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4 Verbs in Italian You Might Be Using Incorrectly

June 8, 2015 By Cher 20 Comments

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts.

While it might have been lovely (in terms of our sanity) to be able to translate from English to Italian word for word without worrying about messing up the meaning, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun as trying to navigate all of the linguistic roadblocks that Italian offers us.

While prepositions and vocabulary words play a huge role in this movie as well, today we’re focusing on the verbs that can trip us up because they’re thought about differently in Italian compared to English.

You know, it’s the whole “You aren’t hungry, but you do HAVE hunger” or “It isn’t hot, it MAKES hot” using the verbs “avere” and “fare” respectively instead of the ever present English usage of the verb “to be”.

While there are TONS of these for me to geekily (& happily) outline for you, here are just four to start.

Verb #1: Prendere – to take, to get

— Did you “take” that class or did you “frequent” it?

In English, we like saying that we “took” a class or a lesson, but in Italian, they “frequent” a class or a lesson.

For example, “Ho frequentato un corso su Dante.” – I took a class on Dante.

Here are a few phrases you would use “prendere” with:

– Prendere qualcosa da bere – to get something to drink
– Prendere una decisione – to make a decision
– Prendere l’autobus – to take the bus

— Did you “take” a shower or did you “make” one?

Instead of using the verb “prendere” to talk about how you took a shower this morning, use the verb “fare” to talk about the shower you did or made.

After all, you did turn the water on and that can definitely be thought of as making a shower.

For example, “Questa mattina ho fatto una doccia, ma l’acqua era freddissima!” – This morning I took a shower, but the water was so cold!

Verb #2: Introdurre – to introduce, to bring

— Did you “introduce” or “present” yourself?

In English, we like to say “I introduced myself”, but in Italian, we would say “I presented myself”, which sounds kind of like you’re showing yourself off and then leaving.

It Italian, it’s normal though, and you would say “Mi presento”, or if you’re introducing a friend, you might say “Ti presento la mia migliore amica Giulia” – I introduce my best friend Giulia to you.

Here are a couple phrases you would use “introdurre” with:

– Introdurre cambiamenti – to introduce/make changes
– Introdurre qualcuno nella cucina – To bring someone into the kitchen
– Introdurre la chiave nella serratura ­– To insert the key in the keyhole

Verb #3: Avere – to have

— Did you “have” a party or did you “make” one?

Instead of using the verb “avere” to talk about a party you had, think twice and use the verb “fare” to talk about the party that you did or made.

For example “Facciamo una festa per il compleanno di Giulia il mese prossimo!” – Let’s have a party for Giulia’s birthday next month!

Here are the things you would use “avere” with:

– Avere paura – to be afraid
– Avere fame – to be hungry
– Avere una lezione – to have class

Verb #4: Mancare – to miss

— Did you “miss” the train or did you “lose” it?

In Italian, when you’re running late and you miss your train, you don’t use the verb “mancare – to miss”, you use the verb “perdere – to lose”.

So, that would be “Oddio! Ho perso il treno. Sto per arrivare in ritardo al lavoro!” – Oh god! I missed the train. I’m about to be late for work!

On a similar note, you don’t “miss” the beginning of a movie, you “lose” it.

Like “Cos’è successo?! Non ho capito perché lui è un lupo mannaro. Ho perso l’inizio del film!” – What happened? I don’t understand why he’s a werewolf. I missed the beginning of the movie!

And if you’ve been gone away for a while from Italy, your friend won’t tell you that you’ve “missed” a lot of gossip, they’ll tell you that you “lost” a lot of it.

Like “Non sai che Emilio ed io non siamo più amici? Mamma mia, Cher! Ti sei persa molte cose!” – You don’t know why Emilio and me aren’t friends anymore? Oh my, Cher! You’ve missed a lot!

Here are the things you would use “mancare” with:

– Mancare a qualcuno – to miss someone
– Mancare di esperienza – to lack experience
– Mancare di rispetto – to be not respectful (towards someone)

As I mentioned, there are many more of these verbs to come, so look out for future articles so you can keep fine tuning your Italian to sound…well…more Italian.

