A1 Collocation Neutre

per caso

By chance

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'per caso' to describe things that happen by accident or to politely ask 'by any chance?' in questions.

Means: By chance, accidentally, or 'by any chance' in questions.
Used in: Meeting people unexpectedly or asking polite favors.
Don't confuse: With 'a caso', which means 'randomly' or 'without thinking'.

🎲 + ❓ = Polite Discovery

Explanation at your level:

At this level, just remember that 'per caso' means 'by chance' or 'accidentally'. Use it when you meet a friend without planning it. You can also use it to be polite when asking questions, like 'Do you have a pen, by any chance?' It stays the same always—no masculine or feminine forms to worry about!

You can now use 'per caso' to describe past events using the 'passato prossimo'. For example, 'Ho incontrato Maria per caso'. Notice how it usually comes after the verb. It's also great for making your requests sound more natural and less like a textbook. Instead of 'Dov'è il pane?', try 'Avete per caso del pane?'.

At the intermediate level, you should distinguish 'per caso' from 'a caso'. Use 'per caso' for coincidences and 'a caso' for random actions. You can also start using 'per puro caso' to emphasize how unlikely a situation was. It’s a key tool for storytelling and describing the 'interconnectedness' of events in your life.

You should master the placement of 'per caso' within complex sentence structures, including those with modal verbs and pronouns. Understand its role as a pragmatic marker that softens the illocutionary force of a question. It functions as a hedge, reducing the potential for social friction in requests or sensitive inquiries.

Analyze 'per caso' as an adverbial locution that modifies the entire proposition. In advanced discourse, it can be used to introduce hypothetical scenarios or to subtly cast doubt on a statement. Its use in literary contexts often invokes themes of fatalism or the 'capricciosità' (capriciousness) of existence, contrasting with more deterministic language.

Master the nuanced cognitive linguistics of 'per caso'. It represents a conceptual framing of events as external to the agent's volition. At this level, you can manipulate its prosody to convey irony, skepticism, or profound philosophical resignation. It is the linguistic embodiment of the tension between 'libero arbitrio' (free will) and 'necessità' (necessity).

Signification

Accidentally.

🌍

Contexte culturel

The 'Passeggiata' culture relies on 'per caso'. Meeting people by chance while walking is a primary social engine in small towns. Even in business, 'per caso' is used to soften follow-ups. It makes a reminder feel less like a pressure tactic. There is a stronger sense of 'destiny' (il destino). 'Per caso' often carries a weight of 'it was meant to be'. On social media, 'trovato per caso' is a common hashtag for aesthetic photos of places or objects discovered while exploring.

🎯

The Politeness Hack

Whenever you ask a stranger for something, insert 'per caso'. It instantly makes you sound more like a native speaker and less like a tourist.

⚠️

The 'A' vs 'Per' Trap

Remember: 'A caso' = Random. 'Per caso' = Accident. If you say 'Ti amo a caso', it means 'I love you randomly/without reason' (not very romantic!).

Signification

Accidentally.

🎯

The Politeness Hack

Whenever you ask a stranger for something, insert 'per caso'. It instantly makes you sound more like a native speaker and less like a tourist.

⚠️

The 'A' vs 'Per' Trap

Remember: 'A caso' = Random. 'Per caso' = Accident. If you say 'Ti amo a caso', it means 'I love you randomly/without reason' (not very romantic!).

💬

Body Language

When saying 'è successo per caso', Italians often shrug their shoulders and open their palms to emphasize the lack of control over the event.

Teste-toi

Choose the correct phrase to complete the sentence.

Ho incontrato Maria ______ al mercato.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : per caso

We use 'per caso' for accidental meetings.

Fill in the blank to make the question more polite.

Avete ______ un caricabatterie?

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : per caso

Adding 'per caso' makes the request for a charger less direct.

Match the phrase to the situation.

You are picking a random card from a deck.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : Scelgo una carta a caso.

Random actions without external 'fate' use 'a caso'.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Come hai trovato questo ristorante? B: ______.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : Per caso

Finding a place without planning is 'per caso'.

🎉 Score : /4

Aides visuelles

Per Caso vs. A Caso

Per Caso (By Chance)

Meeting a friend Incontrare un amico

Finding money Trovare soldi

A Caso (At Random)

Picking a card Scegliere una carta

Guessing an answer Indovinare una risposta

Questions fréquentes

10 questions

Yes, you can! 'Per caso, hai visto le mie chiavi?' is perfectly fine and common.

It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or with your best friend.

'Per caso' is much more common in speech. 'Accidentalmente' sounds more like a police report or a scientific paper.

No, it is an adverbial phrase, so it never changes. It's always 'per caso'.

Not really. Use 'per puro caso' or 'del tutto per caso' to mean 'very much by chance'.

Yes, very often. 'Ci sei per caso stasera?' is a standard text.

In questions, it can function like 'maybe', but 'forse' is the direct word for 'maybe'.

Yes. 'Ho rotto il bicchiere per caso' (I broke the glass by accident).

You say 'non per caso'. 'Non è per caso che sono qui' (It's not by chance that I'm here).

In very informal speech, some might just say 'mica', which carries a similar 'by any chance' vibe in questions.

Expressions liées

🔗

a caso

contrast

At random

🔗

in caso di

similar

In case of

🔄

per combinazione

synonym

By coincidence

🔗

magari

similar

Maybe / I wish

🔄

accidentalmente

synonym

Accidentally

Où l'utiliser

📍

Lost in the city

Tourist: Scusi, sa per caso dov'è la Fontana di Trevi?

Local: Sì, è proprio dietro l'angolo!

neutral

👋

Unexpected meeting

Luca: Ehi, Giulia! Cosa fai qui?

Giulia: Passavo di qui per caso e ho deciso di prendere un caffè.

informal

🖊️

Borrowing something

Student A: Hai per caso una penna in più?

Student B: Sì, tieni pure.

neutral

🛒

At the supermarket

Customer: Avete per caso del latte senza lattosio?

Staff: Sì, è nel reparto frigo in fondo.

neutral

🔑

Finding a lost item

Person A: Ho trovato queste chiavi per caso sotto il tavolo.

Person B: Oh, grazie! Sono le mie!

neutral

📅

Checking availability

Friend 1: Sei per caso libero stasera?

Friend 2: Sì, perché?

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a 'Pear' (Per) falling on a 'Castle' (Caso) by chance.

Visual Association

Imagine a giant dice rolling down a street in Rome and bumping into a person. The dice represents 'chance' (il caso).

Rhyme

Se lo trovi per caso, non metterci il naso!

Story

Marco was walking in Milan. He didn't have a map. He turned a corner and saw the Duomo. He didn't plan it; he found it 'per caso'. Then he saw his friend Sofia. They met 'per caso'.

Word Web

accidentalmentefortunadestinocoincidenzasorpresamagariforseaccadere

Défi

Try to ask three different people a question today using 'per caso' (e.g., 'Hai per caso l'ora?').

In Other Languages

Spanish high

por casualidad

Spanish also uses 'por si acaso' for 'just in case', which is 'nel caso' in Italian.

French high

par hasard

French uses 'au hasard' for 'at random', mirroring the Italian 'a caso'.

German moderate

zufällig

German often uses it as an adjective ('ein zufälliges Treffen'), which Italian rarely does with 'per caso'.

Japanese moderate

たまたま (tamatama)

Japanese relies more on verb endings for politeness than on this specific phrase.

Arabic high

بالصدفة (bil-sudfa)

In questions, Arabic might use 'hal' or 'rubbama' instead of this phrase for politeness.

Chinese moderate

偶然 (ǒurán)

Chinese 'ǒurán' feels slightly more formal than the Italian 'per caso'.

Korean moderate

우연히 (uyeonhi)

'Hoksi' is the direct equivalent for the 'polite question' sense of 'per caso'.

Portuguese high

por acaso

None; they are perfect cognates.

Easily Confused

per caso vs a caso

Both involve the word 'caso' and relate to lack of specific intent.

If you are 'picking' or 'doing' something without a plan, use 'a caso'. If something 'happens to you', use 'per caso'.

per caso vs caso mai

Sounds similar and involves 'chance'.

Use 'caso mai' for 'if by any chance' in the future, not for things that already happened.

FAQ (10)