Mentre and durante both translate as “while” or “during,” so they’re easy to mix up. The difference is grammatical, and once you see it, you’ll never confuse them again: mentre is followed by a verb, durante by a noun.
In short
- Mentre + conjugated verb = while: Mentre cucinavo, ascoltavo la radio.
- Durante + noun = during: Durante la cena, abbiamo parlato molto.
- In the past, mentre is almost always followed by the imperfetto.
- Never use mentre + gerund: ❌ mentre facendo. Use a conjugated verb, or just the gerund on its own.
- Mentre can also mean “whereas”: Io amo il mare, mentre lui preferisce la montagna.
| Mentre | Durante | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | conjunction | preposition |
| Followed by | a conjugated verb | a noun |
| English | while | during |
| Example | Mentre passeggiavo, ho raccolto dei mirtilli. | Durante la passeggiata, ho raccolto dei mirtilli. |
Mentre: while
Mentre is a conjunction: it introduces a clause, so it’s always followed by a conjugated verb, in the present, past or future.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Mentre cucino, ascolto un podcast. | While I cook, I listen to a podcast. |
| Mentre il professore spiegava, prendevo appunti. | While the professor was explaining, I was taking notes. |
| Mentre aspetterai, potrai leggere un libro. | While you wait, you can read a book. |
Mentre and the past: use the imperfetto
Since mentre describes an action in progress, in the past it’s almost always followed by the imperfetto. The other action can be in the imperfetto too (two actions at the same time) or in the passato prossimo (an action that interrupts the first one):
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Mentre mettevo in ordine la stanza, ascoltavo un podcast. | While I was tidying up the room, I was listening to a podcast. |
| Mentre cucinavo, ho ricevuto una telefonata. | While I was cooking, I got a phone call. |
More in my guide on passato prossimo vs imperfetto.
Mentre = whereas
Mentre can also express a contrast, like “whereas” or “while” in English:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Io amo il mare, mentre lui preferisce la montagna. | I love the sea, whereas he prefers the mountains. |
| Mia sorella è molto organizzata, mentre io no. | My sister is very organized, while I’m not. |
The mistake English speakers make
In English you can say “while doing something.” In Italian, mentre can’t be followed by a gerund:
- ❌ Mentre facendo una passeggiata, ascolto un podcast.
- ✅ Mentre faccio una passeggiata, ascolto un podcast.
- ✅ Facendo una passeggiata, ascolto un podcast. (gerund on its own, without mentre)
Durante: during
Durante is a preposition: it’s always followed by a noun (never by a verb), and it means “during.”
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Durante la cena, guardo la TV. | During dinner, I watch TV. |
| Durante l’estate lavoro meno. | During the summer, I work less. |
| Ho dormito durante il film. | I slept during the movie. |
Mentre or durante? Same idea, two structures
Look how the same idea can be expressed with both:
| With mentre (+ verb) | With durante (+ noun) |
|---|---|
| Mentre passeggiavo, ho raccolto dei mirtilli. While I was walking, I picked some blueberries. | Durante la passeggiata, ho raccolto dei mirtilli. During the walk, I picked some blueberries. |
| Mentre cenavamo, abbiamo parlato di tante cose. While we were having dinner, we talked about lots of things. | Durante la cena, abbiamo parlato di tante cose. During dinner, we talked about lots of things. |
Exercise: mentre or durante?
- ______ il viaggio, ho letto due libri.
- ______ guidavo, ascoltavo la musica.
- Mi sono addormentata ______ il film.
- Io bevo il caffè, ______ mio marito beve il tè.
- ______ le vacanze, non controllo mai le email.
- Ho incontrato Luca ______ facevo la spesa.
Show the answers
- Durante
- Mentre
- durante
- mentre
- Durante
- mentre
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mentre and durante?
Mentre is followed by a conjugated verb (mentre cucinavo), durante by a noun (durante la cena). Both express that two things happen at the same time.
Which tense do you use after mentre in the past?
Almost always the imperfetto, because mentre describes an action in progress: mentre cucinavo, ho ricevuto una telefonata.
Can you say “mentre facendo” in Italian?
No. Use a conjugated verb (mentre faccio) or the gerund alone, without mentre (facendo una passeggiata).
Can mentre mean “whereas”?
Yes: io amo il mare, mentre lui preferisce la montagna (I love the sea, whereas he prefers the mountains).
Practice with my stories
Mentre and durante are everywhere in stories, because characters always do two things at once! Here are three of my readers to see them in context:
Due Amiche e una Bufera di Neve
Level A1/A2
Costanza and Anna get stuck in a snowstorm, with a surprise.
Dive deeper: passato prossimo vs imperfetto · Italian conjunctions and connectors · Italian prepositions
