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Have you ever wondered how to say “Since (this), I’ll do (that)” in Italian?
There are a handful of phrases that you can use, and the three we’re talking about in this round of speed dates are commonly used ones.
While they are considered synonyms, there are some slight differences we’ll be covering.
Round #1: Siccome
Siccome is defined by Context-Reverso as meaning:
— Because
— Since
— ‘Cause
However, to make things extra-simple, we’re going to define it as “since.”
–– Siccome la mia famiglia è di Italia, vorrei imparare l’italiano. – Since my family is from Italy, I would like to learn Italian.
— Siccome sei appena laureata, ti offro io la cena stasera. – Since you just graduated, I’ll treat you tonight.
— Allora, siccome piove, guardiamo un film invece di fare una passeggiata. – Well, since it’s raining, let’s watch a movie instead of taking a walk.
— Vorrei mangiare fuori, ma siccome siamo al verde, ceniamo da te. – I would like to eat out, but since we’re broke (at the green), let’s make dinner at your place.
Round #2: Dato che
“Dato che” can be defined as meaning:
— Since, since that
— Because, because that
— Given that
— Considering that
— Dato che non riesco a parlare l’inglese, non posso comunicare con gli americani. – Since I can’t speak English, I can’t communicate with the Americans.
— Sono molto contenta dato che ho avuto la mia prima conversazione in italiano un’ora fa. – I’m really happy since I just had my first conversation in Italian an hour ago.
— Dato che già riesci a parlare lo spagnolo, imparare l’italiano sarà facile. – Because you already speak Spanish, learning Italian will be easy.
Round #3: Poiché
“Poiché” can be defined as meaning:
— Since
— Seeing as
— Poiché non sei arrivato in tempo, non possiamo andare alla festa. – Since you didn’t arrive on time, we can’t go to the party.
— Poiché imparare l’italiano è un lungo processo, devi essere paziente. – Since learning Italian is a long process, you must be patient.
— Poiché adoro l’Emilia Romagna, ho deciso di fare una vacanza lì per tre mesi durante l’estate. – Since I adore Emilia Romagna, I’ve decided to take a vacation there for three months during the summer.
So what’s the big difference between the three?
“Siccome” and “dato che” are used more often in everyday speech and “poiché” is more academic in nature and can come off as cultured (or stuffy!) in casual conversation.
