What Does “Giacché” Mean in Italian?
As simple as it is, the Italian word giacché can be translated as “since”, “because”, “given that”. It is an Italian conjunction and is used to introduce a reason or explanation.
Gli studenti erano preparati giacché avevano studiato.
Students were prepared since they had studied.
Giacché is not as common as you might think. In fact, it is a more formal alternative to siccome (since) or dato che (given that).
Let me show you some more examples:
Giacché i documenti non sono ancora disponibili, non possiamo andare avanti con le proposte.
Since documents are still not available, we can’t go on with our proposals.
Ci saranno venti caldi giacché le temperature si mantengono alte.
There will be hot winds since temperatures are kept high.
Dovremmo prestare attenzione a questa malattia mentale, giacché è un problema molto grave.
We have to pay attention to this mental illness since it’s a very serious problem.
Giacché
Use
As you can see from the examples above, its use is quite easy. Unlike other types of Italian conjunctions, it is not followed by a verb in the subjunctive, but by a verb in the indicative mood, be it present, past, or future, depending on the tense of the sentence.
Also, make sure you write it properly: it is pronounced with a stress on the –é, therefore it must be written with an accent. However, the direction of the accent is also important.
“Giacché” vs “già che”
You might have noticed some familiarity in this word. In fact, etymologically speaking, it results from the combination of già and che, respectively meaning “already” and “that”.
Both forms are accepted, even if the merged version giacché is more common. Be careful though! If you use the two words separately, the accent is on the word già.
Perché non ci vai tu, già che ci tieni tanto?
Why are you not going, since you care so much about it?
Già che me lo chiedi, te lo dirò.
Since you’re asking, I’ll tell you.
Già che ti comporti così me ne vado.
Since you’re behaving like this, I’m leaving.
