Branching Off
Conversations rarely stay on one straight path, especially during a distracted creative brainstorming session. When you want to branch off or bring up a related side topic, you need markers of digression.
A proposito translates to "by the way" or "speaking of which". It is perfect for when a starting point or idea (lo spunto) sparks a new, slightly related thought.
Tra l'altro literally means "among other things," but functions like "incidentally" or "besides." Use it to casually drop in an extra piece of information or a quick side note. Both phrases typically sit at the very beginning of the sentence.
| By the way, do you have anything new for this idea? | A proposito, hai qualcosa di nuovo per questo spunto? |
| Among other things, we still have to develop the plot of the novel. | Tra l'altro, dobbiamo ancora sviluppare l'intreccio del romanzo. |
| Among other things, I don't believe Marco wrote a coherent plot. | Tra l'altro, non credo che Marco abbia scritto un intreccio coerente. |
Getting Back on Track
Once you realize you have strayed too far from the plot (l'intreccio) and need to stop digressing (divagare), it is time to steer the conversation back.
Comunque (anyway) and in ogni caso (in any case / regardless) are the perfect tools to close a conversational parenthesis (la parentesi) and resume (riprendere) the main task.
Like the digression markers, these resumption markers almost always sit at the start of your sentence. They act as a clear "reset button" for the topic, shifting the listener's focus back to where it belongs.
| Anyway, I didn't want to digress or open a long parenthesis. | Comunque, non volevo divagare o aprire una lunga parentesi. |
| Anyway, we must resume the scene so that it is coherent. | Comunque, dobbiamo riprendere la scena affinché sia coerente. |
| In any case, we can resume developing the character. | In ogni caso, possiamo riprendere a sviluppare il personaggio. |
