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ITALIAN VERB

smettere

to stop (doing something)

  • #99 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: smesso
  • Gerund: smettendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use smettere

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

  1. Present

    Smetto di lavorare alle sei in punto.

    I stop working at six on the dot.

  2. Past

    Ha smesso di piovere, usciamo?

    It's stopped raining, shall we go out?

  3. Imperfect

    Non smetteva mai di parlare, neanche a tavola.

    He never stopped talking, not even at the table.

  4. Future

    Smetterò di mangiare dolci da lunedì.

    I'll stop eating sweets from Monday.

  5. Conditional

    Smetterei volentieri, ma ho bisogno di questo lavoro.

    I'd happily quit, but I need this job.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Voglio che tu smetta di preoccuparti.

    I want you to stop worrying.

  7. Imperative

    Smetti di urlare, ti sento benissimo.

    Stop shouting, I can hear you perfectly.

Good to know

  • Smettere di fare qualcosa: ho smesso di fumare, I quit smoking.
  • Smettila! is "stop it!".

Where you hear smettere

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

Italian · Fluency Level 1

  • Non smette di nevicare. It doesn't stop snowing.
  • Finalmente ha smesso di nevicare. It has finally stopped snowing.
  • Domani smetterà, vedrai. Tomorrow it will stop, you'll see.
15
Midnight on the Roof

Fluency Level 1 · Ancora? A Napoli non si smette mai di mangiare!

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Back in Fontelupo

Fluency Level 1 · Gino, smettila. Un caffè, per favore. · Smettila, dai.

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Verbs like this one

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