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I verbi fraseologici / Phrasal verbs.

Phrasal verbs, also called aspectual, are those verbs such as stare, continuare , finire, smettere, etc. which, in union with another verb (conjugated in the infinitive or in the gerund), define a particular aspect of the action:

  • Enrico sta studiando.
  • Enrico is studying.
  • Comincia a piovere.
  • He begins to rain
  • Ha smesso di nevicare.
  • He stopped snowing.

These verbs join in the infinitive through a preposition or support the gerund, constituting in both cases a kind of sentence: this is why they are called phrasal verbs.

The various aspects of the action that we can describe with the help of a phrasal verb are the following:

  • Imminence of the action: sto per piangere (I’m about to cry).
  • Beginning of the action: comincio a piangere (I start to cry).
  • Progress of the action: sto piangendo (I’m crying).
  • Continuation continues: continuo a piangere (I continue to cry).
  • End of the action: smetto di piangere (I stop crying).

There are also phrases with phrasal value, including:

  • Essere sul punto di (be on the verge of): la bambina era sul punto di piangere (the little girl was on the verge of crying).
  • Essere lì lì per (to be there for): la ragazza fu lì lì per andarsene a casa da sola (the girl was there to go home alone).
  • Andare avanti a (go on): andremo avanti a suonare tutta la notte (we’ll go on playing all night).