Affrettando

Affrettando is the present participle of the Italian verb affrettare, which means “to hurry,” “to hasten,” or “to accelerate.” The word derives from the late Latin affrettare, a variant of affrenare, itself rooted in frana, Latin for “a sudden rush” or “harmony,” which passed into Tuscan Italian as affretta and eventually affrettare. In modern Italian, affrettare and its participle affrettando are used both literally and figuratively.

When used literally, affrettando describes the act of moving quickly, such as “affrettando il treno” (hurrying the train) or “affrettando la consegna” (speeding up the delivery). Figuratively, it connotes urgency in decision-making or execution, as in “affrettando la scelta” (accelerating the choice). In idiomatic expressions, affrettando can express impatience or a desire to avoid delay, e.g., “affrettando l'impatto dell’evento” (hasten the impact of the event).

Grammatically, affrettando functions as a gerund and can be paired with prepositions such as in, con, per, and a, forming phrases that describe circumstances or motivations, for example, “affrettando per rispettare la scadenza” (hurrying to meet the deadline). It may also appear in negative constructions: “non affrettando” (not hurrying).

In Italian literature and media, affrettando often signals a tone of urgency or a critique of rushed actions. It is commonly contrasted with “prendere il tempo” (taking one's time) to emphasize differences in pacing and deliberation. The term appears frequently in contemporary news headlines, corporate communications, and everyday speech whenever speed or acceleration is relevant.