Learn Italian Vocabulary - How to use the Italian word MAGARI!

MAGARI is a tiny but powerful words in Italian. Italians love to use it and you will hear it all the time!

Download here the PDF of the entire lesson!

It’s not easily understood by learners because it has many meanings and there isn’t a specific English translation to it. It sometimes means, if only, sometimes it means I wish, and in other contexts it means maybe. In this lesson I will give you the different meanings of this word and I will show you how to use it!

The first meaning od MAGARI and the most common one is when it translates to MAYBE. In this case you are expressing a probability.

For example:

• Magari passo dalla nonna dopo la scuola. 
• Maybe I will go to grandma’s house after school.

This sentence can also easily use the word FORSE instead of magari and the meaning would stay the same:

• Forse passo dalla nonna dopo la scuola. 
• Maybe I will go to grandma’s house after school.

You can also use magari to mean I WISH.

So in this case you are expressing a desire. This is usually used as an answer to a question and it is a wishful exclamation. 

So for example if you ask me:

• Giulia vuoi venire a Parigi con me? I would probably answer MAGARI! So the meaning is more of “oh I would love to!"

Be careful here because in this case it was a very positive MAGARI expressing that I would really like to go… but I could also change intonation and say 

Giulia vuoi venire a Parigi con me? 

MAGARI! in this case it’s more of Ohhh I wish I could.. but I can’t. 

In this case you are almost expressing regret… 

• Hai finito di studiare? Magari!
• Hai vinto la partita? Magari!
• Hai vinto alla lotteria? Magari!

Magari can also be translated to IF ONLY (with a positive connotation) in a sentence followed by the congiuntivo imperfetto … yes those difficult verbs that usually have many SSSSSS like potessi, vincessi, apricassi, parlassi and so on…

• Magari potessi venire a Parigi – If only I could come to Paris
• Magari vivessi a NYC – If only I lived in NYC 
• Magari vincessi la lotteria! - If only I won the lottery!