In this lesson, we will go over a selection of Italian correlative coordinating conjunctions. These conjunctions, as we will see, comprise more than one word and work as pairs. Their purpose is to showcase or emphasize a relationship between two elements or parts of a sentence.
More specifically, correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that link two grammatically comparable elements (words, phrases, clauses). The two elements connected by a correlative pair are conceptually similar. In other words, nouns are linked to nouns, adjectives to adjectives, and so on.
o… o =- either… or
né… né = neither… nor
sia… sia/che = both… and/as well as
non solo… ma anche = not only… but also
tanto… quanto/come = as… as / both… and
e… e = both (with)... and (with)
More specifically, correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that link two grammatically comparable elements (words, phrases, clauses). The two elements connected by a correlative pair are conceptually similar. In other words, nouns are linked to nouns, adjectives to adjectives, and so on.
o… o =- either… or
né… né = neither… nor
sia… sia/che = both… and/as well as
non solo… ma anche = not only… but also
tanto… quanto/come = as… as / both… and
e… e = both (with)... and (with)
o… o
The o… o correlative pair is the Italian equivalent of the English either… or. It conveys the idea that only one out of two options will take place, but not both:| O andiamo in Sicilia, o andiamo in Calabria, ma non possiamo andare in entrambi i luoghi. Either we go to Sicily, or we go to Calabria, but we can’t go to both places. |