While it usually translates to “case,” the meaning of caso in Italian changes depending on the context. It can mean situation, fate, coincidence, or even pop up in grammar jargon.
Let’s explore how we use this word in everyday life, from court cases to chance encounters!
caso
Caso is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- il caso
- un caso
- i casi
- dei casi
1. CASO = Case / instance
In general, un caso is simply a fact, situation, or event… nothing too complicated about it! You’ll hear it in all kinds of contexts, from everyday talk to serious discussions.
Le autorità hanno confermato che si tratta di un caso isolato e non ci sono rischi per la cittadinanza.
Authorities confirmed that it’s an isolated case and there’s no risk to residents.
The word caso is very common in legal contexts, where it can refer to a lawsuit, a legal dispute, or any criminal or civil proceeding brought to court.
Il pubblico ministero ha riaperto il caso dopo le dichiarazioni di un nuovo testimone.
The prosecutor reopened the case after a new witness came forward.
Here are some common examples you might come across:
- Un caso complicato: a complicated case
- Un caso difficile: a difficult case
- Un caso disperato: a hopeless case
- Un caso simile: a similar case
- Un caso singolare: a peculiar case
- Un caso particolare: a special case
- Un caso limite: an extreme case
- Un caso clinico: a clinical case
- Un caso strano: a strange case
That last one, un caso strano, often appears in the playful expression Caso strano…: literally “strange case…,” but is used more like “strangely enough…” or “funny thing…” (usually with a raised eyebrow or a hint of irony).
Caso strano, ha dimenticato di chiamarmi proprio oggi che doveva riportarmi i libri.
Strangely enough, he forgot to call me today, the day he was supposed to bring my books back.
And then there’s one of my personal favourites: un caso umano. Literally, it means “a human case,” but we use it jokingly to describe the kind of person you can’t help but sigh about, especially when it comes to dating!
Ragazze, ma perché attiriamo solo casi umani?!
Girls, why do we only attract hopeless guys?!
2. CASO = Possibility / eventuality
Sometimes caso is about possibility — you know, the “what ifs” of life.
There are two common ways we use it:
- In caso + subjunctive: in case (that)
In caso volessi venire, abbiamo ancora posto.
In case you’d like to come, we still have seats available.
- In caso di + noun: in the event of, in case of
In caso di pioggia, la partita sarà rimandata.
In case of rain, the match will be postponed.
And that’s just the beginning: there are many more expressions with caso used this way. Here are some you’ll hear all the time:
- Nel caso che: in the event that, if
Nel caso che tu non possa più venire, avvisami.
If you can no longer make it, let me know.
- Casomai: just in case, expressing something possible but uncertain, often tied to a precautionary action.
Mi raccomando, prendi anche una giacca, casomai facesse freddo.
Make sure to take a jacket too, just in case it gets cold.
We also use casomai a lot to soften a suggestion and sound non-intrusive, like:
Casomai vi servisse una mano, fateci sapere.
If you happen to need a hand, let us know.
- In ogni caso / in qualunque caso: in any case, no matter what
Chiamami in qualunque caso, anche se è tardi.
Call me no matter what, even if it’s late.
- In nessun caso: under no circumstances
In nessun caso è consentito divulgare questi dati.
Under no circumstances is it allowed to disclose these data.
- In caso contrario: otherwise
Assicuratevi di arrivare puntuali; in caso contrario, non sarete ammessi all’esame.
Make sure to arrive on time; otherwise, you won’t be allowed to take the exam.
- Nel peggiore dei casi: at worst, worst-case scenario
Nel peggiore dei casi prendiamo delle pizze e ceniamo così!
At worst, we’ll grab some pizzas and call it dinner!
- Nel migliore dei casi: at best, best-case scenario
Questo treno è sempre in ritardo…nel migliore dei casi arriveremo tra mezz’ora!
This train is always late… at best we’ll arrive in half an hour!
- In tal caso: In that case
Potrebbe essersi guastato un collegamento interno; in tal caso, conviene contattare l’assistenza.
It could be that an internal connection has failed; in that case, it’s best to contact the customer support.
- I casi sono due: either (literally, “there are two cases”)
I casi sono due: o sei un genio, o hai avuto una fortuna pazzesca!
Either you’re a genius, or you just got ridiculously lucky!
3. CASO = Coincidence / chance
And then there’s caso in the sense of luck, coincidence, and pure chance. Like when you find a €50 bill on the street… pure caso!
Frequent expressions with this meaning include:
- È un caso / Non è un caso : it’s a coincidence / it’s no coincidence. We use these expressions all the time, generally followed by the subjunctive.
Secondo te è un caso che abbiano scelto proprio questo ristorante?
Do you think it’s a coincidence they picked this exact restaurant?
Non è un caso che Sara sia stata promossa: si fa sempre in quattro in ufficio.
It’s no coincidence that Sara got the promotion: she’s always giving 110% at the office.
- Non a caso: not a coincidence (that)
Guarda che vista! Non a caso questo posto è così famoso!
Look at that view! It’s not a coincidence that this place is famous!
- Che caso!: what a coincidence.
Anche tu qui? Ma dai, che caso!
You here too? No way, what a coincidence!
Most of the time, we use che caso! sarcastically, accompanied by a smirk or that “I knew it” look, to suggest that something is more than just a coincidence.
Hai dimenticato il portafoglio proprio oggi che si paga il conto? Che caso!
You forgot your wallet today, the day we’re paying the bill? What a coincidence!
- Guarda caso: what a coincidence. This is very similar to cha caso, and is often said with a knowing, ironic tone, similar to saying “Well, isn’t that convenient…” in English.
