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ITALIAN VERB

accendere

to light, to switch on

  • #133 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: acceso
  • Gerund: accendendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I light
  2. tu you light
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she lights
  4. noi we light
  5. voi you all light
  6. loro they light

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I lit
  2. tu you lit
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she lit
  4. noi we lit
  5. voi you all lit
  6. loro they lit

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to light
  2. tu you used to light
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to light
  4. noi we used to light
  5. voi you all used to light
  6. loro they used to light

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will light
  2. tu you will light
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will light
  4. noi we will light
  5. voi you all will light
  6. loro they will light

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would light
  2. tu you would light
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would light
  4. noi we would light
  5. voi you all would light
  6. loro they would light

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I light
  2. tu (that) you light
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she light
  4. noi (that) we light
  5. voi (that) you all light
  6. loro (that) they light

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu light!
  2. Lei light! (formal)
  3. noi light! (let’s)
  4. voi light! (all of you)

How to use accendere

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Accendo il riscaldamento, fa freddo qui.

    I'm turning on the heating, it's cold in here.

  2. Past

    Hai acceso il forno? Metto dentro la torta.

    Did you turn on the oven? I'm putting the cake in.

  3. Imperfect

    Mio nonno accendeva il camino ogni sera.

    My grandfather lit the fireplace every evening.

  4. Future

    Accenderemo le luci dell'albero a dicembre.

    We'll light the tree lights in December.

  5. Conditional

    Accenderei la tv, ma i bambini dormono.

    I'd turn on the TV, but the kids are asleep.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Non voglio che accendiate il computer stasera.

    I don't want you to turn on the computer tonight.

  7. Imperative

    Accendi la luce, non vedo niente.

    Turn on the light, I can't see anything.

Good to know

  • Accendere is for lights, the TV, the car and a cigarette; spegnere turns them off.

Where you hear accendere

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Italian · Beginner Level 3

  • Accendo la stufa. I'm lighting the stove.
  • Ho acceso il fuoco. I lit the fire.
  • Domenica accenderemo il forno. On Sunday we will light the oven.

Italian · Intermediate Level 1

  • Accendo la stufa. I'm lighting the stove.
  • Ho acceso il fuoco. I lit the fire.
  • Domenica accenderemo il forno. On Sunday we will light the oven.
15
The First Snow

Beginner Level 3 · Allora stasera accendo il camino!

Needs a subscription 21
Making Up the Beds

Beginner Level 3 · Stasera accendiamo la stufa.

Needs a subscription 11
Nonna's Village in Winter

Intermediate Level 1 · No. Si accendeva il camino.

Needs a subscription 5
The First Shift

Advanced Level 3 · Va bene. Allora accendo il forno.

Needs a subscription 16
Her Father's Oven

Fluency Level 3 · Signora, il forno. L'abbiamo acceso per Lei. · Lo accendiamo ogni mattina. Senti il profumo?

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.