In this video I am outside of Mexico City going over the meaning of “come mai?” in Italian language. It is an appropriate saying as I marvel at the pyramids from over 2,500 years ago.
If you are learning Italian, an interesting phrase or idiom to learn has to do with “come mai?”
If you were to look at the meaning of each individual word in Italian, you would come up with the following:
come – can mean many things but can be used as “how” as in “come stai?” or “how are you?”. It can also mean how.
mai – can mean never or ever
But when you combine them together and come up with “come mai?” it takes on a totally different meaning. It is used in friendly discussions, everyday conversations, and casual speech.
Native speakers will use it to express
- surpise
- curiosity
- When they would like an explanation
Here are some examples:
Why aren’t you working today?
Come mai non lavori oggi?
Why are you (all) here?
Come mai siete qui?
Why are you late?
Come mai sei in ritardo?
Why are you sad?
Come mai sei triste?
In the video above, I use the example of leaving a party early.
That would be an example when expressing surprise or curiosity.
“come mai” versus “perché” in Italian
Both words can be used to express “why,” but they are used slightly differently. The tone of “perché” is more neutral and direct. The intonation of the word and how “perché” is pronounced can also mean “because”. “Come mai” is more subtle in usage.
