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

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

How these Italian time expressions "organise" your day

  • These words tell you when something happens in relation to another action.
  • Ask yourself two questions:
    • Is it at the same time? → “during” words
    • Is it before / until / after? → “until / as soon as / still / not yet / immediately” words

1. Durante = during + noun (two things at the same time)

Use: two actions in the same period.

  • Structure: durante + noun
  • Never directly before a verb.
Correct Incorrect
Durante la doccia ascolto la musica.
During the shower I listen to music.		 Durante faccio la doccia
✗ “during I have a shower” → verb after durante
Durante la pausa bevo un caffè.
During the break I drink a coffee.		 Durante lavoro bevo un caffè
✗ “work” is a verb, not a noun here

Self-check:

  • Can you put the before the word? (the shower, the break, the meeting)
    → Yes? You can probably use durante.
  • Is it a conjugated verb (lavoro, studio, mangio)?
    → Use a different word, not durante.

2. Fino a vs finché = until

Both mean “until”, but they connect to the sentence in different ways.

Expression Followed by… Example
fino a noun / time Lavoro fino a mezzanotte.
I work until midnight.
finché (non) full sentence with verb Aspetto finché non arrivi.
I wait until you arrive.
  • Fino a = “until” + a point in time.
    • fino a lunedì, fino alle sei, fino a Natale
  • Finché (non) = “until” + another action happens.
    • finché (non) finisco; finché (non) torni; finché (non) arrivi
    • In everyday Italian, the non is very common and does not make the sentence negative here.

Self-check:

  • After “until”, do you need just a time word? → use fino a.
  • After “until”, do you need a full sentence with a verb? → use finché (usually + non).

3. Appena / non appena = as soon as

Use: one action happens immediately after another.

  • Structure: (non) appena + full sentence
  • Appena and non appena are practically interchangeable in meaning.
Italian English
Appena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti. As soon as I wake up, I brush my teeth.
Non appena torno a casa, faccio la doccia. As soon as I get home, I take a shower.
  • Position:
    • Usually at the beginning: Appena finisco, esco.
    • Can be in the middle: Esco appena finisco.
  • Do not use it with a single time word:
    • Appena mezzanotte, vado a letto. ✗
    • Use: Appena è mezzanotte, vado a letto. ✓

Self-check:

  • Can you say “as soon as + subject + verb” in English?
    If yes → use (non) appena + subject + verb.

4. Subito = immediately (focus on speed)

Use: something happens with no delay.

  • Typical position: before the verb or after the verb.
Italian English
Vengo subito. I’m coming immediately.
Subito dopo cena mi lavo i denti. Immediately after dinner I brush my teeth.
  • Subito = one quick action.
  • It does not talk about something that continues over time (for that, use ancora).

5. Ancora vs non ancora = still / not yet

These are very frequent and easy to confuse. Look at meaning and position.

5.1 Ancora = still / again

  • Most common meaning at A2: still (the action continues).
  • Position: usually before the verb in simple tenses.
Italian English
Uso ancora il deodorante del mese scorso. I still use last month’s deodorant.
Lui lavora ancora in quell’ufficio. He still works in that office.

Not the same as “subito”:

  • Ancora → focus on continuity.
  • Subito → focus on speed / no delay.

5.2 Non ancora = not yet

  • Structure: non + auxiliary / verb + ancora.
  • In compound tenses, non comes before the auxiliary, ancora after it.
Correct Incorrect
Non ho ancora fatto la doccia.
I haven’t had a shower yet.		 Non ancora ho fatto la doccia.
Non mi sono ancora lavato i denti.
I still haven’t brushed my teeth.		 Non ancora mi sono lavato i denti.

Meaning tip:

  • Ancora (alone) ≈ still.
  • Non ancora ≈ not yet (you expect the action later).

Self-check:

  • Want to say “not yet” in English? → use non ancora, not only ancora.
  • Check word order with the auxiliary: non + ho/sono + ancora + participle.

6. Quick comparison with English

Italian English idea Typical use
durante + noun during Two things at the same time.
fino a + time / noun until / up to Duration until a time.
finché (non) + sentence until Action continues until another action.
(non) appena + sentence as soon as Immediate sequence.
ancora still Continuing action.
non ancora not yet Action expected in the future.
subito immediately / right away No delay between actions.

7. Step‑by‑step: choose the right expression

  1. Are the two actions at the same time?
    • Yes → use durante + noun.
      Durante la doccia canto.
  2. Do you want to say “until”?
    • Until a time / day → fino a le otto, fino a domani.
    • Until another action happens → finché (non) arrivi.
  3. Do you want to say “as soon as / right after”?
    • Use (non) appena + sentence.
      Appena arrivo, ti chiamo.
  4. Do you want to say “still / not yet”?
    • Action continues → ancora.
      Studio ancora.
    • Action has not happened, but you expect it → non ancora.
      Non ho ancora studiato.
  5. Do you want to say “immediately / right away”?
    • Use subito.
      Rispondo subito.

