The Iceberg Project Italian

The Iceberg Project was created from a desire to travel to Italy & speak the language with ease, comfort and confidence. Now, you'll find addictive language & culture lessons for students eager to become conversational in Italian.

  • New here?
  • Shop
  • Learn
    • Grammar
    • Vocabulary
    • Expressions
    • Culture
  • Podcast
  • Meet the Team
    • About Cher
    • Contact
    • Media
  • Free Lessons

Italian Word Speed Dates: Altrimenti

December 6, 2018 By Cher 2 Comments

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

I don’t know why, but I love the word “altrimenti”. It might be the way it rolls off the tongue or the elegant way it connects phrases together, but I’m off on a language-nerd tangent now.

The point is that today we are learning how to use the word “altrimenti” in Italian.

(Seriously, say it loud now. Shivers. Kind of like “la schiuma del cappuccino”.)

“Altrimenti” can be defined as:

  • Otherwise
  • Or else
  • If not

Here are some examples to give you an idea of how you can use it:

Non lavorare troppo, altrimenti ti esaurisci/viene un esaurimento. – Don’t work too hard, otherwise you’ll burn out.

Se pensi altrimenti, dimmi. – If you think otherwise, tell me.

A: Perché hai imparato l’Italiano al liceo? – Why did you learn Italian in high school?

B: Perché altrimenti avrei dovuto imparare lo spagnolo e già riuscivo a parlarlo. – Because otherwise I would have had to learn Spanish and I already spoke it.

Devo imparare il mandarino, altrimenti non riuscirò a comunicare con la mia famiglia quando starò a Taiwan. – I have to learn Mandarin, otherwise I won’t be able to communicate with my family when I’m in Taiwan.

Lo so che non è una buona idea, ma non posso fare altrimenti. – I know that it’s not a good idea, but I can’t do otherwise/have no other choice.

Non posso fare altrimenti! – I cannot do otherwise!

Sinomino:

  • Sennò/Se no – If not; This is used more often in spoken Italian and can only be substituted with “altrimenti” to mean “if not” or “or else”.
  • Altrimenti detto – Also known as
  • Fare altrimenti – To do otherwise

Let’s get to the meat of the matter?

Listen now

 

Special thanks to The Creative Impostor Studios for producing this show, to Patreon supporters for helping fund the show, and to the lovely Timarie Harrison for putting all of the pieces together. It takes a village.


Like the podcast? Leave a review in Apple Podcasts!

If you like the podcast, I would appreciate it a TON if you left a review. You can hit a star rating in your Podcasts app on your iPhone or go to the iTunes store and click Leave a Review on the show page.

Filed Under: 30 Minute Italian Podcast, Beginner Italian, Intermediate Italian, Italian

Avatar

About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

« Phrases to Say “This is Delicious!”
What’s it like to be an American living in Florence? »

Looking for Something?

UPCOMING TRIP TO ITALY?

SAY CIAO

MOST LOVED LESSONS

© 2021 · Powered by Genesis Framework & Love for Italy · Design by: Bellano Web Studio

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok