Non vado in giardino finché non chiudo la finestra.

I don’t go into the garden until I close the window.

Breakdown of Non vado in giardino finché non chiudo la finestra.

• io: I
• la finestra: the window
• chiudere: to close
• in: in
• il giardino: the garden
• andare: to go
• non: not
• finché non: until

Questions & Answers about Non vado in giardino finché non chiudo la finestra.

Why is there non before both vado and chiudo?

In Italian you negate each clause independently.

• non vado negates the main clause (“I do not go”).
• finché non is a set expression meaning “until,” so the second non belongs to that pattern and negates chiudo (“I close”).

What does finché non mean, and why do we need non after finché?

finché non translates to until. You always pair finché with non when you want to mark the end-point of an action. Without the negation, finché by itself often means while or as long as, not until.

Why is chiudo in the present tense rather than a future or subjunctive form?

Italian routinely uses the present indicative in subordinate time clauses, even for future events. Here it simply indicates “I won’t go until I close the window.”

• Using avrò chiuso (future perfect) is possible to stress completion, but isn’t necessary.
• A subjunctive isn’t used after finché when you’re talking about a real, expected action.

Can we drop the second non and say Non vado in giardino finché chiudo la finestra?

No. Omitting the second non removes the “until” meaning and often sounds ungrammatical. finché non is the correct pattern for until in Italian.

Why is it in giardino and not al giardino?

With areas like gardens Italians use in + place to indicate direction or location: vado in giardino = I go into the garden. Saying al giardino is less idiomatic and would typically refer to a public garden you’ve mentioned before.

Could we replace finché non with fino a quando non?

Yes. You can say:
Non vado in giardino fino a quando non chiudo la finestra.
It means the same “I won’t go into the garden until I close the window.” Just remember fino a quando also needs the second non for “until.”

How do I use a pronoun to replace la finestra in this sentence?

“La finestra” is feminine singular, so you use la:
Non vado in giardino finché non la chiudo.
The pronoun la goes directly before the verb chiudo.

Can I use the future perfect, for example avrò chiuso, instead of chiudo?

Yes. If you want to emphasize that the window will definitely be closed before going out, use:
Non vado in giardino finché non avrò chiuso la finestra.
It’s more formal or precise, but in everyday speech Italians generally stick with the present indicative (chiudo).