How do you say “so” in Italian?
If you look it up in the dictionary, it’s a bit of a nightmare. You’ll find at least 10 different words, all used in slightly different ways.
Why is it so complicated… così complicato?
Luckily, there’s one word that covers a lot of the times you’ll want to say “so”, and that’s così!
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use così in all kinds of useful situations, from complimenting food to buying a train ticket.
So tasty! Così for emphasis
It’s easy to use “so” when talking about Italy. The food is so good, the people are so friendly, and the countryside is so beautiful. When you use così in this way, it adds emphasis.
L’Italia è così bella – Italy is so beautiful
Questo risotto è così buono! – This risotto is so tasty!
Il peperoncino di Calabria è così piccante! – Chilli from Calabria is so spicy!
Imparare l’italiano è così divertente – Learning Italian is so fun
You can also use it negatively, just like in English:
La burocrazia italiana è così complicata! – Italian bureaucracy is so complicated!
So that… Così to give a reason
Why are you learning Italian? You can use così to tell people! It works like “so that” when you give a reason for doing something:
… così posso visitare i posti meno turistici – so that I can visit less touristy places
… così posso parlare con i miei cugini – so that I can talk to my cousins
… così posso capire i menù! – so that I can understand the menus!
Learner tip: Italians are often pleasantly surprised and curious as to why you’re interested in learning their language. Knowing how to answer this question will give you a great way to keep the conversation going.
Like so, like this, like that
Here’s another use of the word così, which is very important! Italians use it any time they want to describe how something is done. It means “like so”, “like this” and “like that”.
Inserisci la carta, così – Insert your card, like so
Mangiate il pesce così, senza Parmigiano? – Do you eat fish like this, without Parmesan?
Vorrei uno spritz così anch’io! – I’d like a spritz like that too
Because Italians use così for “like this” and “like that”, it’s simpler than in English (sì!) because you don’t have to worry about the difference. It also means you’ll hear and use it very often. Imagine you’re asking for help buying a train ticket in Italy:
Come funziona questa macchinetta? – How does this machine work?
Premi qui, così. – Press here, like this.
Così? – Like this?
Sì, esatto, così. – Yes, exactly, like that.
It’s so, so… OK I suppose…
When you’re feeling less than enthusiastic about something, you can say così twice, exactly how we use so-so in English:
Com’è il caffè? – Mm, così così. – How’s the coffee? – Hmm, so-so.
Com’è andato il viaggio? – Così così. – How did the trip go? – So-so.
Learner tip: Italian classes and textbooks often teach this as an answer to Come stai? How are you? It’s correct, but not used much. To sound really natural, use così così when describing underwhelming things and experiences, just like in the examples above.
When NOT to use “così”
With so many different meanings, it is quite surprising how similar the words “so” and così are! But things are never così semplici, so simple, when learning a foreign language and there are a few exceptions and things to look out for.
Don’t use così to start a conversation
Sometimes in English we use “so” to signal that we’re about to talk about a new topic – “So, how did it go yesterday?”
You can’t use così for this in Italian. Instead, you should use allora, another very common and versatile word!
Don’t use it for consequences
Here’s an example of how language learning can get a little murky sometimes, but stick with us and we’ll help you figure it out! We’ve spoken about how you can use così to give a reason for doing something. Here are some more examples:
✅Mangiamo qui, così assaggi la focaccia – We’ll eat here so that you can try the focaccia
✅Pago ora, così non mi dimentico – I’ll pay now so that I don’t forget
Be careful not to confuse reasons with consequences, like this:
❌Ho fame, così ordino una pizza – I’m hungry, so I’ll order a pizza.
❌Vorrei un vino, così andiamo all’enoteca – I’d like a wine, so let’s go to the winebar
What’s the difference? In the first examples, così introduces a reason. I’m explaining why I’m stopping at the restaurant or paying now. It means “so that”, “in order to” or “because this way”.
In the second examples, I can’t explain why I’m hungry with “so that I’ll order a pizza”. And it would sound weird to say I want a wine “so that we go to the wine bar”. Ordering pizza or going to the winebar are consequences of the fact we’re hungry and want wine, not reasons.
For consequences, use quindi or allora:
Ho fame, quindi ordino una pizza – I’m hungry, so I’ll order a pizza
Vorrei un vino, allora andiamo all’enoteca – I’d like a wine, so let’s go to the winebar
Quick tip: If you can insert “that” after “so” and everything still makes sense, you’re probably giving a reason and can use così in Italian.
