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How to Say ‘Not sure you caught that earlier’ in Italian

Non so se prima l'avevi sentito

nohn soh seh PREE-mah l ah-VEH-vee sehn-TEE-toh

[nohn soh seh PREE-mah l ah-VEH-vee sehn-TEE-toh]

Phrase Breakdown

Non so se prima

nohn soh seh PREE-mah

I don't know if earlier

'Non so se' means 'I don't know whether'. 'Prima' means 'before' or 'earlier'. Stress PRI-ma.

Example

Non so se prima era aperto.

I don't know if it was open earlier.

Words in this phrase

Non

[nohn]

Not

Used in negation to indicate something is not the case.

Example

Non voglio uscire.

I don't want to go out.

[soh]

I know

'So' is the first-person singular present indicative of 'sapere', meaning 'to know'.

Example

So dove trovare un buon gelato.

I know where to find good ice cream.

[seh]

A conjunction meaning 'if,' used to introduce a condition politely.

Example

Se vuoi, possiamo sentirci la prossima settimana.

If you want, we can talk next week.

prima

[PREE-mah]

before / earlier

An adverb meaning 'before' or 'earlier.' In time expressions it indicates advance notice.

Example

Trenta minuti prima è il minimo richiesto.

Thirty minutes before is the minimum required.

l'avevi sentito

l ah-VEH-vee sehn-TEE-toh

you had heard it

Past perfect. 'L'' is the object 'lo'. Say la-VE-vi sen-TI-to.

Example

Dimmi se l'avevi sentito.

Tell me if you had heard it.

Words in this phrase

[l]

Object pronoun 'lo' shortened before a vowel.

Example

L'ho visto ieri.

I saw it yesterday.

avevi

[ah-VEH-vee]

you had

Imperfect of 'avere' for 'tu'.

Example

Avevi ragione.

You were right.

sentito

[sehn-TEE-toh]

heard

Past participle of 'sentire'.

Example

Hai sentito la notizia?

Did you hear the news?

Guides for Italian learners

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