ultimamente
/ul.ti.maˈmen.te/
The Italian phrase for lately is ultimamente.
ultimamente is used to describe something that has happened in the period of time leading up to the present.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the adjective ultimo (last/final) plus the suffix -mente (the equivalent of the English -ly), literally meaning in the last manner/way.
Which one should you use?
While ultimamente describes a continuous period leading up to now, di recente is more often used to describe a single, specific event that happened a short time ago.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ul.ti.maˈmen.te/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- If you use ultimamente to describe a person's behavior, you are often implying a change in their usual character or a new habit that has emerged recently.
- The word ultimo inside ultimamente is related to the English word 'ultimate', though in Italian it is used more commonly for 'final' in everyday sequences.
- The word ultimamente can be placed at the very beginning, middle or end of a sentence without changing the meaning, providing more flexibility than the English word 'lately'.
Examples in context
- Li ha visti ultimamente?Have you seen them lately?Tatoeba #5950846 by Guybrush88, translation #3909670 by CH
- Non l'ho visto ultimamente.I haven't seen him lately.Tatoeba #2851752 by Guybrush88, translation #257663 by CK
- Non dormo molto ultimamente.I haven't been sleeping very much lately.Tatoeba #3139848 by Guybrush88, translation #1839494 by CK
- Ho visitato Roma di recente.I visited Rome lately.
- Non ho avuto molto tempo per rilassarmi ultimamente.I haven't had much time to relax lately.
- Di questi tempi, le cose stanno cambiando molto.Lately, things have been changing a lot.
- Ho frequentato quella palestra ultimamente.I have been going to that gym lately.
- Sono andato al cinema di recente.I went to the movies lately.
- 158 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking over coffee about their work lives.
- SofiaSei stato molto impegnato ultimamente?Have you been very busy lately?
- AlessandroSì, ho lavorato molto ultimamente.Yes, I have worked a lot lately.
- SofiaTi trovo molto stanco, Alessandro.I find you very tired, Alessandro.
- AlessandroÈ vero, ho bisogno di una vacanza.It is true, I need a holiday.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ultimamente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
