinctions. Where Italian carefully selects between benché sia and anche se è, English just says although it is and even if it is with no formal difference. The few mood-marked English conjunctions that remain — if I were you, lest he forget — are stylistic relics rather than living rules. As an English speaker, your most consistent error in Italian conjunction use will be defaulting to the indicativo where the conjunction demands the congiuntivo.
The good news: the mood is predictable from the conjunction. You don't have to make a fresh judgment call every time. Once you've learned that benché takes the congiuntivo, every benché clause you ever produce takes the congiuntivo. Your job is to memorize the conjunction together with its mood — as a unit, not as two separate facts.
Common mistakes
❌ Benché è tardi, lavoriamo.
Wrong — *benché* requires the congiuntivo, not the indicativo.
✅ Benché sia tardi, lavoriamo.
Although it's late, we're working.
❌ Anche se sia tardi, lavoriamo.
Wrong — *anche se* takes the indicativo, not the congiuntivo.
✅ Anche se è tardi, lavoriamo.
Even though it's late, we're working.
❌ Studio italiano per i miei nonni capiscano.
Wrong — *per* takes only an infinitive; for a different subject use *perché* / *affinché* + congiuntivo.
✅ Studio italiano perché i miei nonni capiscano. / Studio italiano per parlare con i miei nonni.
I'm studying Italian so that my grandparents understand. / I'm studying Italian to speak with my grandparents.
❌ Verrò a meno che piove.
Wrong — *a meno che* requires the congiuntivo and a pleonastic *non*.
✅ Verrò a meno che non piova.
I'll come unless it rains.
❌ Pane, formaggio, e vino.
Wrong — Italian doesn't use a comma before the final *e* in a list.
✅ Pane, formaggio e vino.
Bread, cheese and wine.
Where to go next
Use this overview as your map. When you need to express a specific relationship between clauses, jump to the dedicated page:
- For and / or / but at A1 level: E, O, Ma
- For richer contrast (però, tuttavia, invece, anzi): Adversative Conjunctions
- For because and since: Causal Conjunctions
- For so that / in order that: Final Conjunctions
- For although / even though / despite: Concessive Conjunctions
- For when / while / before / until: Temporal Conjunctions
- For if / unless / provided that: The Conditional Conjunction Se
- For therefore / so: Discourse Connectors
- For either / or, neither / nor, both / and: Correlative Conjunctions
- For a single consolidated reference: Conjunctions: Complete Reference
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- E, O, Ma: Basic CoordinatorsA1 — The three workhorse coordinating conjunctions of Italian — e (and), o (or), ma (but) — with the euphonic ed/od variants and modern usage rules.
- Causal Conjunctions: perché, poiché, siccome, dato cheB1 — How Italian expresses *because* and *since* — perché, poiché, siccome, dato che, visto che — all with the indicativo, plus the position rules and the famous causal/final ambiguity of perché.
- Final Conjunctions: affinché, perché (+ subjunctive)B1 — Italian purpose conjunctions — affinché and final perché with the congiuntivo, the same-subject reduction with per + infinitive, and the archaic acciocché.
- Concessive Conjunctions: benché, sebbene, nonostanteB1 — The Italian concessive system — benché, sebbene, nonostante, malgrado with the congiuntivo across all four tenses, plus anche se with the indicativo. Position rules and the central indicative-vs-subjunctive split.
- Temporal Conjunctions: quando, mentre, appena, finchéA2 — How Italian locates one clause in time relative to another — quando, mentre, appena, finché, dopo che, prima che — with the futuro anteriore for anteriority and the pleonastic non with finché.
- Conditional Conjunction: SeA2 — How Italian uses se to introduce real, hypothetical, and counterfactual conditions, plus the secondary use of se for indirect yes/no questions.
- Discourse Connectors: quindi, perciò, dunque, alloraA2 — How Italian marks consequence and reformulation between sentences — quindi, perciò, dunque, pertanto, allora — with their register differences and conversational functions.
- Conjunctions: Complete ReferenceB1 — The full Italian conjunction system — coordinators, subordinators, correlatives, and discourse connectors — with mood requirements, position rules, and register notes for every connector.