8. Mini self‑test (without the book)

Cover the rules and try to say in Italian:

  1. During the meeting I drink only water.
  2. I work until six o’clock.
  3. I wait until you call.
  4. As soon as I finish this email, I come.
  5. I still use the same perfume.
  6. I haven’t called the dentist yet.
  7. I’ll answer immediately.

Then check yourself:

  • Did you use durante + noun (not a verb)?
  • Did you separate fino a (time) and finché (non) (action)?
  • Did you build non ancora as non + verb/auxiliary + ancora?

If you can do this without looking, you are ready to use these expressions in real conversations.

  1. Durante + noun shows that two actions are happening at the same time.
  2. Appena and non appena show something that happens immediately after something else.
  3. Ancora is used for something that is still happening now.
  4. Fino a and finché show that an action continues up to a certain moment.
  5. Subito shows that something happens immediately.
Espressione (Expression)Esempio (Example)
DuranteMi lavo durante la doccia.
Fino aStudio fino a mezzanotte.
FinchéResto finché non arrivi.
AppenaAppena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti.
Non appenaNon appena torno, faccio la doccia.
AncoraUso ancora il deodorante del mese scorso.
Non ancoraNon mi sono ancora lavato.
SubitoMi lavo subito dopo la colazione.

Exceptions!

  1. Appena and non appena are interchangeable. The same is true for fino a and finché.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. _____ la settimana mi lavo i denti tre volte al giorno, ma nel weekend a volte dimentico la sera.

_____ the week I brush my teeth three times a day, but at the weekend I sometimes forget in the evening.)

2. Devo usare questo shampoo _____ lunedì e poi posso tornare al mio shampoo normale.

I have to use this shampoo _____ Monday and then I can go back to my regular shampoo.)

3. _____ torno a casa, faccio la doccia e metto la crema idratante perché ho la pelle molto secca.

_____ I get home, I shower and put on moisturizer because my skin is very dry.)

4. Non uso _____ il profumo nuovo perché voglio prima fare un test per capire se sono allergico.

I still don't use _____ the new perfume because I want to do a test first to see if I'm allergic.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence based on the use of time expressions: during, until, as soon as, still, immediately, etc.

1.
"As soon as" indicates an action that happens immediately after another, not a continuous duration as expressed here.
"During" is used with nouns to indicate simultaneous actions, but "midnight" is a specific moment, so this is incorrect.
2.
"Until" is not used with a conjugated verb; it must be followed by a noun or a time expression.
"During" is used with nouns, not with conjugated verbs as in this sentence.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rephrase the sentences by linking the information and use the correct temporal expressions: durante, fino a/finché, (non) appena, (non) ancora, subito (example: Esco di casa. Mi sveglio. → Esco di casa appena mi sveglio).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (durante) Faccio colazione. Leggo le notizie sul telefono nello stesso momento.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Durante la colazione leggo le notizie sul telefono.
    (During breakfast, I read the news on my phone.)
  2. Hint Hint (fino a) Inizio a lavorare alle 8. Finisco di lavorare alle 17.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Lavoro dalle 8 fino alle 17.
    (I work from 8 until 5.)
  3. Hint Hint (finché) Aspetto. Tu arrivi.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Aspetto finché non arrivi.
    (I wait until you arrive.)
  4. Hint Hint (appena) Torno a casa. Faccio la doccia immediatamente dopo.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Appena torno a casa, faccio la doccia.
    (As soon as I get home, I take a shower.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Talk with the doctor and explain when you do your daily activities.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Al medico del lavoro descrivi la tua routine quotidiana di igiene personale.
(At the occupational health doctor, describe your daily personal hygiene routine.)
Discuss
  • Cosa fai appena ti svegli per l’igiene personale? (What do you do right after you wake up for personal hygiene?)
  • Cosa fai durante la doccia? Quali prodotti usi di solito?                                                                                                                                       (What do you do in the shower? Which products do you usually use?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Appena mi sveglio, mi lavo i denti e le mani. (Right after I wake up, I brush my teeth and wash my hands.)
  • Durante la doccia uso shampoo e docciaschiuma. (In the shower I use shampoo and shower gel.)
  • Ancora uso il deodorante, ma voglio cambiarlo subito. (I still use the deodorant, but I want to change it immediately.)
Use in conversation
  • durante (during)
  • fino a / finché (until / until (that))
  • (non) appena ((not) as soon as)

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 05/03/2026 18:27