What does "or" mean in Italian?
English "or" is the small word that offers a choice, and its Italian counterpart is o. Caffè o tè? ("Coffee or tea?"), Sì o no? ("Yes or no?"), Vieni con noi o preferisci restare a casa? ("Are you coming with us, or would you rather stay at home?"). O is as small as a word can be: one letter, one syllable, never stressed, never written with an accent, and it never changes its form. It joins two words, two phrases or two whole sentences, and it always means that there is more than one possibility.
Italian has a single word for two ideas that English also covers with one word. In an exclusive choice only one of the two can be true: Vuoi un caffè o un tè? In an inclusive choice either or both may be true: Hai fratelli o sorelle? ("Do you have brothers or sisters?"). Latin kept the two apart, aut for the first and vel for the second. Italian o descends from aut, but it has taken over the work of vel as well, and the context shows which sense is meant.
O has other jobs beside offering a choice. It can mean "otherwise, or else": Sbrigati, o perdiamo il treno! ("Hurry up, or we'll miss the train!"). It can correct what has just been said: Andiamo a Firenze, o meglio a Fiesole ("We're going to Florence, or rather to Fiesole"). It joins approximate figures: due o tre minuti ("two or three minutes"). And it can be said twice, to mean "either ... or": O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra. After a negative, however, English "or" is usually Italian né ... né: Non mangio né carne né pesce ("I eat neither meat nor fish").
Italian also has longer forms of the same word: oppure, a stronger "or" that can open a sentence, ovvero and ossia, which mostly mean "that is", and the old spelling od, now rare. The tiny o has two neighbours that learners confuse with it in writing: ho ("I have", with a silent h) and the interjection oh. The lesson sets out which is which.
FAQ: What does o mean in Italian?
Q: How do I say "tea or coffee?" A: Tè o caffè? There is no comma before o in a simple choice, and Italian does not use the "Oxford comma" in a list: tè, caffè o cioccolata.
Q: Is it o or oppure? A: Both mean "or". O is the everyday word. Oppure is stronger, begins a new sentence easily (Oppure possiamo restare a casa) and is used when a bare o might be misread.
Q: How do I say "either ... or"? A: Put o before both terms: O vieni tu o vengo io ("Either you come or I go"). See 31.11 and 31.24.
Q: How do I say "I don't eat meat or fish"? A: Non mangio né carne né pesce. Né ... né is the careful form after a negative.
Q: What is the difference between o and ho? A: O is "or". Ho is the first person of avere, "I have": Ho fame ("I'm hungry"). The h is silent, but ho is pronounced with the open vowel /ɔ/ and o with the close vowel /o/.
Q: What does o meglio mean? A: "Or rather": it corrects or sharpens what was just said (31.15).
Key Takeaways:
- O means "or". It is invariable, has no accent, and joins words, phrases and clauses: Caffè o tè? Sì o no? - One word covers both "one or the other" and "one or the other or both". The context decides. - O ... o means "either ... or": O mangi o salti. After a negative, "neither ... nor" is né ... né. - O at the start of a clause can mean "otherwise": Decidiamo adesso, o perdiamo il treno. O meglio means "or rather". - Do not confuse o with ho ("I have"). Oppure, ovvero and ossia are longer forms; od is an old variant, now rare.
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o /o/ — a single close, rounded vowel, short and unstressed. It is not the English "oh", which ends in a w-sound: the lips are held still and round for the whole vowel. The word is never reduced and never dropped, and it never elides before a vowel: tè o acqua, with o and acqua kept apart.
ho /ɔ/ — the verb "I have" has the open vowel, as in English "off" without the final f. The contrast between o /o/ and ho /ɔ/ is one of the few things that separates them in speech.
oppure /opˈpuːre/ — three syllables, stress on pu: op-PU-re. The p is long, held for a moment.
ovvero /ovˈvɛːro/ — stress on the second syllable: ov-VE-ro. The v is long.
ossia /osˈsiːa/ — stress on the middle syllable: os-SI-a. The s is long, a doubled s that is never voiced.
od /od/ — the old variant is pronounced exactly as o with a d added.
meglio /ˈmeʎʎo/ — in o meglio, "or rather". The gl is a long palatal l, as in the lesson 30 word voglia.
Intonation in a question of choice. The voice rises on the first option and falls on the last: Caffè↗ o tè↘?
Each word is given in isolation, as the course does throughout. The unstressed monosyllable o is said as part of the phrase it joins: it leans on the word that follows it.
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Duplex Method: line a gives each Italian word with its meaning; line b gives the same words with IPA and grammatical glosses.
