A language is only as expressive as its connectors. Italian builds long, sophisticated sentences out of short ones using a rich inventory of conjunctions — small words that perform a great deal of grammatical labor. This page lays out the conjunctions you need at A2/B1, sorted by what they do (add, contrast, conclude, subordinate, condition, concede, intend) and grouped so that you can see at a glance which ones trigger the indicativo and which ones force the congiuntivo.
There are two big classes. Coordinating conjunctions link two grammatically equal clauses (or words, or phrases): Studio *e lavoro. *Subordinating conjunctions introduce a clause that depends on a main clause: Studio *perché voglio imparare*. The grammatical mood inside the subordinate clause depends on which conjunction introduces it — and Italian draws the indicativo/congiuntivo line in places that English-speakers do not expect.
1. Coordinating conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions link two clauses on equal grammatical footing. The mood inside each clause is whatever the clause itself requires — coordination doesn't change it.
Additive: e, anche, pure, nonché
E ("and") is the workhorse:
Studio italiano e lavoro come traduttore.
I study Italian and I work as a translator.
Mangiamo pizza e beviamo vino.
We eat pizza and drink wine.
Anche ("also") and pure ("also" — slightly more colloquial) emphasize that the second item is added to the first:
Lavoro a Roma, e anche mio fratello lavora lì.
I work in Rome, and my brother also works there.
Voglio venire pure io.
I want to come too.
Nonché ("as well as," formal) appears mostly in writing:
Studia l'italiano nonché il francese.
She studies Italian as well as French.
A small but important detail: before a vowel, e often becomes ed in writing (and elevated speech), especially before another e: ed Erica, ed io. In modern colloquial speech, this d-eufonica is increasingly optional, but you'll see it in books and newspapers.
Adversative: ma, però, tuttavia, bensì
Ma ("but") is everyday Italian's main contrast word:
Studio molto ma non imparo abbastanza.
I study a lot but I'm not learning enough.
Volevo venire, ma ero stanco.
I wanted to come, but I was tired.
Però ("however") works similarly but tends to come a bit later in the sentence; it can also stand at the end as an emphatic afterthought:
È intelligente, però è anche pigro.
He's smart, however he's also lazy.
Mi piace, però!
I do like it, though!
Tuttavia ("nevertheless," formal) is a written-register equivalent of però:
Sembrava facile, tuttavia si è rivelato molto difficile.
It seemed easy; nevertheless, it turned out to be very difficult.
Bensì ("but rather") is used after a negative — to correct an assumption:
Non è stanco, bensì annoiato.
He's not tired, but rather bored.
Non studia per piacere, bensì per dovere.
She doesn't study for pleasure, but rather out of duty.
Disjunctive: o, oppure, ovvero
O ("or") and oppure ("or else") give alternatives. Oppure is more emphatic, signaling a clearer either/or:
Vuoi pizza o pasta?
Do you want pizza or pasta?
Vieni con noi oppure resti a casa?
Are you coming with us or staying home?
Ovvero ("that is, in other words") introduces a clarification or alternative phrasing:
Roma, ovvero la capitale d'Italia.
Rome, that is, the capital of Italy.
Conclusive: quindi, perciò, allora, dunque, infatti
This is the family of "therefore / so / in fact" connectors. They link cause and consequence between two coordinated clauses:
Studio molto, quindi imparo.
I study a lot, so I learn.
Era stanco, perciò è andato a letto presto.
He was tired, so he went to bed early.
Pioveva, allora siamo rimasti a casa.
It was raining, so we stayed home.
Non hai studiato, dunque non passerai.
You haven't studied, therefore you won't pass.
Aveva ragione, infatti Marco è venuto.
He was right; in fact, Marco did come.
A subtle distinction: quindi and perciò are interchangeable in most contexts. Allora has an additional temporal flavor ("then, in that case") and is the most colloquial of the set. Dunque and pertanto are formal. Infatti is special — it confirms a previous statement ("indeed, in fact"), not a logical consequence.
2. Subordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions introduce a dependent clause. Some take indicativo, some take congiuntivo, and a small group can take either depending on meaning. This is where the most important learning happens.
Che — the basic complementizer
Che ("that") introduces a complement clause after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, hoping, wanting, etc. The mood inside the clause depends on the main verb:
So che è arrivato.
I know he's arrived. (indicativo — known fact)
Penso che sia arrivato.
I think he's arrived. (congiuntivo — opinion)
Spero che venga domani.
I hope he comes tomorrow. (congiuntivo — hope)
The rule of thumb: if the main verb expresses certainty or report (sapere, dire, vedere, ricordare), use indicativo; if it expresses opinion, doubt, hope, fear, desire (pensare, credere, sperare, dubitare, volere), use congiuntivo. See the full triggers page on opinion verbs for detail.
Conditional: se
Se ("if") introduces a condition. The mood depends on the type of conditional:
Se viene Marco, gli parlo.
If Marco comes, I'll talk to him. (Type 1 — present indicativo)
Se venisse Marco, gli parlerei.
