Learn to use the Italian word 'già'

Già has different meanings. It’s a very simple quick but highly used little word in Italian everyday language.

Here is the PDF of this lesson!

Già with a little accent at the end can be used to give a reply, an answer in informal conversations. You can use it to comment that you agree to what the person is saying. In this case it can have the meaning of right, yup, indeed.

It can be a positive or negative answer depending on your tone of voice.

It can be a cheerful già in a sentence like this:

• Domani parti per le Maldive? (Are you leaving for the Maldives tomorrow?)
• Già! (yes! yeaah)

or a sad depressed one… 

•  le vacanze sono finite (holidays are over..)
•  Già! – (indeed! :( )

You can also use it to say “yeah I know”…. I’m aware. So like with an obvious question…

• Dovresti mangiare meno cioccolato se vuoi dimagrire....già… (You should eat less chocolate if you want to loose weight.. yup...duuuh)

You can make it more or less sarcastic or depressed depending on your mood… as you eat the chocolate! 

This is probably the most informal and colloquial use of this tiny word. 

The most common use of già is when it translates to “already“. With all the shades of already.

You can match it with the past tense (passato prossimo), in this case will position già between the auxiliary verb and the past participle to talk about an action that has already been done. So it’s finished.

For example: 

•  Hai già bevuto il caffè? – Have you already had your coffee?
•  Sono già stato a New York – I have already been to New York.
•  Elena ha già fatto i compiti per domani - Elena has already done the homework for tomorrow.

Another way to use it is with the meaning of already is when you are truly indicating that an action has been done very quickly. 

For example, if you come over to my house and you leave after 5 minutes I can say 

• Già te ne vai? You are already leaving?
• Hai già finito di mangiare? - You have already finished eating?

or you could even say it by itself look at this dialogue:

• vado a casa! di già? - I'm leaving! Already??!!

You can also use it to say that you already know something. You use it in a way that tells that you forsee the future… you know what is going to happen.

For example.

• Già so cosa mi dirà - I already know what he/she wants to tell me
• con la mia sfortuna già so che domani pioverà! - With my luck I already know it will rain tomorrow!

Keep up with your Italian by watching my videos on YouTube! :)