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Italian Word Speed Dates: Poi and Così

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Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts.Italian Word Speed Dates: Poi and Così

Whoa, it’s been a looooong since I wrote a couple of vocabulary speed dates for you. NOT OKAY. That’s why I’m back in this article to talk to you all about how to use the Italian words “poi” and “così.”

I would describe both of these as “connector words,” or words that you use to easily and fluidly connect two sentence pieces together.

Let’s start with “poi.”

ROUND #1: POI

Popular definitions of “poi,” as defined by WordReference & Context Reverso, are:

— Then

— After

— Furthermore

— Additionally

— Later (on) / Afterwards

— Next

— Plus

And, of course, here are some examples to help you get a better idea of how you’ll use it in conversation.

WAY #1: Then

— E poi, mi ha baciato. – And then, he kissed me.

— Prima sono andato in Italia, e poi sono venuto in Grecia. – First I went to Italy and then I came to Greece.

WAY #2: Next / Plus / Furthermore / Additionally

— …poi penso che dovremmo andare in Toscana. Che ne pensi? – Next I think we should go to Tuscany. What do you think?

— E poi, Gal Gadot è un’attrice incredibile. Per questo penso che il film era magnifico. – And plus, Gal Gadot is an incredible actress. That’s why I think the movie was amazing.

WAY #3: Later on / Afterwards

— E poi mi ha detto che mi amavi.  – And afterwards, he told me that he loved me.

— Prima voglio imparare il mandarino e poi imparerò lo spagnolo. – I want to learn Chinese and afterwards I’ll learn Spanish.

Common phrases you’ll hear:

— Prima o poi – Sooner or later

— Col senno di poi – In hindsight

— D’ora in poi – From this point on

ROUND #2: COSI

“Così” is defined by WordReference & Context Reverso as:

— So

— Like this / This way / That way

— Such

— Therefore

— Although

WAY #1: So

— Sono così stufo di imparare le preposizioni in continuazione! – I’m so tired of learning prepositions over and over again!

— Lei è così intelligente. – She’s so smart.

WAY #2: Like this / This way / That way

— Non si tagliano le cipolle così! – Don’t cut the onions that way.

— Perchè mi parli così? – Why are you talking to me like that?

WAY #3: Such

— È stata una giornata così bella. – It was such a great day.

— Lui è un bambino così tosto. – He’s such a stubborn kid.

Common phrases you’ll hear:

— Diciamo così/Mettiamola così – Let’s put it this way

— E così via – And so on and so forth, etc.

— Basta così – It’s good how it is (like when you’re at the butcher and she asks you “Is this enough?” and you respond with, “That’s enough (as is.).”

Have questions about how to use “poi” or “così” in real life? Leave a comment below!

Special thanks to 4barrelcarb on freesound.org for the ad music and to The Creative Impostors Studio for producing this show.

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