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Meaning of “fin” in “fin dai tempi”

Ecci meaning and usage examplesFontana della Barcaccia meaningMeaning of “Censi passivi”Meaning of this Italian Phrase - Stay BaellWhat's the meaning of “tasse d'interesse”?Pittorecoli meaning (17th century)Meaning of 'gobbo' / 'gobbi'Meaning of 'sentirsi' in this contextWhat's the meaning of “uao”?

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3

I have read the following sentence in https://www.wordreference.com/iten/conoscere:

Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università.

It is translated as "I've known Sergio since we were in university", but I don't understand how. Is "fin" a reduced version of "fino" or "fine"? "Fino" is "until" and "fine" is end, so I am lost. Maybe "fino/fine dai tempi" is a fixed expression?

word-meaning

share|improve this question

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

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asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

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add a comment
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3

I have read the following sentence in https://www.wordreference.com/iten/conoscere:

Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università.

It is translated as "I've known Sergio since we were in university", but I don't understand how. Is "fin" a reduced version of "fino" or "fine"? "Fino" is "until" and "fine" is end, so I am lost. Maybe "fino/fine dai tempi" is a fixed expression?

word-meaning

share|improve this question

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

add a comment
 | 

I have read the following sentence in https://www.wordreference.com/iten/conoscere:

Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università.

It is translated as "I've known Sergio since we were in university", but I don't understand how. Is "fin" a reduced version of "fino" or "fine"? "Fino" is "until" and "fine" is end, so I am lost. Maybe "fino/fine dai tempi" is a fixed expression?

word-meaning

share|improve this question

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

edited Sep 25 at 15:54

Charo♦

29.9k1919 gold badges6868 silver badges177177 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

asked Sep 25 at 15:30

Alan EvangelistaAlan Evangelista

4,44022 silver badges1212 bronze badges

1 Answer
1

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6

Yes, here it is a truncated form of fino. And fino doesn't mean necessarily “until” but rather designates, or highlights, an initial or final endpoint of something. See Treccani's entry or, in the words of De Mauro's dictionary,¹

seguito da preposizione o avverbio, indica il limite al quale si arriva o dal quale si parte

Fin dai tempi (di qualcosa) is something of a standard phrase, but you can use fin(o) in this sense in any number of other phrases: fin dal Medioevo, fin da quando ci siamo conosciuti, fin da ora, the inelegant expression fin da subito and so on.

Notice that in several cases, and in all of the above examples, fin(o) isn't strictly necessary, but stresses the extension back in time of the time period we are talking about. Fin dal Medioevo is more or less “since the Middle Age” and “already in the Middle Age” rolled in one.

And one would say Ti amo fin dal primo momento in cui ti ho vista to highlight the fact that not even a minute elapsed from the first sighting and the falling in love.

¹ Since the OP has shown to prefer it to other dictionaries.

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 25 at 16:08

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Unfortunately, De Mauro's has not examples of this usage of departure point. In Treccani, as my example sentences, "fin" and "da" are always used together in this context. Doesn't "da" already imply a departure point? "fin" seems redundant to me. Don't "Conosco Sergio dai tempi dell'università" and "Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università" mean the same?
  
  – Alan Evangelista
  Sep 25 at 15:55
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This what I referred to, fleetingly, by “highlights”. Let me slightly expand my answer.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 15:57
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  So, in Sergio's example, adding fin stresses that you and Sergio go way back.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:03
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @AlanEvangelista: I forgot: in other contexts, less usually, fin may well be a truncation for fine too: in fin dei conti or alla fin fine, for instance.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:09
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

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6

Yes, here it is a truncated form of fino. And fino doesn't mean necessarily “until” but rather designates, or highlights, an initial or final endpoint of something. See Treccani's entry or, in the words of De Mauro's dictionary,¹

seguito da preposizione o avverbio, indica il limite al quale si arriva o dal quale si parte

Fin dai tempi (di qualcosa) is something of a standard phrase, but you can use fin(o) in this sense in any number of other phrases: fin dal Medioevo, fin da quando ci siamo conosciuti, fin da ora, the inelegant expression fin da subito and so on.

