Learn Italian: L'autobus non arriva mai in orario.

L'autobus non arriva mai in orario.

The bus never arrives on time.

Breakdown of L'autobus non arriva mai in orario.

Questions & Answers about L'autobus non arriva mai in orario.

Why do we need both non and mai in this sentence?

In Italian, saying "never" usually requires a double negative structure: non before the verb, and mai after it. While English simply says "never arrives", Italian literally says "does not arrive never" (non arriva mai).

Can I put mai before the verb, like we do in English?

You can, but the rule changes! If you put mai before the verb, you must drop the non. You could technically say L'autobus mai arriva in orario, but the non [verb] mai structure used in this sentence is much more natural and common.

Why use in orario instead of a word for "on"?

Prepositions rarely translate word-for-word between languages. The fixed Italian expression for "on time" or "punctual" is in orario (literally "in schedule").

How would I use this lesson's grammar to say "Every bus never arrives on time"?

You would use ogni followed directly by the singular noun: Ogni autobus non arriva mai in orario. If you wanted to say "All the buses", you would use tutti plus the plural article and plural verb: Tutti gli autobus non arrivano mai in orario. (Notice that the word autobus doesn't change its spelling in the plural!)