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ITALIAN VERB

sprecare

to waste

  • #435 most used
  • Regular -are verb
  • Past participle: sprecato
  • Gerund: sprecando

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use sprecare

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

  1. Present

    Sprechiamo troppo cibo in questa casa.

    We waste too much food in this house.

  2. Past

    Ho sprecato un pomeriggio intero per niente.

    I wasted a whole afternoon for nothing.

  3. Imperfect

    Da giovane sprecavo tutti i soldi in vestiti.

    When I was young I wasted all my money on clothes.

  4. Future

    Così non sprecherai nemmeno un minuto.

    That way you won't waste a single minute.

  5. Conditional

    Senza una lista sprecheresti un sacco di soldi.

    Without a list you'd waste a lot of money.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Non voglio che tu sprechi il tuo talento.

    I don't want you to waste your talent.

  7. Imperative

    Non sprecare l'acqua, chiudi il rubinetto.

    Don't waste water, turn off the tap.

Good to know

  • Sprecare is for things you throw away or lose: sprecare tempo, soldi, cibo.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -are verb.