Notice that in several cases, and in all of the above examples, fin(o) isn't strictly necessary, but stresses the extension back in time of the time period we are talking about. Fin dal Medioevo is more or less “since the Middle Age” and “already in the Middle Age” rolled in one.

And one would say Ti amo fin dal primo momento in cui ti ho vista to highlight the fact that not even a minute elapsed from the first sighting and the falling in love.

¹ Since the OP has shown to prefer it to other dictionaries.

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 25 at 16:08

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Unfortunately, De Mauro's has not examples of this usage of departure point. In Treccani, as my example sentences, "fin" and "da" are always used together in this context. Doesn't "da" already imply a departure point? "fin" seems redundant to me. Don't "Conosco Sergio dai tempi dell'università" and "Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università" mean the same?
  
  – Alan Evangelista
  Sep 25 at 15:55
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This what I referred to, fleetingly, by “highlights”. Let me slightly expand my answer.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 15:57
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  So, in Sergio's example, adding fin stresses that you and Sergio go way back.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:03
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @AlanEvangelista: I forgot: in other contexts, less usually, fin may well be a truncation for fine too: in fin dei conti or alla fin fine, for instance.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:09
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

6

Yes, here it is a truncated form of fino. And fino doesn't mean necessarily “until” but rather designates, or highlights, an initial or final endpoint of something. See Treccani's entry or, in the words of De Mauro's dictionary,¹

seguito da preposizione o avverbio, indica il limite al quale si arriva o dal quale si parte

Fin dai tempi (di qualcosa) is something of a standard phrase, but you can use fin(o) in this sense in any number of other phrases: fin dal Medioevo, fin da quando ci siamo conosciuti, fin da ora, the inelegant expression fin da subito and so on.

Notice that in several cases, and in all of the above examples, fin(o) isn't strictly necessary, but stresses the extension back in time of the time period we are talking about. Fin dal Medioevo is more or less “since the Middle Age” and “already in the Middle Age” rolled in one.

And one would say Ti amo fin dal primo momento in cui ti ho vista to highlight the fact that not even a minute elapsed from the first sighting and the falling in love.

¹ Since the OP has shown to prefer it to other dictionaries.

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 25 at 16:08

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Unfortunately, De Mauro's has not examples of this usage of departure point. In Treccani, as my example sentences, "fin" and "da" are always used together in this context. Doesn't "da" already imply a departure point? "fin" seems redundant to me. Don't "Conosco Sergio dai tempi dell'università" and "Conosco Sergio fin dai tempi dell'università" mean the same?
  
  – Alan Evangelista
  Sep 25 at 15:55
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This what I referred to, fleetingly, by “highlights”. Let me slightly expand my answer.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 15:57
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  So, in Sergio's example, adding fin stresses that you and Sergio go way back.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:03
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @AlanEvangelista: I forgot: in other contexts, less usually, fin may well be a truncation for fine too: in fin dei conti or alla fin fine, for instance.
  
  – DaG
  Sep 25 at 16:09
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

Yes, here it is a truncated form of fino. And fino doesn't mean necessarily “until” but rather designates, or highlights, an initial or final endpoint of something. See Treccani's entry or, in the words of De Mauro's dictionary,¹

seguito da preposizione o avverbio, indica il limite al quale si arriva o dal quale si parte

Fin dai tempi (di qualcosa) is something of a standard phrase, but you can use fin(o) in this sense in any number of other phrases: fin dal Medioevo, fin da quando ci siamo conosciuti, fin da ora, the inelegant expression fin da subito and so on.

Notice that in several cases, and in all of the above examples, fin(o) isn't strictly necessary, but stresses the extension back in time of the time period we are talking about. Fin dal Medioevo is more or less “since the Middle Age” and “already in the Middle Age” rolled in one.

And one would say Ti amo fin dal primo momento in cui ti ho vista to highlight the fact that not even a minute elapsed from the first sighting and the falling in love.

¹ Since the OP has shown to prefer it to other dictionaries.

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 25 at 16:08

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 25 at 16:08

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges

answered Sep 25 at 15:45

DaGDaG

29.5k33 gold badges5858 silver badges107107 bronze badges