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Non puoi fare la fisioterapia finché hai il gesso.

Non puoi fare la fisioterapia finché hai il gesso.
You cannot do physical therapy as long as you have the cast.
From Lesson 272:Temporal conjunctions (finché, finché non)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Non puoi fare la fisioterapia finché hai il gesso.

Why do we use finché here instead of finché non?
Because the two situations run parallel to each other in time. Finché on its own means "as long as" or "while." If you used finché non, it would mean "until." You use finché non when you are focusing on an endpoint or a change in state, rather than two things happening at the same time.
Is gesso the standard word for a medical cast?
Yes! The word gesso literally means "plaster" or "chalk" (you use the same word for blackboard chalk). Since traditional medical casts are made of plaster, avere il gesso is the standard, everyday way to say "to have a cast" in Italian.
Why do we need the article la before fisioterapia?
Italian requires definite articles (il, la, etc.) for broad categories, sciences, abstract concepts, and medical fields. While English leaves the article out ("to do physical therapy"), Italian almost always includes it: fare la fisioterapia.
Why is the verb hai in the present tense here?
Because we are talking about a condition happening right now in the present. However, keep in mind that if this whole sentence were shifted to the future ("You won't be able to do it as long as you have the cast next month"), Italian requires the future tense after finché: finché avrai il gesso. English uses the present tense for future conditions, but Italian is more strict!

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