Li or lì, la or là?

They have the same written form but have two different functions. Li without accent is the plural masculine pronoun used with the direct object function: Li ho visti insieme al ristorante. La professoressa mi ha dato due libri. Devo leggerli entrambi. Ho comprato i biglietti per il concerto ma non li ho mai ricevuti. Lì with the accent instead is […]

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Is it written perciò or per ciò?

Both forms are correct but have different uses. Perciò is a concluding conjunction that introduces a sentence in which the consequence of facts expressed in the previous sentence and which are its cause is expressed. Perciò means “per questo motivo” (for this reason). Ho studiato tanto perciò ho preso un voto alto all’esame. Oggi fa molto caldo perciò vado al […]

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Is it written “se” or “sé”?

Both forms are correct. Se, without the accent, it is a hypothetical conjunction which serves to introduce a hypothesis or a condition. Se avessi tempo, andrei a fare una passeggiata al mare. Se fossi ricco, comprerei uno yacht. Se tu mi dessi attenzione, ti spiegherei cosa è successo. Sé,with the accent, it is instead the third person singular reflexive pronoun. Marco […]

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Is it written “tutt’altro” or “tuttaltro”?

The correct form is tutt’altro but, written detached with an apostrophe. Tutt’altro means “completely different”. L’esercizio era tutt’altro che semplice. La partita è stata tutt’altro che trionfale. Lo studente era sicuro di avere ragione. L’insegnate era di tutt’altro parere. Tutt’altro is a locution composed of the indefinitive pronoun “tutto” and the indefinitive pronoun “altro”. The two words merged into a […]

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You write “d’accordo” or “daccordo”?

The correct form is d’accordo, with an apostrophe; the word comes from an elision of the letter I in di + accordo, between a preposition and a noun.  Io vado d’accordo con cani e gatti. Andare d’amore e d’accordo. Restiamo d’accordo così per stasera.  The form daccordo is always considered INCORRECT. See also: Is it written tutt’altro or tuttaltro? D’accordo , […]

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Is it written “allora” or “all’ora”?

Both forms are correct Allora can have different meanings. It can be a conclusive conjunction with the meaning of “therefore” that introduces a logical consequence to what has been said previously.  Marco non ha studiato, allora non ha passato l’esame. It can perform the function of time adverb with the meaning of “at that time” in the past or future. Allora non […]

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