If you find yourself tired of repeatedly using the conjunctions ma (but) and però (but / however), you might be interested in adding a more advanced conjunction to your vocabulary: eppure!
In Italian, eppure is used to express a sense of contradiction or surprise. It is often translated as (and) yet, still or but in English.
It is compounded of the words e (and) and pure (also / even).
Sapeva di sbagliare, eppure l’ha fatto!
He knew he was making a mistake, and yet he still did it.
Sono esausto, eppure devo andare al lavoro.
I’m exhausted, but/yet I have to go to work.
Quite often, you will hear eppure used with a reprimanding tone:
Eppure te l’avevo detto!
But I did tell you so!
Some popular synonyms for eppure in Italian include nondimeno, ciononostante, tuttavia, malgrado ciò, pure on its own, and nonpertanto.
“Eppur si muove!” is a famous phrase attributed to Galileo, although there is no concrete evidence of him ever actually saying it. According to tradition, Galileo supposedly uttered these words after being compelled to renounce his cosmological beliefs. The phrase translates to “And yet, it moves!” and is said to express Galileo’s unwavering conviction that the Earth indeed revolves around the Sun, despite being forced to publicly deny it.
Although the historical accuracy of this anecdote remains uncertain, “Eppur si muove!” is often used in the modern day as a statement “to counter those who persist in denying evidence.” (Treccani)
Elisa – Eppure Sentire (Italian Lyrics and English translation)
Elisa Toffoli is a famous contemporary Italian singer-songwriter. She has sold more than 5,5 million copies in Italy and won many awards, including the Festival di Sanremo and MTV Europe Music Awards. You can follow along with the lyrics in the video below and find the English translation further down.
A un passo dal possibile
A un passo da te
Paura di decidere
Paura di me
Di tutto quello che non so
Di tutto quello che non ho
Eppure sentire
Nei fiori tra l’asfalto
Nei cieli di cobalto c’è
(eppure sentire)
Eppure sentire
Nei sogni in fondo a un pianto
Nei giorni di silenzio c’è
Un senso di te, mmh
C’è un senso di te, mmh
Eppure sentire
Nei fiori tra l’asfalto
Nei cieli di cobalto c’è
(eppure sentire)
Eppure sentire
Nei sogni in fondo a un pianto
Nei giorni di silenzio c’è
Un senso di te, mmh
C’è un senso di te
(eppure sentire)
Un senso di te
One step away from that which is possible
One step away from you
Fear of deciding
Fear of myself
Of everything that I don’t know
Of everything that I don’t know
And yet to hear
In the flowers between the tarmac
In the cobalt skies there is
(and yet to listen)
And yet to hear
In the dreams in the depth of a cry
In the days of silence there is
A feeling of you, mmh
There is a feeling of you, mmh
And yet to hear
In the flowers between the tarmac
In the cobalt skies there is
(and yet to hear)
And yet to hear
In the dreams in the depth of a cry
In the days of silence there is
A feeling of you, mmh
There is a feeling of you
(and yet to listen)
A feeling of you
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.
