Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| da | /da/ /da/ (Tuscany, traditional) |
| a partire da | /a parˈti.re da/ (word by word) |
da is used to indicate a starting point in time. While it can also mean 'from' in a spatial sense, such as 'from Rome', its temporal use marks when an action or state began. If you want to express 'since' as a conjunction meaning 'because' or 'given that', you would use different words like siccome, poiché, giacché or the more formal dato che.
Which one should you use?
da is the standard preposition for indicating a starting point in time. For a more formal or explicit way to express 'starting from' or 'since' a specific point in time, you can use the phrase a partire da. Additionally, if you wish to say 'since then' (referring to a specified time in the past), use the adverbial phrase da allora.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using da to mean 'since', the Italian verb is typically used in the present tense, whereas English uses the present perfect. Furthermore, da often combines with definite articles to form articulated prepositions, such as dal (da + il) or dalle (da + le).
How do you pronounce it?
/da/
Did you know?
- While da usually indicates time or origin, it is also used to indicate a destination when visiting a person, such as vado da Marco meaning 'I am going to Marco's house'.
- The word da is a linguistic hybrid, likely evolving from a combination of the Latin words dē and ā/ab.
- In English, you would say 'I have lived here for two years', but in Italian, you say vivo qui da due anni, literally 'I live here since two years'.
Examples in context
- È occupato da ieri?Have you been busy since yesterday?This sentence shows how to ask about a state of being that started in the past using da.Tatoeba #2901503 by Guybrush88, translation #69397 by CK
- Tom è qui dal 2013.Tom has been here since 2013.This sentence demonstrates using da with a specific year.Tatoeba #5273144 by WM3DAS, translation #5272846 by CK
- Sono qui da lunedì.I've been here since Monday.This sentence shows the use of da with a day of the week.Tatoeba #11868017 by Guybrush88, translation #2359142 by CK
- Dato che ho già mangiato, non avrò bisogno della cena stasera.Since I have already eaten, I won't need dinner tonight.
- Devo partire poiché ho un appuntamento importante.I have to leave since I have an important appointment.
- Siccome fa bel tempo, andiamo al parco.Since the weather is nice, let's go to the park.
- Dato che non ho soldi, non posso venire alla festa.Since I don't have money, I can't come to the party.
- Non usciamo, visto che sta piovendo.Let's not go out, since it's raining.
- Giacché non avevo nient'altro da fare, ho deciso di guardare un film.Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to watch a movie.
- 760 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Giulia are talking about their friendship.
- FrancescoSiamo amici da molto tempo, vero?We have been friends for a long time, right?
- GiuliaSì, ci conosciamo da dieci anni.Yes, we have known each other since ten years ago.
- FrancescoÈ vero, da allora non ci siamo mai lasciati.That's true, since then we have never left each other.
- GiuliaSpero che sia sempre così, Francesco.I hope it will always be this way, Francesco.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “since” translations and entries da, a partire da, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (a, partire, da) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, a partire da, da, partire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
