così così
/koˈzi koˈzi/word by word
The English phrase "so so" is translated into Italian as così così.
The expression così così is used to describe something that is mediocre or neither good nor bad.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adverb così, meaning "so" or "thus", repeated twice.
Which one should you use?
While così così implies a sense of mediocrity or indifference, the alternative non c'è male is a more positive way to say things are "not bad" or "alright".
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈzi koˈzi/
Did you know?
- When saying così così, Italians often accompany the phrase with a hand gesture, tilting their palm up and down to visually mimic the feeling of being in the middle.
- The word così evolved from the Vulgar Latin phrase eccum sīc, which combines a demonstrative and the word for 'thus'.
- In Italian culture, if someone asks Come va? and you answer così così, the listener will often assume something is wrong and will probe further for the real problem.
Examples in context
- Io sto così così.I’m so-so.This sentence is useful for describing your current state using così così.Tatoeba #2706778 by Guybrush88, translation #13366540 by Lake
- Il mio inglese è così così.My English is so-so.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of your English skill using così così.Tatoeba #11940757 by Guybrush88, translation #11049706 by DJ_Saidez
- Così così, nulla di speciale.So-so, nothing special.This sentence is useful for describing something as nothing special using così così.Tatoeba #3950815 by Guybrush88, translation #2886625 by AlanF_US
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are chatting about a new movie they saw.
- MatteoCome ti è piaciuto il film?How did you like the movie?
- ChiaraOnestamente, è stato così così.Honestly, it was so so.
- MatteoDavvero? Non ti è piaciuto?Really? You didn't like it?
- ChiaraNo, non mi ha colpito molto.No, it didn't really impress me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry così così, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (così) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries così, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