31.1a Caffè coffee o or tè tea
31.1b Caffè /kafˈfɛ/ coffee.M.SG o /o/ or tè /tɛ/ tea.M.SG
31.2a Sì yes o or no no
31.2b Sì /si/ yes o /o/ or no /nɔ/ no
31.3a Oggi today o or domani tomorrow
31.3b Oggi /ˈɔddʒi/ today o /o/ or domani /doˈmaːni/ tomorrow
31.4a Carne meat o or pesce fish
31.4b Carne /ˈkarne/ meat.F.SG o /o/ or pesce /ˈpeʃʃe/ fish.M.SG
31.5a Tu you o or io I
31.5b Tu /tu/ you.2SG.NOM o /o/ or io /ˈiːo/ I.1SG.NOM
31.6a Prendi you-take il the treno train o or la the macchina car
31.6b Prendi /ˈprɛndi/ take.PRES.2SG il /il/ the.M.SG treno /ˈtrɛːno/ train.M.SG o /o/ or la /la/ the.F.SG macchina /ˈmakkina/ car.F.SG
31.7a Viene comes Marco Marco o or Luca Luca alla to-the festa party
31.7b Viene /ˈvjɛːne/ come.PRES.3SG Marco /ˈmarko/ Marco o /o/ or Luca /ˈluːka/ Luca alla /ˈalla/ to-the.F.SG festa /ˈfɛsta/ party.F.SG
31.8a Vivete you-live a in Roma Rome o or a in Milano Milan
31.8b Vivete /viˈveːte/ live.PRES.2PL a /a/ in Roma /ˈroːma/ Rome o /o/ or a /a/ in Milano /miˈlaːno/ Milan
31.9a Questa this borsa bag è is rossa red o or nera black
31.9b Questa /ˈkwesta/ this.F.SG borsa /ˈborsa/ bag.F.SG è /ɛ/ be.PRES.3SG rossa /ˈrossa/ red.F.SG o /o/ or nera /ˈneːra/ black.F.SG
31.10a Aspetta wait due two o or tre three minuti minutes
31.10b Aspetta /asˈpɛtta/ wait.IMP.2SG due /ˈduːe/ two o /o/ or tre /tre/ three minuti /miˈnuːti/ minute.M.PL
31.11a O either mangi you-eat questa this minestra soup o or salti you-jump dalla from-the finestra window
31.11b O /o/ or.CORR mangi /ˈmandʒi/ eat.PRES.2SG questa /ˈkwesta/ this.F.SG minestra /miˈnɛstra/ soup.F.SG o /o/ or.CORR salti /ˈsalti/ jump.PRES.2SG dalla /ˈdalla/ from-the.F.SG finestra /fiˈnɛstra/ window.F.SG
31.12a Dobbiamo we-must decidere decide adesso now o or-else perdiamo we-lose il the treno train
31.12b Dobbiamo /dobˈbjaːmo/ must.PRES.1PL decidere /deˈtʃiːdere/ decide.INF adesso /aˈdɛsso/ now o /o/ or.OTHERWISE perdiamo /perˈdjaːmo/ lose.PRES.1PL il /il/ the.M.SG treno /ˈtrɛːno/ train.M.SG
31.13a Vieni you-come con with noi us o or preferisci you-prefer restare stay a at casa home
31.13b Vieni /ˈvjɛːni/ come.PRES.2SG con /kon/ with noi /ˈnɔi/ we.1PL o /o/ or preferisci /prefeˈriʃʃi/ prefer.PRES.2SG restare /resˈtaːre/ stay.INF a /a/ at casa /ˈkaːsa/ home.F.SG
31.14a Se if avete you-have fame hunger mangiate eat un a panino sandwich o or una an mela apple
31.14b Se /se/ if avete /aˈveːte/ have.PRES.2PL fame /ˈfaːme/ hunger.F.SG mangiate /manˈdʒaːte/ eat.IMP.2PL un /un/ a.M.SG panino /paˈniːno/ sandwich.M.SG o /o/ or una /ˈuːna/ a.F.SG mela /ˈmeːla/ apple.F.SG
31.15a Domani tomorrow andiamo we-go a to Firenze Florence o or meglio better a to Fiesole Fiesole ma but se if piove it-rains restiamo we-stay a at casa home
31.15b Domani /doˈmaːni/ tomorrow andiamo /anˈdjaːmo/ go.PRES.1PL a /a/ to Firenze /fiˈrɛntse/ Florence o /o/ or meglio /ˈmeʎʎo/ better.ADV a /a/ to Fiesole /ˈfjɛːzole/ Fiesole ma /ma/ but se /se/ if piove /ˈpjɔːve/ rain.PRES.3SG restiamo /resˈtjaːmo/ stay.PRES.1PL a /a/ at casa /ˈkaːsa/ home.F.SG
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31.1 Caffè o tè? → "Coffee or tea?"
