Non vado in giardino finché non chiudo la finestra.

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

• la finestra: the window
• chiudere: to close
• in: in

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?