Così: How to Say “So” (and Much More) in Italian – Review
If you want to say “so” in Italian, you can often use così, a very handy and versatile word! Here’s how:
| For emphasis | Imparare l’italiano è così divertente! Learning Italian is so fun! |
| To give a reason for doing something | Pago ora, così non mi dimentico I’ll pay now so that I don’t forget |
| Like so, like this, like that | Inserisci la carta, così Insert your card, like so |
| So so… ok I suppose | Com’è il caffè? – Mm, così così. How’s the coffee? – Hmm, so-so. |
There are a couple of situations where così doesn’t work: when talking about a new topic (use allora instead) and when introducing a consequence (use allora or quindi).
Allora, com’è andata ieri? – So, how did it go yesterday?
Ho fame, quindi ordino una pizza – I’m hungry, so I’ll order a pizza
Vorrei un vino, allora andiamo all’enoteca – I’d like a wine, so let’s go to the winebar
Finally, remember that when it comes to little words like così, once you understand the basic logic, a lot of the learning happens through listening. By hearing così being used naturally, you’ll start to get a feel for when it works and when it doesn’t.
Over time, it will feel così semplice, so simple!
Così: How to Say “So” in Italian: Quiz and Vocabulary Cards
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Così: How to Say “So” in Italian
Vocabulary
Così piccante = so spicy
Così divertente = so fun
Il peperoncino è così piccante! = the chilli is so spicy!
Imparare l’italiano è così divertente! = learning Italian is so fun!
La burocrazia italiana è così complicata = Italian bureaucracy is so complicated
Perché impari l’italiano? = why are you learning Italian?
Così posso visitare posti meno turistici = so that I can visit less touristy places
Così posso parlare con i miei cugini = so that I can talk with my cousins
Inserisci la carta, così = insert the card, like so
Così? = like this?
Sì, così! = Yes, like that!
Com’è il caffè? – Mm, così così. = how’s the coffee? – Hmm, so-so
Flashcards: Così: How to Say “So” in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Transcript: Così: How To Say ‘So’ (and much more) in Italian
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. So I know we’re actually here to talk about the word “so”, but now we all want to know about this rare Italian spicy food. Che cos’è? What is it?
M: It’s a spreadable pork sausage called n’duja. It’s from Calabria and the word is in dialect, so it’s a bit hard to pronounce even for us Italians!
K: Yeah! Is there an N followed by a D at the beginning? Like this? Nduja.
M: Yes, nduja (x2) It’s known all over Italy, so it’s not rare because it’s not available, it’s rare because Italian cuisine isn’t usually spicy. The exception is the Calabria region, because they have lovely red peperoncini, chilli peppers.
K: It often catches me by surprise, because in Italy I’m never expecting the spice. Here’s a typical conversation we might have when this happens. Oh, and by the way, once we stop being distracted by food, we’ll get to the word così! As you’re listening to the conversation, how many examples can you hear, and what do they mean?
M: Mm… la n’duja è così buona!! …. Katie, stai bene?
K: Sì, ma è sempre così piccante?
M: Aggiungi un po’ di ricotta. Così è meno forte.
K: Così?
M: Sì, così! Com’è?
K: Mm…Così così
K: So Matteo started with:
M: Mm… la n’duja è così buona!! – Mmm… the n’duja is so good! Literally:
La – the
n’duja – that’s the spicy sausage spread from Calabria
è – is
così – so
buona – good. This time ending in -a, buonA, because nduja is feminine.
K: Now we’re finally getting to così! Here’s our first example. So good, così buona. We use it in the same way we use “so” for emphasis in English. A bit like saying “really” or “extremely”. Let’s hear some more examples. How would you say “the chilli is so spicy?". “The chilli” is il peperoncino (x2), and spicy is piccante (x2).
M: Il peperoncino è così piccante! (x2)
K: “Learning Italian is so fun?” Learning is imparare (x2) and fun is divertente (x2). And we say “the Italian” l'italiano.
M: Imparare l’italiano è così divertente (x2)
K: We try, we do try to make it fun, even though we know learning Italian can be hard at times! Speaking of which, if you find we’re making learning Italian a little more divertente for you, would you mind taking a second to follow us in your podcast app? You’ll get updates when we release new episodes and you’ll help our podcast grow.
M: Grazie mille!
K: Back to così, we can also use it to emphasise something negatively of course, just like in English. For example “Italian bureaucracy is so complicated!”
M: La burocrazia italiana è così complicata (x2). It’s true.