31.2 Sì o no? → "Yes or no?"
31.3 Oggi o domani? → "Today or tomorrow?"
31.4 Carne o pesce? → "Meat or fish?"
31.5 Tu o io? → "You or me?"
31.6 Prendi il treno o la macchina? → "Are you taking the train or the car?"
31.7 Viene Marco o Luca alla festa? → "Is it Marco or Luca who is coming to the party?"
31.8 Vivete a Roma o a Milano? → "Do you live in Rome or in Milan?"
31.9 Questa borsa è rossa o nera? → "Is this bag red or black?"
31.10 Aspetta due o tre minuti. → "Wait two or three minutes."
31.11 O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra. → "Either you eat this soup or you jump out of the window." (that is, take it or leave it)
31.12 Dobbiamo decidere adesso, o perdiamo il treno. → "We must decide now, or we'll miss the train."
31.13 Vieni con noi o preferisci restare a casa? → "Are you coming with us, or would you rather stay at home?"
31.14 Se avete fame, mangiate un panino o una mela. → "If you're hungry, have a sandwich or an apple."
31.15 Domani andiamo a Firenze, o meglio a Fiesole, ma se piove restiamo a casa. → "Tomorrow we're going to Florence, or rather to Fiesole, but if it rains we'll stay at home."
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31.1 Caffè o tè?
31.2 Sì o no?
31.3 Oggi o domani?
31.4 Carne o pesce?
31.5 Tu o io?
31.6 Prendi il treno o la macchina?
31.7 Viene Marco o Luca alla festa?
31.8 Vivete a Roma o a Milano?
31.9 Questa borsa è rossa o nera?
31.10 Aspetta due o tre minuti.
31.11 O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra.
31.12 Dobbiamo decidere adesso, o perdiamo il treno.
31.13 Vieni con noi o preferisci restare a casa?
31.14 Se avete fame, mangiate un panino o una mela.
31.15 Domani andiamo a Firenze, o meglio a Fiesole, ma se piove restiamo a casa.
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These are the grammar rules for o in Italian:
1. The form
O is a disjunctive conjunction. It has one form and never changes for gender, number or person. Before a word that begins with a vowel it does not elide: tè o acqua, not "tè o' acqua". An older spelling, od, was once used before any vowel (Dante has od ombra od omo in Section F). Today od is rare, sounds literary, and where it survives it is used chiefly before a word that begins with o: ieri od oggi. The ordinary spelling is o everywhere: ieri o oggi.
2. One word for two kinds of "or"
Latin distinguished aut (one or the other, not both) from vel (one or the other, or both). Italian o does both jobs:
- exclusive: Caffè o tè? (31.1), Sì o no? (31.2), Oggi o domani? (31.3). You take one. - inclusive: Hai fratelli o sorelle? Se avete fame, mangiate un panino o una mela (31.14). Either, or both, would do.
Where it matters, Italian adds words: Prendi o l'uno o l'altro, non tutti e due ("Take one or the other, not both"), using o ... o (rule 3).
3. O ... o: "either ... or"
Put o before each of the two terms, to make the choice emphatic: O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra (31.11), o viene con noi, o ci vediamo domani (31.24). With o before the first term as well, the alternative is plainly announced from the start, and it is exclusive. The terms may be words (O tu o io), phrases (o a piedi o in autobus) or clauses. The first o may be omitted when the choice is plain (Tu o io?, 31.5).
4. Questions of choice
A question of choice puts o between the options and a rising tone on the first: Caffè o tè? (31.1), Prendi il treno o la macchina? (31.6). A choice between a thing and its absence ends in o no: Vieni o no? ("Are you coming or not?"), Non so se viene o no ("I don't know whether he's coming or not"). The negative stands alone as no: Vieni o non? is wrong.
5. Repeating the little words
Italian prefers to repeat what the second option needs.
- The article is repeated when the nouns differ in gender or the listener might lose track: il treno o la macchina (31.6), un panino o una mela (31.14). - The preposition is normally repeated: a Roma o a Milano (31.8), in macchina o in moto (31.25), per le otto o per le otto e mezza (31.20). - The pronoun is repeated before a verb: ti chiamo o ti scrivo (31.29).
6. The verb with two subjects
When two singular subjects are joined by o, careful Italian puts the verb in the singular, because only one of them acts: Viene Marco o Luca alla festa? (31.7). In speech a plural verb is also heard.
7. O = "otherwise, or else"
At the start of a clause, after a comma or a pause, o means "or else, if not": Dobbiamo decidere adesso, o perdiamo il treno (31.12). Meglio alle otto, o troveremo il locale pieno (31.21). The verb that follows is in the indicative, usually the present or the future. The same meaning is given by altrimenti and se no: Sbrigati, altrimenti perdiamo il treno.
8. O meglio: a correction
O meglio ("or rather") corrects or sharpens what has just been said: Andiamo a Firenze, o meglio a Fiesole (31.15). It is set off by commas. Meglio is the adverb "better", so the phrase is literally "or better".
9. O between figures and approximations
O joins numbers to make an estimate: due o tre minuti (31.10), a dieci minuti, o poco più (31.26), alle otto o poco prima (31.28). Fixed phrases of the same kind: dieci euro o giù di lì ("ten euros or thereabouts"), un caffè o qualcosa del genere ("a coffee or something like that").
