To mean, to intend in Italian 🇮🇹

intendere info.

Tips to Remember the Verb:
• Notice the similarity between “intendere” and the English word “intend.” This resemblance can help you recall that the Italian verb involves having an intention or meaning.
• Associate “intendere” with common expressions like “cosa intendi dire?” (“what do you mean?”) or “io intendo…” (“I intend…”), reinforcing its dual use in everyday conversation.
• Connect it with phrases such as “avere intenzione di” (to intend/to mean) for further practice in different contexts.

Explanations:
• When “intendere” is used for “to intend” it implies planning or having a purpose. For example, “intendo studiare” means “I intend to study.”
• When used to convey “to mean” (often in the construction “intendere dire”), it asks for clarification or interpretation. For example, “cosa intendi dire?” means “what do you mean?”

Other Italian Words with Similar Meanings:
• Voler dire – can also mean “to mean” (e.g., “Cosa vuoi dire?”)
• Avere l’intenzione di – another way to express “to intend” (e.g., “Ho l’intenzione di partire domani”)
• Progettare – can be used when referring to planning something

Conjugations of “Intendere”:

Infinitive: intendere (to intend; to mean)

Indicative Mood:
• Present:
  io intendo       (“I intend/mean”)
  tu intendi       (“you intend/mean”)
  lui/lei intende     (“he/she intends/means”)
  noi intendiamo    (“we intend/mean”)
  voi intendete    (“you [plural] intend/mean”)
  loro intendono   (“they intend/mean”)

• Imperfect:
  io intendevo     (“I intended/meant”)
  tu intendevi     (“you intended/meant”)
  lui/lei intendeva  (“he/she intended/meant”)
  noi intendevamo  (“we intended/meant”)
  voi intendevate  (“you [plural] intended/meant”)
  loro intendevano (“they intended/meant”)

• Future:
  io intenderò     (“I will intend/mean”)
  tu intenderai     (“you will intend/mean”)
  lui/lei intenderà   (“he/she will intend/mean”)
  noi intenderemo   (“we will intend/mean”)
  voi intenderete   (“you [plural] will intend/mean”)
  loro intenderanno  (“they will intend/mean”)

• Conditional Present:
  io intenderei    (“I would intend/mean”)
  tu intendresti   (“you would intend/mean”)
  lui/lei intendrebbe  (“he/she would intend/mean”)
  noi intenderemmo  (“we would intend/mean”)
  voi intendereste   (“you [plural] would intend/mean”)
  loro intendrebbero  (“they would intend/mean”)

Compound Tenses (using the past participle “inteso”):
• Passato Prossimo:
  io ho inteso    (“I have intended/meant” or simply “I meant”)
  tu hai inteso    (“you have intended/meant”)
  lui/lei ha inteso  (“he/she has intended/meant”)
  noi abbiamo inteso (“we have intended/meant”)
  voi avete inteso  (“you [plural] have intended/meant”)
  loro hanno inteso  (“they have intended/meant”)

Examples of Sentences:
1. Intending “to intend”:
 • Italian: Io intendo partire presto.
 • English: I intend to leave soon.

2. Intending “to mean” (using the formula “intendere dire”):
 • Italian: Cosa intendi dire con questa frase?
 • English: What do you mean by this sentence?

3. Another example with a different subject:
 • Italian: Lei intende chiaramente il suo punto di vista.
 • English: She clearly means her point of view.

4. Using the passato prossimo:
 • Italian: Non ho inteso il tuo commento ieri.
 • English: I didn’t understand (or “didn’t mean”) your comment yesterday.
  (Note: In this context “ho inteso” can be interpreted based on the conversation—either “didn’t comprehend” or “didn’t imply.”)

These elements should help you recall, understand, and use “intendere” in various contexts.

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