A2.22 - Personal hygiene

Time expressions: durante, fino a, appena, etc.

Le espressioni di tempo: durante, fino a, appena, ecc.

Espressioni come durante, fino a, appena, ancora, subito indicano quando succede qualcosa.

(Expressions like durante, fino a, appena, ancora, subito indicate when something happens.)

What these time expressions do

They help you place an action in time: during, until, as soon as, still / not yet, immediately.

Meaning Italian you choose Typical structure
in the middle of an action/period durante durante + noun
up to a time point fino a fino a + time / noun
up to the moment something happens finché finché + verb (often with non)
immediately after appena / non appena appena + verb
continuation (still) ancora ancora near the verb
not up to now (not yet) non ancora non … ancora (placement depends on tense)
immediately (right away) subito subito often after the verb

Durante: “during” + noun (not a full clause)

  • Use it with a noun: durante la doccia, durante il viaggio, durante la riunione.
  • It answers: When (in what period) does it happen?

Correct

  • Mi insapono durante la doccia.
  • Durante la riunione prendo appunti.

Watch out

  • Durante arrivi, io esco. → here you need a verb clause: use finché or another connector.

Fino a: “until” + time / noun (a limit)

  • Use it to show an end point.
  • Structure: fino a + time / day / event.

Correct

  • Studio fino a mezzanotte.
  • Lavoro fino a venerdì.

Common mistake

  • Studio fino mezzanotte. → fino a (don’t drop a).

Finché: “until / as long as” + verb (often with “non”)

  • Use finché when what follows is a full clause (subject + verb).
  • Very common pattern: finché non + verb.
    • Here non is often not negative; it’s part of the structure meaning “until”.

Correct

  • Resto finché non arrivi.
  • Aspettiamo finché non finisce la riunione.

Self-check

  • If you can add a verb like “arrives/finishes”: choose finché.
  • If it’s only a time word like “midnight”: choose fino a.

Appena / Non appena: “as soon as” (immediate sequence)

  • Meaning: action B happens immediately after action A.
  • non appena is a bit more formal; the meaning is the same.
  • Standard Italian: appena + verb (without che).

Correct

  • Appena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti.
  • Non appena torno in ufficio, rispondo alle email.

Common mistake

  • Appena che mi sveglio… → use appena alone.

Ancora vs non ancora: “still” vs “not yet”

You mean… Italian Example
It continues (still) ancora Uso ancora il deodorante del mese scorso.
Up to now it hasn’t happened (not yet) non … ancora Non mi sono ancora lavato.

Placement tip (very useful at A2)

  • Present: usually ancora before or after the verb.
    • Ancora non lo so. / Non lo so ancora.
  • Passato prossimo: put ancora between auxiliary and past participle.
    • Non mi sono ancora lavato. (not: Non ancora mi sono lavato)

Subito: “immediately / right after” (fast reaction)

  • Use it when something happens without delay.
  • Often placed after the verb or at the beginning for emphasis.

Correct

  • Mi lavo subito dopo la colazione.
  • Subito dopo la palestra faccio la doccia.

Quick chooser: which one do you need?

  1. Is it a time limit?
    • + a time word (midnight, Friday) → fino a
    • + a full clause with a verb (until you arrive) → finché (non)
  2. Is it “in the middle of” a period? → durante + noun
  3. Is it immediate sequence? → appena / non appena
  4. Is it continuation vs not yet? → ancora vs non…ancora
  5. Is it no delay? → subito
Espressione (Expression)Esempio (Example)
Durante (During)Mi insapono durante la doccia. (I soap myself during the shower.)
Fino a (Until)Studio fino a mezzanotte. (I study until midnight.)
Finché (Until (as long as))Resto finché non arrivi. (I’ll stay until you arrive.)
Appena / Non appena (As soon as / As soon as)

Appena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti. (As soon as I wake up, I brush my teeth.)

Non appena torno, faccio la doccia. (As soon as I come back, I take a shower.)

Ancora (Still)Uso ancora il deodorante del mese scorso. (I’m still using last month’s deodorant.)
Non ancora (Not yet)Non mi sono ancora lavato. (I haven’t washed yet.)
Subito (Right away)Mi lavo subito dopo la colazione. (I wash right away after breakfast.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. ___ il viaggio in treno mi lavo le mani con il gel disinfettante.

___ the train trip I wash my hands with hand sanitizer gel.

2. Studio ___ mezzanotte, poi mi faccio la doccia e vado a dormire.

I study ___ midnight, then I take a shower and go to sleep.

3. ___ finisco la riunione, vado in bagno a lavarmi le mani.

___ I finish the meeting, I go to the bathroom to wash my hands.

4. Non mi sono ___ lavato i denti stamattina.

I haven't ___ brushed my teeth this morning.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence.

1.
Mistake: “until” expresses a time limit, not a moment like the shower; also you would say “until the” (fino alla).
Mistake: even if grammatically possible, brushing your teeth in the shower is not very natural as a routine; the exercise wants the correct use of “during” with a plausible routine.
2.
Mistake: the preposition “a” is missing after “fino”; you say “fino a mezzanotte” (until midnight).
Mistake: “finché” requires a clause with a verb (e.g. “finché non arriva la mezzanotte”), not a noun/time on its own.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using the time expression indicated in parentheses (during, until, as long as, as soon as, still, not yet, immediately).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (Fino a) Studio. Poi è mezzanotte e smetto.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Studio fino a mezzanotte.
    (I study until midnight.)
  2. Hint Hint (Finché) Resto in ambulatorio. Tu arrivi. Poi vado via.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Resto in ambulatorio finché non arrivi.
    (I stay at the doctor’s office until you arrive.)
  3. Hint Hint (Durante) Mi insapono mentre faccio la doccia.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Mi insapono durante la doccia.
    (I soap myself during the shower.)
  4. Hint Hint (Appena) Mi sveglio e mi lavo i denti.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Appena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti.
    (As soon as I wake up, I brush my teeth.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Speak in turns: compare schedules, actions and products you use every day.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Durante il controllo dal medico, descrivi la tua routine di igiene quotidiana.
(During a check-up at the doctor's, describe your daily hygiene routine.)
Discuss
  • Quali cose fai appena ti svegli e cosa fai subito dopo colazione? (What things do you do as soon as you wake up and what do you do right after breakfast?)
  • Cosa fai durante la doccia e quanto tempo ci passi di solito? (What do you do during your shower and how much time do you usually spend there?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Appena mi sveglio, spazzolo i denti con lo spazzolino e il dentifricio. (As soon as I wake up, I brush my teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste.)
  • Durante la doccia uso lo shampoo e il docciaschiuma. (During the shower I use shampoo and shower gel.)
  • Metto il deodorante subito dopo la doccia e poi il profumo. (I put on deodorant right after the shower and then perfume.)
Use in conversation
  • appena / non appena (as soon as / as soon as)
  • durante (during)
  • fino a (until)

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 15/04/2026 13:30