Guarda caso, è sempre malato quando c’è da lavorare nei weekend.
What a coincidence, he’s always sick when there’s work to do on the weekend.
- Per (puro) caso: by chance, by accident. We add puro (pure) for emphasis.
Ci siamo incontrati per puro caso al supermercato dopo anni che non ci vedevamo.
We met by pure chance at the supermarket after years without seeing each other.
Per caso is especially handy to soften questions, like when you don’t want to sound too direct. For example, instead of saying Hai visto le mie chiavi? (Did you see my keys?), which can sound a bit too direct, you could say Per caso hai visto le mie chiavi? (Have you seen my keys by any chance?).
And now a fun fact: there’s a popular Italian a cappella group called Neri per Caso (literally, “Black by Chance”), who became famous in the ’90s for their beautiful harmonies. If you’re curious, check out one of their biggest hits here!
4. CASO = Destiny / fate / chance
This meaning is similar to the previous one, and refers to fate, destiny, or simply the mysterious hand of the universe shaping events beyond our control. It’s the kind of caso that makes us shrug and say, Eeeeh, sarà stato il caso! (Ah, it must’ve been fate!)
Non te la prendere, è stato il caso che ha voluto così.
Don’t be upset, it was fate that wanted it that way.
Credi davvero che sia stato solo il caso?
Do you really think it was just chance?
Popular expressions in this context are:
- Affidarsi al caso: to trust fate, to leave it up to chance
Non ho organizzato nulla per il viaggio, questa volta mi affido al caso!
I haven’t planned a thing for this trip, I’m just leaving it to chance!
- Lasciare qualcosa al caso: to leave something to chance
Non abbiamo lasciato nulla al caso nella pianificazione dell’evento, è tutto studiato nei minimi particolari.
We left nothing to chance in planning the event, everything has been planned down to the last detail.
- Il caso vuole che…: fate has it that…
Il caso ha voluto che mi sedessi accanto a lui, e da lì è cominciato tutto.
Fate had it that I sat next to him, and that’s how it all started.
5. CASO = To express a supposition
In some instances, caso helps us express a suggestion. Basically, where in English you’d say “maybe it’s better to…” or “should,” we often use caso.
Two super common expressions are è il caso (it’s worth it, it’s the right moment) and non è il caso (it’s not worth it, it’s not the right moment):
È il caso di portare un ombrello, il cielo non promette bene.
It’s worth taking an umbrella, the sky doesn’t look good.
Dai, non è il caso di preoccuparsi troppo, vedrai che andrà tutto bene.
Come on, it’s not worth worrying too much, everything will be fine.
Sometimes, though, Non è il caso… is said as a little warning. Imagine your Italian mamma staring straight at you and saying Non è il caso… No further explanation needed, you instantly know it means “Don’t even think about it.”
Another handy expression you’ll hear with caso used this way is:
Mettiamo / Poniamo il caso che: let’s suppose that / imagine that… We use this to introduce a hypothetical situation, something that might happen or could be true. Both verbs are followed by the subjunctive. There’s not much difference between the two, except that mettiamo sounds a bit more conversational and casual, while poniamo feels slightly more formal.
Mettiamo il caso che ti offrano quel lavoro negli Stati Uniti: tu partiresti?
Let’s suppose they offered you that job in the U.S.: would you go?
Poniamo il caso che la normativa cambi nei prossimi mesi: quali sarebbero le conseguenze per l’azienda?
Let’s suppose the regulations change in the coming months: what would the consequences be for the company?
6. CASO = Case (grammar)
This use is a bit more technical and belongs to the field of linguistics. Specifically, it refers to the grammatical “case” that a noun takes to show its function within a sentence. For example:
- il caso nominativo: nominative case
- il caso genitivo: genitive case
- il caso dativo: dative case
- il caso accusativo: accusative case
- il caso vocativo: vocative case
In Italian, we mention them when talking about other languages, like Latin or German, since we don’t have these grammatical cases.
Other expressions with caso in Italian
Here are a few more expressions we use a lot in everyday Italian:
- A caso: randomly.
Ho preso un libro a caso per passare il tempo in treno e mi è piaciuto un sacco.
I picked up a random book to pass the time on the train, and I loved it.
- A casaccio: in a messy way. It’s like the “worse” version of a caso; we use it when something is done badly, carelessly, or without much logic. So, a caso is just random, while a casaccio means random and chaotic.
Metti via quei giochi, non lasciarli buttati a casaccio sul tappeto!
Put those toys away, don’t just leave them scattered all over the floor!
- Fare caso a / Farci caso: to pay attention, to notice. The expression fare caso a implies the intentional attention to something or someone, while farci caso describes a much more spontaneous act, like when you happen to notice something.
Faccio sempre caso ai piccoli gesti: dicono molto di una persona.
I always pay attention to the small gestures: they say a lot about a person.
Ci hai fatto caso che piove sempre quando programmiamo una gita?
Have you noticed it always rains when we plan a day out?
- Fare al caso di: to be right for, to suit. So, when something is exactly what you need or were looking for, fa al caso tuo (it’s right for you)!
Se cerchi una storia divertente e non troppo impegnativa, questo libro fa al caso tuo.
If you’re looking for a story that’s funny and not too heavy, this book is just right for you.
- Si dà il caso che: it just so happens that. We use this expression to introduce a piece of information, often with a certain confidence or pride.
Si dà il caso che io conosca il direttore!
It just so happens that I know the director!
- È proprio il caso di dirlo: it has to be said. This is a set expression used when something is so true or so fitting that you just have to say it.
È stata una serata perfetta, è proprio il caso di dirlo!
It really was a perfect evening, it has to be said!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