10. After a negative: né ... né
English says "I don't eat meat or fish". Careful Italian says Non mangio né carne né pesce. The conjunction né, with an acute accent, is "nor"; ne without the accent is a different word (the pronoun ne). Non vado né a Londra né a Madrid ("I'm going neither to London nor to Madrid"). Plain o after a negative (Non mangio carne o pesce) is heard in speech, but né ... né is the careful form for "neither ... nor".
11. Longer forms: oppure, ovvero, ossia
- oppure ("or else") is the stronger form of o. It can open a sentence or a clause: Oppure possiamo restare a casa. It is often used where o alone could be mistaken for the vocative O, a letter, or the figure zero, or could run into another word that begins with o. Lo compri subito, oppure vuoi ripensarci? - ovvero is an "or" that introduces a whole second clause (o tu ti spieghi male, ovvero sono io che non capisco), and today mainly means "that is": i legumi, ovvero fagioli, fave, piselli. It is less common than oppure. - ossia ("that is") explains: il pane, ossia l'alimento di base. It is o + sia, but it does not offer a choice.
12. Punctuation
In a simple choice or list there is no comma before o: tè, caffè o cioccolata. A comma is used where o begins a new clause (31.12, 31.21) or surrounds a correction (31.15). The written sign e/o ("and/or") is found in forms and legal texts; it is rarely spoken.
13. Fixed phrases with o
sì o no — yes or no più o meno — more or less prima o poi — sooner or later per amore o per forza — willingly or by force volente o nolente — willy-nilly testa o croce — heads or tails (literally "head or cross") pari o dispari — odds or evens (the finger game used to choose) o meglio — or rather o giù di lì — or thereabouts o qualcosa del genere — or something like that o ... o — either ... or
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: Vuoi caffè ho tè? ✗ → ✓ Vuoi caffè o tè? (ho is "I have").
Mistake: Vado a Roma od a Milano. ✗ → ✓ Vado a Roma o a Milano (od is rare and is not used before a).
Mistake: Vieni o non? ✗ → ✓ Vieni o no?
Mistake: Non mangio carne o pesce, meaning "neither". ✗ → ✓ Non mangio né carne né pesce.
Mistake: Prendo tè, caffè, o cioccolata. ✗ (a comma before o, as in English) → ✓ Prendo tè, caffè o cioccolata.
Mistake: Sì ò no? ✗ → ✓ Sì o no? (o has no accent).
Mistake: Caffè o' tè? ✗ → ✓ Caffè o tè? (no apostrophe; o never elides).
Mistake: pronouncing o like English "oh", with a glide. ✗ → ✓ a pure, short /o/. ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
O in everyday speech
O is the word of every counter, menu and timetable. The barista asks Caffè o cappuccino?, the waiter asks Naturale o frizzante? ("Still or sparkling?"), the ticket seller asks Andata o andata e ritorno? ("Single or return?"). To decide who goes first, Italian children play Pari o dispari? ("Odds or evens?"), and at the coin toss before a football match the captain is asked Testa o croce? ("Heads or tails?").
Proverbs and sayings
- "O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra" — either you eat this soup or you jump out of the window: take it or leave it, one must accept a thing one doesn't like or face something worse. The saying is old and widespread, with small variants (o mangi la minestra o salti la finestra). - "O Cesare o niente" — Caesar or nothing, the Italian form of the motto "Aut Caesar aut nihil", associated with Cesare Borgia. - "O la borsa o la vita!" — your money or your life. - "Prima o poi" — sooner or later. - "Più o meno" — more or less. - "Per amore o per forza" — willingly or by force. - "Essere o non essere" — "To be or not to be", as Italian translations of Hamlet have it.
Register and variety
O is the same in every register and in every region. The longer oppure is a little more emphatic and is common in writing. Ovvero is less common than oppure and has a bookish feel. The old spelling od is literary and now rare.
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Source: Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia, Inferno, Canto I, lines 64–66. Text as printed in the Italian Wikisource edition (lines 65–66) and at filosofico.net (lines 61–69), the spelling being Dante's (diserto, omo, od); the quotation marks are modernised.
Context: lost in the dark wood, driven back by the wolf towards the valley, Dante sees a figure that has long been silent. He does not know what it is. The three lines quoted are his cry for help, spoken before he knows that the figure is the shade of Virgil. The answer comes in line 67: Non omo, omo già fui ("Not a man; a man I once was"). Earlier lessons cited Inferno I, lines 1–9, and Lesson 30 cited Inferno III; this passage comes later in the first canto.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Quando when vidi I-saw costui this-one nel in-the gran great diserto wilderness
F.1b Quando /ˈkwando/ when vidi /ˈviːdi/ see.PST.1SG costui /kosˈtui/ this.one.M.SG nel /nel/ in-the.M.SG gran /gran/ great.M.SG diserto /diˈzɛrto/ wilderness.M.SG
F.2a Miserere have-pity di of me me gridai I-cried a to lui him
F.2b Miserere /mizeˈrɛːre/ have.pity.IMP di /di/ of me /me/ me.1SG gridai /griˈdai/ cry.PST.1SG a /a/ to lui /ˈluːi/ him.3SG.M
F.3a qual which che that tu you sii be od or ombra shade od or omo man certo real
F.3b qual /kwal/ which che /ke/ that tu /tu/ you.2SG.NOM sii /ˈsiːi/ be.PRES.SUBJ.2SG od /od/ or.CORR ombra /ˈombra/ shade.F.SG od /od/ or.CORR omo /ˈɔːmo/ man.M.SG certo /ˈtʃɛrto/ real.M.SG
F-B: Authentic Text with Idiomatic English Translation
Quando vidi costui nel gran diserto, «Miserere di me», gridai a lui, «qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo!»
