“Capire” – Conjugation of the Italian Verb

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Capire, meaning “to understand” in Italian, is a fundamental verb that you'll encounter frequently in conversation and writing. Like many Italian verbs, capire follows a specific conjugation pattern based on tense, mood, and subject pronoun. Mastering the conjugation of capire is essential for effectively expressing yourself in Italian. Let's look into the conjugation of capire across different tenses and moods.

Present Indicative

In the present indicative tense, capire conjugates as follows:

  • Io capisco (I understand)
  • Tu capisci (You understand)
  • Lui/lei capisce (He/she understands)
  • Noi capiamo (We understand)
  • Voi capite (You all understand)
  • Loro capiscono (They understand)

Imperfect Indicative

In the imperfect indicative tense, the conjugation of capire changes slightly:

  • Io capivo (I used to understand)
  • Tu capivi (You used to understand)
  • Lui/lei capiva (He/she used to understand)
  • Noi capivamo (We used to understand)
  • Voi capivate (You all used to understand)
  • Loro capivano (They used to understand)

Future Indicative

Looking ahead to the future, here's how capire is conjugated in the future indicative tense:

  • Io capirò (I will understand)
  • Tu capirai (You will understand)
  • Lui/lei capirà (He/she will understand)
  • Noi capiremo (We will understand)
  • Voi capirete (You all will understand)
  • Loro capiranno (They will understand)

Conditional Mood

When expressing something as conditional, the conjugation of capire is as follows:

  • Io capirei (I would understand)
  • Tu capiresti (You would understand)
  • Lui/lei capirebbe (He/she would understand)
  • Noi capiremmo (We would understand)
  • Voi capireste (You all would understand)
  • Loro capirebbero (They would understand)

Present Subjunctive

In the present subjunctive mood, capire conjugates like this:

  • Che io capisca (That I understand)
  • Che tu capisca (That you understand)
  • Che lui/lei capisca (That he/she understands)
  • Che noi capiamo (That we understand)
  • Che voi capiate (That you all understand)
  • Che loro capiscano (That they understand)

Imperative Mood

When giving commands or requests, the imperative mood of capire is used:

  • Tu capisci! (You understand!)
  • Noi capiamo! (Let's understand!)
  • Voi capite! (You all understand!)

Gerund and Past Participle

The gerund form of capire is “capendo”, and the past participle is “capito”.

Infinitive and Present Participle

Finally, the infinitive form of capire is “capire”, and the present participle is “capiente”.

Understanding the conjugation of capire is crucial for effectively communicating in Italian. Practice these conjugations regularly to enhance your fluency and confidence in the language.

Examples of Usage

Here are some examples illustrating the usage of the verb “capire” in different contexts:

  1. Understanding Directions:

    • Capisco le indicazioni che mi hai dato. (I understand the directions you gave me.)
    • Non capisce mai le strade, quindi deve usare il navigatore. (He never understands the streets, so he has to use the GPS.)

  2. Understanding Concepts:

    • Non capisco la fisica quantistica, è troppo complicata per me. (I don't understand quantum physics, it's too complicated for me.)
    • Lei capisce molto di politica internazionale. (She understands a lot about international politics.)

  3. Understanding Emotions:

    • Capisci cosa sto provando? (Do you understand what I'm feeling?)
    • I bambini non capiscono sempre le emozioni degli adulti. (Children don't always understand adults' emotions.)

  4. Understanding Situations:

    • Non capisco perché ha reagito così male. (I don't understand why he reacted so badly.)
    • Abbiamo bisogno di capire meglio la situazione prima di prendere una decisione. (We need to understand the situation better before making a decision.)

  5. Understanding Instructions:

    • Non capisco cosa devo fare. (I don't understand what I need to do.)
    • Capisce come funziona questo apparecchio? (Do you understand how this device works?)

  6. Understanding Languages:

    • Capisco un po' di francese, ma non abbastanza da poter parlare fluidamente. (I understand some French, but not enough to speak fluently.)
    • Lei capisce l'inglese, anche se non lo parla molto bene. (She understands English, even though she doesn't speak it very well.)

These examples demonstrate how “capire” can be used in various contexts to convey understanding or comprehension.