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).