Are there any differences that you can think of? Leave them in the comments below!


Listen to the Episode!

Filed Under: 30 Minute Italian Podcast, Expressions, Grammar, Italian, Verbs, Vocabulary Tagged With: 30 Minute Italian Podcast, Avere, cher hale, ep 167, episode 167, Iceberg Project, introdurre, italian, mancare, prendere, show notes, verbs, verbs you might be using incorrectly

About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

« Etiquette of an Italian Dinner Party (or How Not to Embarrass Yourself in Italy)
3 Things I’m Struggling With in Italian Right Now »

Comments

  1. Elsa Lima says

    April 27, 2015 at 4:18 am

    Per me la domenica è un giorno meraviglioso perché ricevo sempre queste belle ed importanti lezioni. Un bacione, Cher!

    Reply
    • cher says

      April 27, 2015 at 9:25 am

      Sono contenta che ti sia piaciuto! :] Un abbraccio!

      Reply
  2. Erin says

    April 28, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    Ha ha, I got caught on one of these verbs. I thought one “took a test” instead of “does a test.”

    Reply
    • cher says

      April 29, 2015 at 9:33 am

      Haha, I’ve made that mistake more than a couple of times. :]

      Reply
    • Charlie DeWeese says

      October 22, 2017 at 8:39 am

      I thought that you would “give” a test. Is fare correct, or is dare better?

      Reply
      • Dr Valentini( Rome) says

        October 23, 2017 at 9:39 am

        fare un test or fare un esame is the correct way to say.

        Reply
  3. Thomas Raso says

    October 26, 2016 at 9:14 am

    Very, very helpful to a beginning beginner. More! And thanks.

    Reply
    • Cher says

      October 28, 2016 at 7:44 am

      Glad to hear it! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Aurelio Jargas says

    January 1, 2017 at 11:04 am

    Just to let you know, everything this article said also applies to Portuguese. (I’m a Brazilian native)

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      January 20, 2017 at 3:16 am

      Interesting, I had no idea!

      Reply
  5. Charlie DeWeese says

    October 22, 2017 at 8:42 am

    Mancare a qualcuno: Who is doing the missing? If I say “manco a Cher”, I would have thought it meant Cher misses me, and that “mi manca Cher” would be that I miss Cher.

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      October 25, 2017 at 12:35 am

      Ciao, You are right with your example. to miss TO someone, so I am missing TO you, or he is missing TO her. You understood correctly!

      Reply
  6. Alexandre Zovico says

    October 22, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    Great lesson!

    ma che voce sensuale che hai Cher!!!

    Reply
  7. bonnie melielo says

    October 23, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    and you don’t “take someone to lunch” – do you use “portare”?

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      October 25, 2017 at 12:29 am

      You would use “offrire” to “take” (i.e. pay for someone) to have lunch with you. Portare would literally mean bring…it would sound a bit wonky, better to use “offrire” if you mean buy them lunch. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Sandy says

    March 17, 2018 at 11:02 am

    Your explanation of “making” a shower and “losing” the train is exactly how I want to try to start thinking when learning Italian. Where can I find a complete list of this way of thinking with all the verbs used in italian? This would be wonderful to learn.

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      March 26, 2018 at 3:40 am

      Glad you find it useful! As of now I don’t know of a resource like that, but it’s something you can do on your own as you learn! 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Must-Read Articles for Intermediate Italian Learners says:
    January 27, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    […] — 4 Verbs in Italian You Might Be Using Incorrectly […]

    Reply
  2. 3 Conversational Ways to Use the Verb Trovare says:
    February 17, 2017 at 6:12 am

    […] talked before about how many nuances verbs like “perdere – to lose,” “mancare – to miss,” and “fare – to do / to make” have. Now I want to tackle “trovare,” because I think it […]

    Reply
  3. Did You Know You Could Use ‘Sentire’ and ‘Trovare’ In These Ways? says:
    December 30, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    […] talked before about how many nuances verbs like “perdere – to lose,” “mancare – to miss,” and “fare – to do / to make” have. Now I want to tackle “trovare,” because I think it […]

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