Word of the Day: allora — so / well then / now then
Today's word: ALLORA. Pronunciation: /al-LO-ra/. Adverb and discourse marker, neutral register. Allora means 'then', 'at that time', and 'so / well then' depending on context. As a discourse marker opening a conversation, sentence, or thought, it functions like English 'so', 'right then', or 'well' — but with higher frequency and broader application. Italian teachers, TV presenters, doctors, and bus drivers all begin sentences with allora. It is the default engine of Italian verbal flow.
Allora derives from the Latin phrase ad illam horam — 'at that hour', 'at that time'. The Latin illa (that, feminine) combined with hora (hour) and the preposition ad gave Italian the contracted allora over centuries of phonetic compression. Its original temporal meaning — 'at that point in time', 'then' — is still primary in written Italian. But spoken Italian gradually discovered its value as a discourse filler and sentence launcher: saying allora buys a speaker a moment of time, signals that a response or a story is coming, and establishes conversational authority. The word's journey from precise clock-time to vague rhetorical opener mirrors how language always bends toward social use.
📖 Significato e uso
Allora capii che aveva ragione. — Then I understood that he was right.
Allora, cosa prendiamo? — So, what shall we order?
🔄 Sinonimi e Contrari
| Italian | English | Register | |
|---|---|---|---|
| synonym 1 | quindi | so / therefore | neutral/formal |
| synonym 2 | dunque | therefore / well then | formal/literary |
| opposite 1 | ora / adesso | now (contrast with 'then') | neutral |
| opposite 2 | prima | before / earlier | neutral |
🗣️ In contesto
Allora, da dove cominciamo? — Partiamo dall'inizio.
Right then, where do we begin? — Let's start from the beginning.
Allora abitavo a Milano e non conoscevo ancora Roma.
Back then I lived in Milan and didn't know Rome yet.
Sei pronto? — Allora andiamo!
Are you ready? — Right, let's go then!
Non vieni? — No. — Allora vado da solo.
You're not coming? — No. — Then I'll go on my own.
Allora is so common in Italian speech that it has become a linguistic tic — Italian teachers abroad famously open every lesson with 'allora', Italian waiters begin every order with 'allora', Italian doctors start every consultation with 'allora'. The word signals a moment of gathering thoughts before proceeding, a kind of verbal throat-clearing. In contrast to the more formal 'dunque' or the more decisive 'quindi', allora has a warmth and flexibility that makes it feel conversational rather than logical. Foreign students who begin their Italian sentences with allora immediately sound more natural — it is one of the easiest and most rewarding 'native speaker habits' to adopt.
Vuoi imparare altro italiano? 2.500+ esercizi gratis ti aspettano.
Inizia gratis →Tu veux pratiquer ce que tu viens d'apprendre ?
Plus de 2 500 exercices gratuits t'attendent.
Commencer gratuitement →