→ "When I saw this one in the great wilderness, 'Have pity on me,' I cried to him, 'whoever you are, a shade or a real man!'" (Latinum Institute translation.)
F-C: Authentic Text Only
Quando vidi costui nel gran diserto, «Miserere di me», gridai a lui, «qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo!»
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
od ombra od omo certo — the correlative o ... o of Section D, rule 3, in Dante's spelling. Od is the old form of o before a vowel, and both words that follow it begin with o. The pair is an exclusive choice: the figure must be a spirit or a living man, and Dante, who cannot tell, accepts both and asks for help from either.
qual che tu sii — "whoever you are". Qual che is the old way of saying "which(ever) that", and sii is the present subjunctive of essere in Dante's Florentine; modern Italian says qualunque tu sia or chiunque tu sia. Sii survives in modern Italian only as the tu imperative: Sii gentile! ("Be kind!").
omo — Dante's spelling of uomo, in the next line also used by Virgil: Non omo, omo già fui. Certo here means "real, sure": not a ghost but a man in the flesh.
Miserere di me — Miserere is the Latin imperative of misereri, "to have pity", and the first word of Psalm 50 (51) in the Latin Bible: Miserere mei, Deus. Dante keeps the Latin word and puts it into an Italian clause with di me. Italian dictionaries list it as a noun, miserère (stress on the last syllable but one: mi-se-RÈ-re).
Quando vidi costui — vidi is the passato remoto of vedere (first person singular); costui is a literary pronoun, "this one". Gridai is the passato remoto of gridare. The first line is a clause of time (Quando vidi ...), and the main verb, gridai, comes in the second line, followed by the cry itself.
nel gran diserto — nel is in + il in one word, as in modern Italian (in lesson 30's Section F Dante wrote the older ne la as two words). Gran is grande shortened before a noun. Diserto is the old form of deserto, "wilderness, deserted place".
Dante does not know what he is speaking to, so he offers the figure both possibilities with od ... od, and Virgil's reply in the next line, Non omo, omo già fui, takes up the same choice: he is no longer a living man, but he was one.
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Giulia and Matteo are planning their Saturday evening, and in the course of the talk they have to decide on the cinema or dinner, pizza or pasta, eight or half past eight, car or bus. A conversation that settles a plan is made of choices, and every choice has an o in it. The dialogue is the place to hear o as the speaker's tool: the plain choice, the correlative o ... o, and the "or else" that warns of the consequence. Giulia and Matteo address each other as tu. The speaker's name before each line is not part of the Italian text and is not glossed.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
31.16a Giulia: Stasera this-evening usciamo we-go-out o or restiamo we-stay a at casa home
31.16b Giulia: Stasera /staˈseːra/ this.evening usciamo /uʃˈʃaːmo/ go.out.PRES.1PL o /o/ or restiamo /resˈtjaːmo/ stay.PRES.1PL a /a/ at casa /ˈkaːsa/ home.F.SG
31.17a Matteo: Usciamo we-go-out dai come-on andiamo we-go al to-the cinema cinema o or a to cena dinner fuori outside
31.17b Matteo: Usciamo /uʃˈʃaːmo/ go.out.PRES.1PL dai /ˈdai/ come.on andiamo /anˈdjaːmo/ go.PRES.1PL al /al/ to-the.M.SG cinema /ˈtʃiːnema/ cinema.M.SG o /o/ or a /a/ to cena /ˈtʃeːna/ dinner.F.SG fuori /ˈfwɔːri/ outside
31.18a Giulia: Preferisco I-prefer la the cena dinner pizza pizza o or pasta pasta
31.18b Giulia: Preferisco /prefeˈrisko/ prefer.PRES.1SG la /la/ the.F.SG cena /ˈtʃeːna/ dinner.F.SG pizza /ˈpittsa/ pizza.F.SG o /o/ or pasta /ˈpasta/ pasta.F.SG
