Skip to content

semmai

if anything, at most

adverb sem-MAH-ee Rare
Grammar & Structure Adverbs

Origin: Contraction of se mai (if ever)

Usage Note

Semmai is a useful discourse particle that concedes a point and then redirects or qualifies it — roughly 'if anything' or 'if at all'. For example, Non è lui il problema; semmai è lei means 'He is not the problem; if anything she is.' It can also introduce a condition: Semmai dovesse piovere, annulliamo (If it should rain at all, we'll cancel). Do not confuse with mai alone, which is simply 'never' or 'ever'.

Examples

"Non è stanco; semmai ha troppa energia."

Natural Translation

He is not tired; if anything he has too much energy.

Explore Italian by topic