Is "almost" the equivalent word for "quasi"?

Question

I almost quit my job (It implies that I didn't). Ho quasi lasciato il mio lavoro.

Does it mean exactly the same thing, implying that I still have my job?

Consider also quasi quasi : "quasi quasi sto a casa" -> "I'm tempted to stay home" ( source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/translate/italian-english/quasi ) — magma, Mar 26 '14 at 11:18

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 26 '14 at 00:19

6

"Quasi" is fine, but to be more clear (and emphatic) I would have used

Per poco non lasciavo il lavoro

which conveys clearly both the fact that in the end I opted to keep it, but that I almost got there.

answered Mar 26 '14 at 00:19

Matteo Italia

1,791
2
16
20

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 26 '14 at 15:54

4

I'm Italian and I prefer Vic's version:

Ho quasi lasciato il mio lavoro (perché mi trattano male).

I almost quit my job (because they treat me badly).

edited Mar 26 '14 at 15:54

redbmk

383
1
2
8

answered Mar 25 '14 at 16:32

Andryx93

41
2

1

perché , not perchè : please fix that accent. – magma Mar 26 '14 at 11:19

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 25 '14 at 10:46

3

Yes, but I'd prefer using imperfetto and omitting the possessive

Quasi lasciavo il lavoro

answered Mar 25 '14 at 10:46

egreg

17,991
3
28
67

2

Why do you prefer using imperfetto? – Vic Mar 25 '14 at 11:57
@Vic I find it more colloquial; probably the grammar would prescribe quasi lasciai il lavoro. – egreg Mar 25 '14 at 11:59
1

consider also regional variations; as a native Italian speaker, I find @egreg's form slightly awkward, while I find yours perfect, despite him being a native Italian speaker from a nearby region. – magma Mar 25 '14 at 12:46
1

The use of the imperfetto confused me, but from what I have studied , "Quasi lasciai il lavoro", could be seen in a book, or heard in Sicily and other southern regions, isn't that right? – Vic Mar 25 '14 at 13:00
@Vic Probably yes. In the North passato remoto is used really sparingly; mostly when you want to refer to something that happened a long ago. Although it would be more grammatically correct in most circumstances. By the way: I agree with egreg that imperfetto sounds more colloquial and would sound strange only in formal contexts. I think it sounds as if the speaker is somehow "passionate" about the statement (I'd imagine the speaker gesticulating when saying that), while ho quasi lasciato sounds a bit detached from the fact. – Bakuriu Mar 26 '14 at 09:51

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 25 '14 at 23:24

In your example the two sentences do have the same meaning (compare the definitions: almost, quasi) but, generally speaking, "almost" and "quasi" are not always equivalent, as "quasi" has one more meaning that "almost" has not.

In fact "quasi" can also mean "as if":

Come, come se fosse ...: [...] Frequente con un part. pass.: avanzava veloce, q. portato dal vento. In funzione di cong. subordinativa (col senso di «come se»), col verbo al congiuntivo: insisteva, q. avesse ragione lui;

Source: http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/quasi/

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 28 '14 at 09:13

1

Still another possibility:

Stavo quasi per lasciare il mio lavoro

which is not a past continuous :-)

answered Mar 28 '14 at 09:13

mau

2,623
1
14
26

Is "almost" the equivalent word for "quasi"?

5 Answers5