31.19a Matteo: Per for me me è it-is uguale the-same pizza pizza o or pasta pasta va goes bene well tutto everything
31.19b Matteo: Per /per/ for me /me/ me.1SG è /ɛ/ be.PRES.3SG uguale /uˈgwaːle/ same.SG pizza /ˈpittsa/ pizza.F.SG o /o/ or pasta /ˈpasta/ pasta.F.SG va /va/ go.PRES.3SG bene /ˈbɛːne/ well tutto /ˈtutto/ everything.M.SG
31.20a Giulia: Allora then prenotiamo we-book un a tavolo table per for le the otto eight o or per for le the otto eight e and mezza half
31.20b Giulia: Allora /alˈloːra/ then prenotiamo /prenoˈtjaːmo/ book.PRES.1PL un /un/ a.M.SG tavolo /ˈtaːvolo/ table.M.SG per /per/ for le /le/ the.F.PL otto /ˈɔtto/ eight o /o/ or per /per/ for le /le/ the.F.PL otto /ˈɔtto/ eight e /e/ and mezza /ˈmɛddza/ half.F.SG
31.21a Matteo: Meglio better alle at-the otto eight o or troveremo we-will-find il the locale place pieno full
31.21b Matteo: Meglio /ˈmeʎʎo/ better.ADV alle /ˈalle/ at-the.F.PL otto /ˈɔtto/ eight o /o/ or.OTHERWISE troveremo /troveˈreːmo/ find.FUT.1PL il /il/ the.M.SG locale /loˈkaːle/ place.M.SG pieno /ˈpjɛːno/ full.M.SG
31.22a Giulia: Invitiamo we-invite anche also Sara Sara o or Paolo Paolo
31.22b Giulia: Invitiamo /inviˈtjaːmo/ invite.PRES.1PL anche /ˈaŋke/ also Sara /ˈsaːra/ Sara o /o/ or Paolo /ˈpaːolo/ Paolo
31.23a Matteo: Sara Sara risponde she-answers subito at-once o or non not risponde she-answers per for niente nothing
31.23b Matteo: Sara /ˈsaːra/ Sara risponde /riˈsponde/ answer.PRES.3SG subito /ˈsuːbito/ immediately o /o/ or non /non/ NEG risponde /riˈsponde/ answer.PRES.3SG per /per/ for niente /ˈnjɛnte/ nothing
31.24a Giulia: Allora then le to-her scrivo I-write adesso now o either viene she-comes con with noi us o or ci each-other vediamo we-see domani tomorrow
31.24b Giulia: Allora /alˈloːra/ then le /le/ she.DAT.3SG.F scrivo /ˈskriːvo/ write.PRES.1SG adesso /aˈdɛsso/ now o /o/ or.CORR viene /ˈvjɛːne/ come.PRES.3SG con /kon/ with noi /ˈnɔi/ we.1PL o /o/ or.CORR ci /tʃi/ RECIP vediamo /veˈdjaːmo/ see.PRES.1PL domani /doˈmaːni/ tomorrow
31.25a Matteo: Chiedo I-ask a to Paolo Paolo se if viene he-comes in by macchina car o or in by moto motorbike
31.25b Matteo: Chiedo /ˈkjɛːdo/ ask.PRES.1SG a /a/ to Paolo /ˈpaːolo/ Paolo se /se/ if viene /ˈvjɛːne/ come.PRES.3SG in /in/ by macchina /ˈmakkina/ car.F.SG o /o/ or in /in/ by moto /ˈmɔːto/ motorbike.F.SG
31.26a Giulia: Io I vengo I-come a on piedi feet il the ristorante restaurant è is a at dieci ten minuti minutes o or poco little più more
31.26b Giulia: Io /ˈiːo/ I.1SG.NOM vengo /ˈvɛŋgo/ come.PRES.1SG a /a/ on piedi /ˈpjɛːdi/ foot.M.PL il /il/ the.M.SG ristorante /ristoˈraːnte/ restaurant.M.SG è /ɛ/ be.PRES.3SG a /a/ at dieci /ˈdjɛːtʃi/ ten minuti /miˈnuːti/ minute.M.PL o /o/ or poco /ˈpɔːko/ little più /pju/ more
31.27a Matteo: Io I prendo I-take l' the autobus bus o or un a taxi taxi dipende it-depends dall' on-the ora hour
31.27b Matteo: Io /ˈiːo/ I.1SG.NOM prendo /ˈprɛndo/ take.PRES.1SG l' /l/ the.M.SG autobus /ˈautobus/ bus.M.SG o /o/ or un /un/ a.M.SG taxi /ˈtaksi/ taxi.M.SG dipende /diˈpɛnde/ depend.PRES.3SG dall' /dal/ from-the.F.SG ora /ˈoːra/ hour.F.SG
31.28a Giulia: Allora then ci each-other vediamo we-see davanti in-front al to-the ristorante restaurant alle at-the otto eight o or poco little prima earlier
31.28b Giulia: Allora /alˈloːra/ then ci /tʃi/ RECIP vediamo /veˈdjaːmo/ see.PRES.1PL davanti /daˈvanti/ in.front al /al/ to-the.M.SG ristorante /ristoˈraːnte/ restaurant.M.SG alle /ˈalle/ at-the.F.PL otto /ˈɔtto/ eight o /o/ or poco /ˈpɔːko/ little prima /ˈpriːma/ before.ADV
31.29a Matteo: D' of accordo agreement Se if tardo I-am-late ti you chiamo I-call o or ti you scrivo I-write
31.29b Matteo: D' /d/ of accordo /akˈkɔrdo/ agreement.M.SG Se /se/ if tardo /ˈtardo/ be.late.PRES.1SG ti /ti/ you.ACC.2SG chiamo /ˈkjaːmo/ call.PRES.1SG o /o/ or ti /ti/ you.DAT.2SG scrivo /ˈskriːvo/ write.PRES.1SG
