Cinque usi di "già" nell’italiano di tutti i giorni
B1 Italian listening practice · Italian · Curated for intermediate learners
What does “già” mean before a job title in Italian?
Everyone learns già as “already” (ho già mangiato, “I’ve already eaten”). The surprise is that placed before a job title it means “former” or “ex-”: Mario Rossi, già presidente della Repubblica is “Mario Rossi, former President of the Republic.” It’s the elegant, newspaper-and-TV way to mark a past role, more formal than slapping ex- in front — so spotting it stops you misreading a headline as “already president.”
The same little word juggles several jobs in daily speech: a resigned “yeah, exactly” (Che brutto tempo. — Già.); surprise at how fast time has passed (Già te ne vai?, “Leaving already?”); and the everyday “already” of the passato prossimo. The “former” sense is the one that trips up readers of giornali and telegiornale, where già ministro, già sindaco quietly means “ex-minister,” “ex-mayor.”