If Marco came, I would talk to him. (Type 2 — congiuntivo imperfetto + condizionale)
Se fosse venuto Marco, gli avrei parlato.
If Marco had come, I would have talked to him. (Type 3)
See the conditionals pages for full coverage.
Time: quando, mentre, finché, prima che, dopo che, appena
Quando ("when"), mentre ("while"), finché ("as long as / until"), dopo che ("after") all take indicativo in everyday use:
Quando arrivi, chiamami.
When you arrive, call me.
Mentre studio, ascolto musica.
While I'm studying, I listen to music.
Finché piove, restiamo qui.
As long as it rains, we'll stay here.
Appena arrivo, ti chiamo.
As soon as I arrive, I'll call you.
Dopo che ho mangiato, sono uscito.
After I ate, I went out.
But prima che ("before") takes the congiuntivo because the action it describes hasn't happened yet:
Prima che piova, andiamo dentro.
Before it rains, let's go inside.
Mangiamo prima che faccia freddo.
Let's eat before it gets cold.
When the subjects of both clauses are the same, prima che + congiuntivo is replaced by prima di + infinitive: prima di mangiare ("before eating") rather than prima che mangi ("before I eat").
Cause: perché, poiché, siccome, dato che, visto che
Perché is the most common; in causal use it takes indicativo:
Studio perché voglio imparare.
I study because I want to learn.
Sono triste perché ha piovuto tutto il giorno.
I'm sad because it rained all day.
Poiché ("since, because" — formal) is more elevated:
Poiché è tardi, vado a casa.
Since it's late, I'm going home.
Siccome ("since") sits at the front of the sentence almost without exception:
Siccome piove, restiamo dentro.
Since it's raining, we'll stay inside.
Dato che and visto che ("given that," "seeing that") are conversational:
Dato che non hai tempo, non insisto.
Given that you have no time, I won't insist.
Visto che sei qui, parliamone.
Since you're here, let's talk about it.
All of these take indicativo. Italian doesn't have a "subjunctive of cause" — causes are facts, and facts go in the indicativo.
Purpose: perché, affinché (subjunctive!)
This is the trap. The same word perché can also mean "so that, in order that." When it does, it takes the congiuntivo:
Te lo dico perché tu lo sappia.
I'm telling you so that you know.
Parlo lentamente perché tutti capiscano.
I'm speaking slowly so that everyone understands.
Ti scrivo perché tu sia informato.
I'm writing to you so that you're informed.
The same surface form, with the indicativo, expresses cause:
Te lo dico perché lo sai già.
I'm telling you because you already know it.
Parlo lentamente perché tutti mi capiscono meglio.
I speak slowly because that way everyone understands me better.
The clearest test for which sense of perché you mean is to substitute. If you can replace perché with affinché ("so that," more formal), you mean purpose and need the congiuntivo. If you cannot, you mean cause and use indicativo.
Te lo dico affinché tu lo sappia.
I'm telling you so that you know. (formal — clearly purpose)
Lavoriamo affinché i nostri figli abbiano un futuro.
We work so that our children have a future.
A useful pattern: perché + congiuntivo = "so that"; perché + indicativo = "because." See the dedicated page on the dual perché for more.
Concession: benché, sebbene, nonostante, malgrado, anche se
The concessive conjunctions all signal "even though, although." Most of them — benché, sebbene, nonostante, malgrado — require the congiuntivo:
Benché piova, esco lo stesso.
Even though it's raining, I'm going out anyway.
Sebbene sia tardi, ho deciso di chiamare.
Although it's late, I decided to call.
Nonostante sia stanco, vengo con te.
Despite being tired, I'm coming with you.
Malgrado avesse paura, è entrato.
Despite being afraid, he went in.
The exception is anche se ("even if, even though"), which takes indicativo in concession and behaves like if in counterfactuals:
Anche se piove, esco.
Even if it rains, I'll go out.
Anche se è tardi, ho deciso di chiamare.
Even though it's late, I've decided to call.
The contrast — benché sia tardi (cong.) vs anche se è tardi (ind.) — is one of the cleanest illustrations of the Italian indicativo/congiuntivo split. Benché presents the concession as a hypothetical / evaluated frame; anche se presents it as a fact.
Place: dove, ovunque, dovunque
Dove ("where") usually takes indicativo:
Vivo dove sono nato.
I live where I was born.
But ovunque and dovunque ("wherever") take congiuntivo when they introduce an indefinite condition:
Ovunque tu vada, ti seguirò.
Wherever you go, I'll follow you.
Dovunque siano, troveremo i bambini.
Wherever they are, we'll find the kids.
3. Correlative conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions come in pairs that work together to link parallel elements:
Sia... sia... / sia... che... ("both... and..."):
Sia Marco sia Luigi sono venuti.
Both Marco and Luigi came.
Studio sia l'italiano che il francese.
I study both Italian and French.
O... o... ("either... or..."):
O studi o fallisci.
