Some words are staples of everyday conversation, and in Italian, dunque is one of them.
dunque
so / therefore / well

Dunque is a conjunction, adverb and even a noun as we’ll discover further down. It originates from Late Latin dunc, which is likely a blend of dumque (meaning “while, at the same time”) and tunc (meaning “then”).
It can connect two sentences, typically translating to therefore or so, and serves as a synonym for quindi or perciò.
- È tardi, dunque dobbiamo andare a dormire. = It is late, so we must go to bed.
- Mi hai detto di aspettare, dunque sono rimasto qui. = You told me to wait, so I stayed here.
- Non c’era traffico, dunque siamo arrivati in anticipo. = There wasn’t any traffic, so we got there early.
Penso, dunque esisto.
I think, therefore I am.
Dunque can also be used at the start of a sentence, often as a filler to give you a moment to gather your thoughts. In this context, it means well or so and can often be replaced by words like allora or quindi.
- Dunque, come dicevo prima… = Well, as I was saying before…
- Dunque, fammi pensare… = Hmm, let me think…
Dunque, mi stavi dicendo della tua vacanza…
So, you were telling me about your vacation…
In interrogative phrases, it is also an adverb used to elicit a response, as in the question:
Dunque, cosa facciamo adesso?
So, what are we doing now?

You’ll also see it in the set expression E dunque? which is similar to the English So what? or What’s the big deal?
Lastly, we arrive at dunque as a noun, where it takes on the meaning of point or decisive moment. In this context, it’s typically found in the expression al dunque, meaning to the point. The phrase venire al dunque is commonly used to mean to get to the point.
Veniamo al dunque, dai!
Come on, let’s get to the point!
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.