How to use ‘finché,’ ‘finché non,’ and ‘fino a’ in Italian?

In Italian finché means “as long as” or “while,” while finché non and fino a usually translate to “until.” These conjunctions can be a bit tricky for learners of Italian for a couple reasons:

• Finché and finché non look alike, but have different meanings. Finché non is not just the negative finché.

  • Finché ero al mare, ero rilassato.

    Translation: As long as/ While I was at the seaside, I was relaxed.
  • Ho visto la tv finché non mi sono addormentato.

    Translation: I watched tv until I fell asleep.

• Finché non and fino a usually both translate to “until,” but they’re not always interchangeable.

In this post, we’ll go through these three Italian conjunctions and show you how to use each one, what makes them similar, and what makes them different! Let’s dive into the post to look closely at the difference between finché, finché non, and fino a!

The temporal conjunction finché means per tutto il tempo che… (meaning for the entire time that...) and in English it can be translated with “as long as” or “while.”

This sentence means that for the entire time Fede lived in Rome, we would see each other every weekend.

Remember that because finché is a conjunction, it links the main clause to a subordinate clause in a two part sentence. In terms of temporality, both clauses are parallel to each other:

The temporal conjunction finché non is followed by a conjugated verb and it indicates that the action in the main clause lasts until another action interrupts it. In fact, the full meaning of finché non in Italian is fino al momento in cui… (meaning until the moment when...), but we usually translate it into English with just the word “until.”

Finché and finché non have some synonyms that follow the same rules.

The most common are fin quando and fin quando non. The difference between fin quando and fin quando non is the same as the difference between finché and finché non! Fin quando by itself means "as long as" or "while," whereas fin quando non means "until."

• fin quando (meaning as long as, while):

  Fin quando means per tutto il tempo in cui… (meaning for the entire time that...)

  Fin quando abitavamo in centro, facevamo lunghe passeggiate.

  Translation: While we lived downtown, we took long walks.

  This sentence means that during the time we were living downtown, we used to take long walks.

• fin quando non (meaning until):

  Fin quando non means fino al momento in cui… (meaning until the moment when…), but we usually just translate it as "until."

  Fin quando non siamo andati a vivere in centro, facevavamo lunghe passeggiate.

  Translation: Until we went to live downtown, we took long walks.

  This sentence means that before living downtown we used to take long walks; and that once we moved downtown we stopped doing it.

However, the expressions fino a che, fino a quando, and fintantoché (also spelled fintanto che) are also synonyms of finché and fin quando and follow the same rules! If you use them without non they mean "as long as" or "while," but if you use them with non they mean "until!"

Fino a (meaning until, up to) is a phrasal preposition used to introduce the end point or the limit (in time, space, and so on) of an action. As it is a preposition, fino a must always come before a noun or noun phrase, not a clause!

So even though fino a and finché non both translate to "until," they aren’t, because fino a comes before a noun while finché non comes before a clause.

Let’s take a look at how fino a works when it expresses temporal limits, and then we can check how it is also used to express spatial and quantitative limits.

• fino a + time

  When used before a time, fino a gives a stopping point in time, fino a (meaning up to) answers the question fino a quando? (meaning until when? up to when?)

  • Non sapevo chi fosse Gino fino a ieri.

    Translation: I didn't know who Gino was until yesterday.
  • Il negozio è aperto fino alle otto.

    Translation: The shop is open until eight.

• fino a + location / distance

  When used before a location, fino a gives a physical stopping point for movement or a distance at which the movement or measurement will stop. Fino a + location answers the question fino a dove? (meaning up to where? / how far?)

  • Abbiamo guidato fino a Firenze, poi abbiamo preso il treno.

    Translation: We drove to Florence, then took the train.

    Literally: lit. We drove up to Florence, then took the train.
  • I pastori tedeschi possono sentire gli odori fino a cinque metri di distanza.

    Translation: German Shepherds smell scents up to five meters away.

• fino a + quantity

  When used before a quantity, fino aplaces a top limit on the amount of something that can be added. So fino a + quantity answers the question fino a quanti/e? (meaning up to how much? / up to how many?)

  • Situata in aperta campagna, la villa può ospitare fino a dieci persone.

    Translation: Located in the open countryside, the villa can accommodate up to ten people.
  • Con questa carta puoi pagare contactless fino a venti euro.

    Translation: With this card you can pay contactless up to twenty euros.

• fino a and limits

  Fino a is also used when limits are (sometimes excessive) actions. In this case it can be followed by an infinitive.

  • Al cenone di Natale, abbiamo mangiato fino a star male.

    Translation: At the Christmas dinner, we ate until we felt sick.
  • Durante il film ho riso fino a piangere.

    Translation: During the film, I laughed until I cried.

Want to learn more Italian conjunctions and prepositions? Then head over to these posts: What are the Italian conjunctions? and How to use Italian prepositions?

• Finché and finché non are different temporal conjunctions with different meanings:

  • Finché means per tutto il tempo che, equivalent of the English “as long as / while"

  • Finché non means fino al momento in cui, equivalent of the English “until”

• Although to say “until” we say finché non, sometimes Italians drop the non (meaning not) and just say finché. Do not worry, though: the context of the sentence usually helps tell how finché is used.

• Fin quando, fino a che, fino a quando, and fintantoché are all synonyms of finché and, therefore, they all change meaning when followed by non (meaning not).

• Fino a means “until,” but it’s a preposition, so it’s used before a noun and not a clause!

Ready to practice finché, finché non, and fino a? Follow the link!