Correlative Coordinating Conjunctions

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)

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.

né… né

The né… né correlative pair indicates that both things that follow the individual conjunctions are not true or will not take place. In order to use this negative construction, there must be a non present earlier in the sentence that can trigger it, as follows:

La nuova studentessa non è né timida né nervosa. The new student is neither timid nor nervous. Purtroppo, non mi piace né ballare né cantare.Unfortunately, I don’t like to dance nor sing.

Our second example above shows us how, sometimes, when translated to English, neither is omitted since the “not” in don’t suffices.

sia… sia/che

Sia… sia/che is used when expressing two things that are both true or likely to happen. The second sia is normally interchangeable with che:

Mi piace sia la torta al limone, sia quella al cioccolato. Mi piace sia la torta al limone, che quella al cioccolato. I like both the lemon cake and the chocolate one. I like the lemon cake, as well as the chocolate one.

non solo… ma anche

Non solo… ma anche translates directly into English and means not only… but also. It is important to note that ma anche can be united or separated:

Ci occupiamo non solo dell'accoglienza degli ospiti, ma anche dello sviluppo commerciale. We are responsible not only for welcoming guests, but also for increasing sales volume. Non solo lo ammiro, ma appoggerò anche la sua nomina a direttore artistico. Not only do I admire him, but I will also support his appointment as artistic director.

tanto… quanto

The tanto… quanto correlative pair is used to express equality between two elements or to highlight the interchangeability of two options:

È tanto intelligente quanto bella. She is as bright as she is good-looking. Va bene tanto la mozzarella quanto la ricotta per fare le piadine per stasera. Both mozzarella and ricotta will work well to make the piadine for tonight.

e… e

Finally, the e… e correlative pair is normally equivalent to the English both (with).. and (with).

Cercò di convincerla e con lusinghe e con minacce. He/She tried to convince her both with flattery and with threats.

Given that the e… e pair is not regularly used in spoken Italian, it will be omitted from the quizzes.