Italian -isc- verbs
- 137 verbs in this group
These are the -ire verbs that insert -isc- between the stem and the ending. Capire gives capisco, not capo. Preferire gives preferisce, not prefere.
The insert lands on the four forms where the stress falls on the stem rather than the ending: io, tu, lui/lei and loro. The noi and voi forms keep the plain stem (capiamo, capite) because the stress has already moved onto the ending.
There is no rule that predicts membership, so this list is the practical answer: these are the verbs to learn as -isc- verbs.
All 137 italian -isc- verbs
Ordered by how often they appear in real Italian, so the ones worth learning first are at the top. Every entry links to its full conjugation in all 15 tenses.
- capire to understand
- finire to finish
- preferire to prefer
- unire to unite, to put together
- agire to act or operate
- colpire to hit, strike
- sparire to disappear
- costruire to build, construct
- trasferire to transfer, move
- pulire to clean
- impazzire to go mad, to go crazy
- gestire to manage, run or administer
- tradire to betray
- riferire to report, to refer
- ferire to wound, to injure
- impedire to prevent, to prohibit
- suggerire to suggest, to hint
- restituire to return, give back
- guarire to recover, to get well
- subire to undergo, stand
- fornire to supply, to provide
- definire to define
- fallire to miss, to not hit
- reagire to react
- garantire to guarantee, warrant
- punire to punish
- sostituire to substitute
- ripulire to clean again
- tornire to lathe, to turn on a lathe
- eseguire to execute, carry out
- inserire to insert
- stabilire to establish, to fix
- spedire to send, dispatch
- chiarire to clarify or explain
- seppellire to bury, to inter
- stupire to surprise, to amaze
- percepire to sense, perceive
- riunire to reunite, put together
- rapire to kidnap or abduct
- gradire to accept with pleasure, to welcome
- obbedire to obey
- aggredire to attack, to assault
- ricostruire to rebuild, to reconstruct
- interferire to interfere
- perquisire to search, to rummage through
- infastidire to irk, annoy or irritate
- partorire to give birth to
- distribuire to distribute
- svanire to disappear, vanish
- innervosire to make nervous or annoyed
- marcire to rot, to fester
- diminuire to diminish, to decrease
- concepire to conceive
- esibire to present, to show
- costituire to constitute, establish
- istruire to educate
- tossire to cough
- arrugginire to rust, to cause to rust
- indebolire to weaken, to make weaker
- abortire to abort a pregnancy
- proibire to forbid, to prohibit
- contribuire to contribute
- impaurire to frighten, to scare
- intimidire to frighten
- demolire to demolish
- dimagrire to become thin or thinner, to lose weight
- digerire to digest
- ingrandire to develop, expand
- disobbedire to disobey
- ristabilire to reestablish
- esaudire to fully satisfy
- favorire to favour/favor, to help
- sfinire to exhaust, to wear out
- incuriosire to arouse curiosity in, to make curious
- esaurire to exhaust
- rammollire to soften, to make soft
- appuntire to sharpen
- rifornire to supply again, to provide again
- approfondire to deepen
- conferire to grant, to confer
- influire to affect, to have an effect
- starnutire to sneeze
- ingerire to ingest
- acquisire to acquire
- arrossire to blush
- ingelosire to become jealous
- custodire to guard
- rispedire to send back
- sbalordire to stun, amaze
- inghiottire to swallow
- smentire to deny
- allestire to organize, prepare
- arricchire to enrich
- attribuire to award, assign
- bandire to announce
- istituire to institute, to found
- interagire to interact
- annuire to nod in agreement
- arrostire to roast
- granire to form grains or seeds
- smaltire to digest
- schiarire to lighten, to make lighter in color
- gioire to rejoice or, or be delighted
- fiorire to flower, to bloom
- ubbidire to obey
- zittire to silence, to hush
- alleggerire to lighten
- aderire to adhere, to stick
- accudire to attend to, to heed
- intontire to make stupid
- abolire to abrogate, to annul
- sminuire to belittle or slight
- rimbambire to become senile
- ribadire to reaffirm
- progredire to progress
- insospettire to arouse suspicion, to make suspicious
- intuire to realize
- rincoglionire to make become stupid
- compatire to have pity for
- patire to undergo, to receive
- intimorire to frighten, to intimidate
- prestabilire to prearrange, to establish beforehand
- rabbrividire to shiver, shudder
- spartire to share out
- putire to stink
- usufruire to make use
- recepire to understand, to take in
- fluire to flow
- esercire to operate
- sbollire to stop boiling
- infierire to attack furiously, thrash
- reperire to find, to come by
- retribuire to pay, to remunerate
- atterrire to terrify or terrorize
- ruggire to roar
- addolcire to sweeten
- scolpire to carve, to chisel
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