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ITALIAN VERB

stringere

to squeeze, to hold tight, to tighten

  • #319 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: stretto
  • Gerund: stringendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use stringere

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

  1. Present

    Queste scarpe mi stringono un po'.

    These shoes are a bit tight on me.

  2. Past

    Ho stretto la vite, ora il tavolo non balla.

    I tightened the screw, now the table doesn't wobble.

  3. Imperfect

    La bambina stringeva forte la mano della mamma.

    The little girl was holding her mum's hand tight.

  4. Future

    Stringeremo i denti fino alla fine del mese.

    We'll grit our teeth until the end of the month.

  5. Conditional

    Stringerei un po' la cintura, è larga.

    I'd tighten the belt a bit, it's loose.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Voglio che tu mi stringa forte.

    I want you to hold me tight.

  7. Imperative

    Stringi bene il tappo, se no esce.

    Screw the cap on tight, or it'll leak.

Good to know

  • Stringere la mano is to shake hands; stringersi is to squeeze up to make room.

Where you hear stringere

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

Italian · Fluency Level 3

  • Nonna mi stringe la mano. Nonna squeezes my hand.
  • Mi ha stretto forte, senza parlare. She held me tight, without speaking.
  • Ti stringerò la mano per tutto il volo. I'll hold your hand for the whole flight.
9
Over the Ocean

Fluency Level 3 · Ogni giorno. E mi si stringe il cuore.

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Verbs like this one

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