31.30a Giulia: Perfetto perfect Se if piove it-rains prendiamo we-take l' the ombrello umbrella o or restiamo we-stay a at casa home
31.30b Giulia: Perfetto /perˈfɛtto/ perfect.M.SG Se /se/ if piove /ˈpjɔːve/ rain.PRES.3SG prendiamo /prenˈdjaːmo/ take.PRES.1PL l' /l/ the.M.SG ombrello /omˈbrɛllo/ umbrella.M.SG o /o/ or restiamo /resˈtjaːmo/ stay.PRES.1PL a /a/ at casa /ˈkaːsa/ home.F.SG
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Part B: Natural Dialogue with Idiomatic Translation
31.16 Giulia: Stasera usciamo o restiamo a casa? → "Shall we go out this evening or stay at home?"
31.17 Matteo: Usciamo, dai! Andiamo al cinema o a cena fuori? → "Let's go out! Shall we go to the cinema or out to dinner?"
31.18 Giulia: Preferisco la cena: pizza o pasta? → "I'd prefer dinner. Pizza or pasta?"
31.19 Matteo: Per me è uguale: pizza o pasta, va bene tutto. → "It's all the same to me: pizza or pasta, anything is fine."
31.20 Giulia: Allora prenotiamo un tavolo per le otto o per le otto e mezza? → "So shall we book a table for eight or for half past eight?"
31.21 Matteo: Meglio alle otto, o troveremo il locale pieno. → "Better at eight, or we'll find the place full."
31.22 Giulia: Invitiamo anche Sara o Paolo? → "Shall we invite Sara or Paolo too?"
31.23 Matteo: Sara risponde subito o non risponde per niente. → "Sara either answers at once or doesn't answer at all."
31.24 Giulia: Allora le scrivo adesso: o viene con noi, o ci vediamo domani. → "Then I'll write to her now: either she comes with us, or we'll see each other tomorrow."
31.25 Matteo: Chiedo a Paolo se viene in macchina o in moto. → "I'll ask Paolo whether he's coming by car or by motorbike."
31.26 Giulia: Io vengo a piedi: il ristorante è a dieci minuti, o poco più. → "I'll come on foot: the restaurant is ten minutes away, or a little more."
31.27 Matteo: Io prendo l'autobus o un taxi, dipende dall'ora. → "I'll take the bus or a taxi, depending on the time."
31.28 Giulia: Allora ci vediamo davanti al ristorante alle otto, o poco prima. → "Then we'll meet in front of the restaurant at eight, or a little earlier."
31.29 Matteo: D'accordo. Se tardo, ti chiamo o ti scrivo. → "Agreed. If I'm late, I'll call you or write to you."
31.30 Giulia: Perfetto! Se piove, prendiamo l'ombrello o restiamo a casa. → "Perfect! If it rains, we'll take the umbrella or stay at home."
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Part C: Dialogue in Italian Only
Giulia: Stasera usciamo o restiamo a casa?
Matteo: Usciamo, dai! Andiamo al cinema o a cena fuori?
Giulia: Preferisco la cena: pizza o pasta?
Matteo: Per me è uguale: pizza o pasta, va bene tutto.
Giulia: Allora prenotiamo un tavolo per le otto o per le otto e mezza?
Matteo: Meglio alle otto, o troveremo il locale pieno.
Giulia: Invitiamo anche Sara o Paolo?
Matteo: Sara risponde subito o non risponde per niente.
Giulia: Allora le scrivo adesso: o viene con noi, o ci vediamo domani.
Matteo: Chiedo a Paolo se viene in macchina o in moto.
Giulia: Io vengo a piedi: il ristorante è a dieci minuti, o poco più.
Matteo: Io prendo l'autobus o un taxi, dipende dall'ora.
Giulia: Allora ci vediamo davanti al ristorante alle otto, o poco prima.
Matteo: D'accordo. Se tardo, ti chiamo o ti scrivo.
Giulia: Perfetto! Se piove, prendiamo l'ombrello o restiamo a casa.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
Usciamo o restiamo (31.16): two verbs in the first person plural, joined by o, with a question that is asked of both people. Uscire is irregular in the present: esco, esci, esce, usciamo, uscite, escono; the stem is esc- when the stress falls on it and usc- elsewhere, as with andare in lesson 30. Stasera is questa sera written as one word, "this evening, tonight".
