Infatti in Italian
Because of the way it sounds, you might think that the Italian word infatti will translate to the English “in fact”.
However, even if it can sometimes translate as in fact, its meaning in Italian is much closer to that of indeed, sure enough, or so much so that.
Let’s start with some examples of it in different sentences.
Mi sembrava poco onesto, e infatti scoprì che mi aveva mentito.
He seemed dishonest, and indeed I found out he lied to me.
Oggi fa caldo.
Sì, infatti la neve si sta sciogliendo.
It is hot today.
Indeed, the snow is melting.
How to use infatti?
Infatti in Italian is used to confirm what we are saying, and add some more information to it. Usually, the information we add is a logical consequence of the first statement.
Oggi c’è brutto tempo, infatti non c’è nessuno in spiaggia.
There is bad weather today, sure enough, there is no one on the beach.
In the sentence above, for example, the fact that there is no one on the beach is a logical consequence of the bad weather.
La mostra era davvero interessante, infatti ci siamo rimasti due ore.
The exhibition was really interesting, so much so that we stayed there for 2 hours.
Here, too the fact that we stayed at the exhibition for hours is extra info we add to the first statement, and it is a logical consequence of it.
Infatti is also often used as an answer to a question or a statement.
It can be used on its own, or with both sì (yes) and no (no) and it usually expresses agreement with the question or statement that precedes it.
It can either add more information or be used on its own.
Here are some examples:
Oggi piove?
No, infatti vado a camminare.
Is it raining today?
No, (that’s why) I will go for a walk.
Sarebbe bello andare al mare invece di stare in ufficio!
Sì, infatti io oggi esco prima e vado in spiaggia.
It would be great to go to the beach instead of staying at the office!
Indeed, I am leaving early to go to the beach.
Hai fatto bene a parlargli.
Infatti, anche secondo me.
You did well to talk to him.
Indeed, I agree.
How not to use infatti?
As we just saw, infatti does not introduce an opposing statement but adds some information following the logic of the first statement.
If you want to contradict a statement, you can use in realtà or a dire il vero (actually, in truth).
Tutti pensano che gli italiani siano pigri…
In realtà, sono dei grandi lavoratori!
Everyone thinks that Italians are lazy…
Actually (in fact), they are great workers!
In this case, you could not use infatti, as you are contradicting the first statement. You could use it only if you agree, and you say:
Tutti pensano che gli italiani siano pigri…
E infatti lo sono!
Everyone thinks that Italians are lazy…
Indeed, they are!
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