What does “a parte “ mean in Italian?
In today’s post, we’re going to focus on an expression that’s very useful, versatile, and common: a parte.
This expression has several meanings depending on the context.
These are the meanings of a parte:
- separate
- different
- except
- apart
- aside
We’re going to go through all of these meanings, and we’ll give you examples.
Let’s get started and see how to use “a parte” in Italian!
“A parte”: separate/different
We can use a parte to say “different” or “separate”, like in the examples below:
Il vino è a parte, non è compreso nel prezzo.
The wine is separate. It’s not included in the price.
Questo è un discorso a parte.
This is a separate argument.
Mi faccia un conto a parte per favore.
Please make a separate check.
Tonia vive in un mondo a parte.
Tonia lives in a different world.
“A parte”: except
A parte can also mean “except”, “except for”, “except from”, or “with the exception of”:
Sono venuti tutti a parte lui.
They all came except him.
Non sto vedendo nessun’altra a parte te.
I’m not seeing anyone else except you.
“A parte”: aside/apart
Here’s an interesting use: we can use a parte like we use “aside/apart” in English.
We use it together with what we want to “put aside”, like in the examples below:
Vento a parte, è stata una bella giornata.
Wind aside, it was a beautiful day.
Modestia a parte, le mie torte sono insuperabili!
Modesty aside, my cakes are unbeatable!
And this is a very common expression:
scherzi a parte
all kidding aside
jokes aside
It’s so common that there’s a TV show called this. “Scherzi a parte” is a hidden camera-practical joke television series.
Here’s an example in context with this expression:
Scherzi a parte, cosa ti ha detto?
Jokes aside, what did he tell you?
Set phrases with “a parte”
There are some common set phrases with a parte.
Let’s look at two of them:
A parte il fatto che
This is a very common set phrase. It means something like “leaving aside the fact that”/”other than/apart from the fact that”.
Il computer era troppo piccolo, a parte che non mi è piaciuto.
The computer was too small, leaving aside the fact that I didn’t like it.
A parte il fatto che abbiamo molte cose in comune, sei anche molto simpatico!
Other than the fact that we have many things in common, you’re also very fun!
A parte che
We can also use the shortened version of “a parte il fatto che”: “a parte che”.
Non sappiamo niente, a parte che dobbiamo studiare.
We don’t know anything except that we have to study.
Non abbiamo trovato molto su di lui, a parte che era tedesco.
We didn’t find out much about him except that he was German.
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