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ragione

reason, cause

noun rah-JOH-neh Common

Origin: Latin ratio, rationis (reckoning, reason).

Also means

right, correctness

Usage Note

Ragione has two common uses: a cause or motive (per questa ragione = for this reason) and the quality of being right (avere ragione = to be right). The idiom avere ragione is the standard way to say someone is correct — learners often mistakenly translate it word-for-word as 'to have reason'.

Examples

"Hai ragione, mi dispiace."

Natural Translation

You are right, I'm sorry.

Literal Translation

You-have reason, to-me displeases.

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