Dai (31.17): a spoken "come on!", as in lesson 30. A cena fuori is the set phrase for "out to dinner", and andare a cena fuori is the usual way of saying it. Al cinema o a cena fuori: the preposition is repeated after o (Section D, rule 5).
Pizza o pasta (31.18, 31.19): food words after a choice have no article. Preferisco la cena: the article is used because the speaker means "dinner" as an occasion. Preferire is a verb in -isc-: preferisco, preferisci, preferisce, preferiamo, preferite, preferiscono (the same verb gives preferisci in 31.13).
Per me è uguale (31.19): "it's the same to me", with va bene tutto, "everything is fine", from lesson 30's va bene. The colon introduces the reason, and o is placed between the two items of the choice.
Per le otto o per le otto e mezza (31.20): the time of an event is given with per (a table for eight); le otto is plural because ore is understood. Both prepositions are repeated, and so is the article (Section D, rule 5). E mezza is "and a half", "half past".
Meglio alle otto, o troveremo (31.21): o with the sense "otherwise, or else" (Section D, rule 7). The verb after it is in the future, troveremo (trovare is regular: troverò, troverai, troverà, troveremo). Meglio is the adverb "better", with an implied sarebbe or è, and the time is given with alle (at eight).
Sara o Paolo (31.22): the choice is between two names, and anche, "also, too", comes before them. Invitare is regular.
Sara risponde subito o non risponde per niente (31.23): o joins two clauses, and the second has a negative. Non ... per niente means "not at all", with the verb between non and per niente. A plain o is right here: the choice is between answering and not answering.
O viene con noi, o ci vediamo domani (31.24): the correlative pair of Section D, rule 3, with a comma before the second o. Le scrivo: le is the indirect object pronoun "to her". Ci vediamo has reciprocal ci, "each other": "we shall see each other", which is also how Italian says "we shall meet".
In macchina o in moto (31.25): in is repeated, because it is the preposition of vehicles (lesson 30, Section D, rule 3). La moto is feminine (it is short for motocicletta). Chiedere a, "to ask someone", takes a before the person.
A dieci minuti, o poco più (31.26): a with a distance in time, "at ten minutes' distance, ten minutes away". O poco più is an approximation, "or a little more", and the same shape as o poco prima in 31.28 (Section D, rule 9). A piedi is "on foot" (lesson 30).
L'autobus o un taxi (31.27): two means of transport joined by o. L'autobus has the elided article l' before a vowel; un taxi has the indefinite article, since taxi is masculine in Italian. Dipende dall'ora: dipendere da, "to depend on", with da + l' joined as dall'. Ora is "hour" and here "the time of day".
Ci vediamo davanti al ristorante (31.28): davanti a + il gives davanti al, "in front of the". Alle otto o poco prima: alle is a + le (at the), as in 31.21, and o poco prima is "or a little earlier".
D'accordo (31.29): d'accordo, with an apostrophe, is "agreed, all right". Se tardo: tardare is "to be late, to delay" and se, "if", is followed by the present. Ti chiamo o ti scrivo: the pronoun ti is repeated before each verb (Section D, rule 5). Ti is a direct object with chiamare and an indirect object with scrivere.
Se piove, prendiamo l'ombrello o restiamo a casa (31.30): se piove is a real possibility, with the present in both halves. The speakers come back, in the last line, to restiamo a casa of the first line. Perfetto is a masculine adjective used as an interjection, and is followed by an exclamation mark.
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- The key forms: o /o/; od /od/; oppure /opˈpuːre/; ovvero /ovˈvɛːro/; ossia /osˈsiːa/; ho /ɔ/ ("I have"). - O is written with no accent in any use. A grave ò or an acute ó is wrong. - O does not elide: tè o acqua, not "tè o' acqua". An apostrophe does appear in l', d', dall', c', which are different words. - Né ("nor", "neither") is written with an acute accent: né ... né. Ne without an accent is the pronoun or adverb. Sì ("yes") has a grave accent; si (the pronoun) has none. - Ho and o are written apart from each other: ho is "I have", with the silent h, and o is "or". In speech they differ in the vowel, /ɔ/ and /o/. - Oppure, ovvero and ossia are each written as one word. Ossia is o + sia written together. - Od is old and literary. It is used today, if at all, only before a word beginning with o. Do not write od before other vowels. - No comma before a simple o in a list: tè, caffè o cioccolata. A comma belongs where o begins a new clause or surrounds a correction: o meglio. - The days of the week and the months are written with a small letter; names of persons and places take a capital: Marco, Luca, Sara, Paolo, Roma, Milano, Firenze, Fiesole. The Italian quotation marks « » are used for the cry in Section F and, in print, without space inside them. - E/o ("and/or") is a written sign, found in forms, contracts and notices.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)