K: Sì! Così complicata. Let’s talk quickly about how to pronounce così. Because it’s spelt C-O-S-I. But above the ì, there’s a little accent pointing down. That means it’s the most important part of the word that you want to make stand out. Put all your effort onto the last ì, which is pronounced “ee”.
M: Così (x2)
K: So it doesn’t sound like “cosy”, like when you put on a big warm winter jumper in front of the fire. It’s not COsy, with the emphasis on O, but rather così, with the emphasis on ì.
M: Così (x2).
K: Then Matteo said:
K: Katie, stai bene? – Katie, are you ok? Literally:
Stai – you stay
Bene – well
Italians use “stay” to talk about how they are and you can learn more about this in episode 88. Next, I said:
M: Sì, ma è sempre così piccante? – Yes, but is it always so spicy?
Sì – yes
Ma – but
È – it is
Sempre – always
Così – so
Piccante – spicy
K: Here’s another example of “così” meaning “so” for emphasis. So spicy.
M: Così piccante.
K: Then Matteo shares a little trick with me:
M: Aggiungi un po’ di ricotta – Add a bit of ricotta
Aggiungi – you add
Un po’ – a bit
Di – of
Ricotta – ricotta cheese
K: Then he explains why:
M: Così è meno forte – This way it’s less strong
Così – this way
È – it is
Meno – less
Forte – strong
K: And here we heard another really common use of così. We use it to give a reason for doing something, like saying “so that”, “in order to” or “because in this way”. For example, Italians are often curious about why you’re learning Italian, and you could give a reason starting with “so that”. So that I can visit less touristy places:
M: Così posso visitare posti meno turistici (x2)
K: So that I can talk to my cousins:
M: Così posso parlare con i miei cugini (x2)
K: Next, I asked Matteo if I was adding the ricotta in the right way. I only needed one little word:
M: Così? – Like this?
K: Italians also use così to mean “like this”, “like that” or “like so”. In Italian, there’s just one word: così. For example, a sales clerk might say “insert your card, like so”:
M: Inserisci la carta, così (x2)
K: Because Italians use così for “like this”, “like that” and “like so”, it’s simpler than in English, because you don’t have to worry about any differences between them.
M: Finally something easy about Italian!
K: It also means you’ll hear and use it very often. In fact, Matteo replied:
M: Sì, così! – Yes, like that!
K: Then Matteo asked:
M: Com’è? – How is it?
Come – how
È – it is
K: We smush come (how) and è (it is) together to get com’è? Then I replied:
M: Mm…Così così – Mmm, so-so.
K: Here’s a surprising similarity between Italian and English. Just like how in English we can say “so-so” to mean that something is ok-ish, but a bit underwhelming, we can use così così in Italian.
M: But we have a little tip for you! You might learn this in Italian classes and textbooks as a reply to Come stai? How are you? This is correct in Italian, but we don’t really use it much in that way.
K: A bit like English really, when was the last time you heard someone say “so-so” when you asked “how are you”? It’s correct, but I don’t hear people using it that much.
M: But Italians do use it a lot when talking about things and experiences.
K: For example, if someone asks me Com’è il caffè? (how’s the coffee) can I reply “Mm, so-so”... così così?
M: Yes, it sounds very natural like that.
K: Ok so let’s do a quick review of our examples of così. We heard it meaning “so” to give emphasis, like “so spicy”:
M: Così piccante (x2)
K: And to give a reason for doing something. In this case it’s like “so that”. Matteo suggests adding ricotta to the nduja, SO THAT it’s less strong.
M: Così è meno forte (x2).
K: You also heard it used for “like this”, “like that” and “like so”, which are all così in Italian. How would you say “like this?”
M: Così?
K: Yes, like that.
M: Sì, così.
K: And finally, when something is so-so, kind of ok-ish, you can say così così. Which we don’t use much as a reply to come stai “how are you”. But we do use it a lot to talk about things and experiences.
M: For example, com’è il caffè? How’s the coffee? Così così.
K: Let’s listen to the conversation again:
M: Mm… la n’duja è così buona!! …. Katie, stai bene?
K: Sì, ma è sempre così piccante?
M: Aggiungi un po’ di ricotta. Così è meno forte.
K: Così?
M: Sì, così! Com’è?
K: Mm…Così così
K: Now there are actually two important situations you should know about where you can’t use così when you want to say “so” in Italian, so we’ve included those over on the blog, along with the words you should use instead. You’ll also see everything from today’s lesson written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz. To find out more, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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