Either you study or you fail.
O parti adesso o perdi il treno.
Either you leave now or you miss the train.
Né... né... ("neither... nor..."). The verb usually carries the negation as well in standard Italian:
Non sono venuti né Marco né Luigi.
Neither Marco nor Luigi came.
Non mangio né carne né pesce.
I eat neither meat nor fish.
Non solo... ma anche... ("not only... but also..."):
Non solo studia, ma anche lavora.
He not only studies but also works.
Non solo era in ritardo, ma anche maleducato.
Not only was he late, he was also rude.
4. Picking the right conjunction: a quick decision
When you need to express a relationship between two clauses, ask yourself:
| Relationship | Connector | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Adding | e, anche | unchanged |
| Contrast | ma, però, tuttavia | unchanged |
| Choice | o, oppure | unchanged |
| Cause-and-effect (coord.) | quindi, perciò, allora | unchanged |
| Reason (subord.) | perché, poiché, siccome | indicativo |
| Purpose (subord.) | perché, affinché | congiuntivo |
| Time, factual | quando, mentre, finché | indicativo |
| Time, before | prima che | congiuntivo |
| Concession (formal) | benché, sebbene, nonostante | congiuntivo |
| Concession (factual) | anche se | indicativo |
| Condition | se | depends on type |
This table covers most of what you'll need at A2/B1. Keep coming back to it until the moods feel automatic.
Common Mistakes
❌ Te lo dico perché lo sai.
Wrong if you mean 'so that you know' — purpose perché takes congiuntivo.
✅ Te lo dico perché tu lo sappia.
I'm telling you so that you know.
❌ Sebbene è tardi, vengo.
Wrong — sebbene requires congiuntivo, not indicativo.
✅ Sebbene sia tardi, vengo.
Although it's late, I'm coming.
❌ Prima che mangio, mi lavo le mani.
Wrong — prima che takes congiuntivo. Also, with same subject, prefer prima di + infinitive.
✅ Prima di mangiare, mi lavo le mani.
Before eating, I wash my hands.
❌ Non sono venuti o Marco o Luigi.
Wrong — for negative ('neither... nor...'), use né... né..., not o... o...
✅ Non sono venuti né Marco né Luigi.
Neither Marco nor Luigi came.
❌ Mentre studierò, ascolto musica.
Wrong — mentre + future is non-standard. Use the present indicativo.
✅ Mentre studio, ascolto musica.
While I'm studying, I listen to music.
❌ Nonostante è stanco, viene.
Wrong — nonostante (used as conjunction) requires congiuntivo.
✅ Nonostante sia stanco, viene.
Despite being tired, he's coming.
❌ Anche se sia tardi, esco.
Wrong — anche se takes indicativo, not congiuntivo.
✅ Anche se è tardi, esco.
Even though it's late, I'll go out.
❌ Studio molto, infatti imparo.
Wrong — infatti confirms a fact, doesn't draw a conclusion. Use quindi or perciò for 'therefore.'
✅ Studio molto, quindi imparo.
I study a lot, so I learn.
Key takeaways
- Coordinating conjunctions (e, ma, o, quindi) link equal clauses without changing mood inside them.
- Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses; the mood inside depends on which conjunction.
- The indicativo conjunctions are the time-and-cause group: quando, mentre, finché, perché (cause), poiché, siccome, dopo che.
- The congiuntivo conjunctions are the time-before-evaluation-and-purpose group: prima che, benché, sebbene, nonostante, malgrado, perché (purpose), affinché.
- The split — perché
- indicativo for cause, perché
- congiuntivo for purpose — is the single most important moodful choice in Italian sentence-combining. Master it.
- indicativo for cause, perché
- Anche se is the only concessive conjunction that takes indicativo; the others all take congiuntivo.
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Basic Word Order: SVO and Its FlexibilityA1 — Italian's default word order is Subject-Verb-Object, like English — but the rich verb morphology and the clitic system mean Italian speakers reorder freely for emphasis, topic, and focus. The mechanics of pro-drop, topicalization, subject postposing, and how the language stays unambiguous despite the freedom.
- Relative Clauses with CheA2 — How to use che — Italian's most versatile relative pronoun — to combine sentences and add information about people, things, and ideas.
- Congiuntivo after Conjunctions (benché, sebbene, purché, prima che)B1 — The closed list of conjunctions that always trigger the congiuntivo in Italian — concessive, purpose, condition, exclusion, and temporal — and how to switch to the infinitive when subjects match.
- Perché: Cause (Indicative) vs Purpose (Subjunctive)B1 — The same word — perché — switches between indicative and subjunctive depending on whether it means 'because' or 'so that.' The mood is the only signal.
- Conditional Sentences: OverviewA2 — The three canonical Italian conditional types — real, hypothetical present, and counterfactual past — with their tense formulas and the colloquial substitute that breaks them all.
- Subjunctive in Relative ClausesB2 — When relative clauses require the congiuntivo — the five core triggers and the logic that unifies them.