potere
Italian
editEtymology
editInherited from Vulgar Latin potēre, regularization of Latin posse.
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /poˈte.re/[1][2]
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ere
- Hyphenation: po‧té‧re
- (Romanesco) IPA(key): [poˈd̞e(ɾe)] (verb), [pod̞eɾe] (noun)
Verb
editpotére (first-person singular present pòsso, first-person singular past historic potéi or (less common) potétti or (ditto, traditional) potètti, past participle potùto, first-person singular future potrò, no imperative, auxiliary avére or (as an auxiliary, with main verbs taking essere) èssere)
- (ambitransitive) can, could; to be able to
- Lei lo può fare. ― She can do it.
- (ambitransitive) may, might; to be possible to
Usage notes
edit- This verb is not used with verbs relating to the senses: Lo vedo. (“I (can) see it.”) Non lo sento. (“I can't / don't feel it.”) However, riuscire can be used in such contexts if one wants to stress the effort made: Non riesco a vederlo. (“I can't see it (much as I try).”)
Conjugation
editinfinitive | potére | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
auxiliary verb | avére, èssere1 | gerund | potèndo | |||
present participle | potènte | past participle | potùto | |||
person | singular | plural | ||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | |
indicative | io | tu | lui/lei, esso/essa | noi | voi | loro, essi/esse |
present | pòsso | puòi | può2 | possiàmo | potéte | pòssono |
imperfect | potévo | potévi | potéva | potevàmo | potevàte | potévano |
past historic | potéi, potétti3, potètti3,4 | potésti | poté, potétte3, potètte3,4 | potémmo | potéste | potérono, potéttero3, potèttero3,4 |
future | potrò | potrài | potrà | potrémo | potréte | potrànno |
conditional | potrèi | potrésti | potrèbbe, potrébbe | potrémmo | potréste | potrèbbero, potrébbero |
subjunctive | che io | che tu | che lui/che lei, che esso/che essa | che noi | che voi | che loro, che essi/che esse |
present | pòssa | pòssa | pòssa | possiàmo | possiàte | pòssano |
imperfect | potéssi | potéssi | potésse | potéssimo | potéste | potéssero |
imperative | — | tu | Lei | noi | voi | Loro |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
negative imperative | — | — | — | — | — |
1As an auxiliary, with main verbs taking essere.
2With syntactic gemination after the verb.
3Less common.
4Traditional.
Including lesser-used forms:
1As an auxiliary, with main verbs taking essere.
2With syntactic gemination after the verb.
3Archaic or poetic.
4Tuscan.
5Archaic.
6Dialectal.
7Less common.
8Traditional.
9Literary.
See also
editNoun
editpotere m (plural poteri)
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editReferences
edit- ^ potere in Bruno Migliorini et al., Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia, Rai Eri, 2025
- ^ potere in Bruno Migliorini et al., Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia, Rai Eri, 2025
Anagrams
editLatin
editEtymology 1
editVerb
editpōtēre
Etymology 2
editVerb
editpotēre (Late Latin, nonstandard)
Neapolitan
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editInherited from Vulgar Latin potēre, from Latin posse.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editpotere
- to be able to
References
edit- AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1701: “forme dell'infinito: dare, potere, volere, sapere, vedere, bere, venire, avere, essere; participio passato: bevuto” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
- Rocco, Emmanuele (1882) “potere”, in Vocabolario del dialetto napolitano[1]
- Italian terms inherited from Vulgar Latin
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