adesso

now

adverb ah-DES-soh Common

Origin: Latin ad ipsum (tempus) (at that very time)

Also means

at this moment

Usage Note

Adesso and ora are near-synonyms both meaning 'now', but adesso is slightly more emphatic and colloquial — it stresses the immediacy of the present moment. Da adesso in poi means 'from now on'. In questions, adesso can carry impatience: che vuoi adesso? ('what do you want now?').

Examples

"Adesso capisco perché sei partito."

Natural Translation

Now I understand why you left.

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