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What do qui, qua, lì, là mean?

Last Modified: March 19, 2021

Qui qua, lì, là sono quattro parole largamente usate in italiano per indicare un luogo.

Qui, qua, lì, là are four Italian words that are widely used in Italian to indicate location.

Quindi, oggi ti spiegherò come usare qui, qua, lì, là.

So, today I’m going to explain you how to use qui, qua, lì, là.

Qui, Qua

Sia qui che qua si possono tradurre come here in inglese. Quindi, qual è la differenza?

Both qui and qua can be translated as here in English. So, what’s the difference?

Beh, qui si dovrebbe usare per indicare una posizione specifica mentre qua per indicare una posizione approssimativa.

Well, qui should be used to indicate a specific location while qua to indicate a general location.

Vediamo alcuni esempi:

Let’s see some examples:

a. Avevo lasciato la mia borsa qui e adesso non c’è più

I left my purse here and now it’s gone

b. Avevo lasciato la mia borsa qua (da qualche parte) e adesso non c’è più

I left my purse here (somewhere) and now it’s gone

c. Puoi appoggiare qui il pacco

You can put the package here

d. Puoi appoggiare qua il pacco

You can put the package here

Quindi, nelle frasi a e c indico il luogo preciso in cui c’era la mia borsa e dove puoi appoggiare il pacco. Invece, nelle frasi b e d indico un’area generale in cui c’era la mia borsa e in cui puoi appoggiare il pacco.

So, in sentences a and c I’m indicating a precise spot where my purse was and where you can put the package. By contrast, in sentences b and d and I’m just indicating you a general area where my purse was and where you can put the package.

Però, nell’italiano parlato, accade spesso che qui e qua siano usati senza alcuna differenza.

However, in spoken Italian, it happens often that qui and qua are used without any real difference.

Esempi:

Examples:

a. Vieni qui/qua!

Come here

b. Sono qui/qua

I’m here

c. Rimani qui/qua!

Stay here!

d. Qui/qua vicino c’è un buon ristorante

There’s a good restaurant nearby

Lì, Là

Sia lì che là si possono tradurre come there in inglese. Vediamo la differenza.

Both lì and là can be translated as there in english. Let’s see the difference.

Entrambi sono usati per indicare che un oggetto è lontano dal parlante. Però, quando dici che un oggetto è lì, stai dicendo che è più vicino di un oggetto che è là.

Both lì and là are used to indicate that an object is far from the speaker. However, when you say than an object is lì you’re saying that is closer than an object that is là.

Vediamo alcuni esempi:

Let’s see some examples:

a. I tuoi occhiali sono lì, non li vedi?

Your glasses are there, can’t you see them?

b. I tuoi occhiali sono là, non li vedi?

Your glasses are there, can’t you see them?

Quindi, nell’esempio a i tuoi occhiali sono più vicini al parlante di quelli dell’esempio b.

So, in example a your glasses are closer to the speaker than those in example b.

Un’altra differenza tra lì e là è che lì si può usare per indicare un luogo specifico mentre là si può usare per indicare un luogo approssimativo. E’ la stessa differenza che c’è tra qui e qua.

Another difference between lì and là is that lì can be used to indicate a specific location while là can be used to indicate a general location. That’s the same difference that there’s between qui and qua.

Esempi:

Examples:

c. Puoi appoggiare lì il pacco

You can put the package there

d. Puoi appoggiare là il pacco

You can put the package there

Se hai trovato questo articolo su qui, qua, lì, là utile, non dimenticarti di condividerlo!

If you found this article about qui, qua, lì, là useful, don’t forget to share it!


Credits

Original image by 8385

Related Posts:

  • Italian demonstratives
    Italian demonstratives
  • Basic Italian sentences
    Basic Italian sentences
  • Italian connectives
    Italian connectives

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