Contribuire

Contribuire is an Italian verb meaning to contribute, to give or add something to a common purpose, project, or result. It is used both in practical and abstract senses, such as contributing time, money, ideas, or expertise. The construction most often uses the preposition a to indicate the recipient or target of the contribution, as in contribuire a un progetto, contribuire al successo di una iniziativa.

Etymology and sense

The verb derives from Latin contribuere, literally “to bring together” or “to bestow, assign,” from con- (together) and tribuere (to grant or allot). In Italian, contribuisce a expresses participation in collective efforts, while in financial contexts it can refer to providing funds or resources.

Conjugation and forms

Contribuire is a regular -ire verb with some forms bearing an -isc- in the present tense. Present indicative forms include io contribuisco, tu contribuisci, lui/lei contribuisce, noi contribuiamo, voi contribuite, loro contribuiscono. The past participle is contribuito, used with auxiliary avere as in ho contribuito. The gerund is contribuendo. Other tenses follow standard -ire conjugation patterns, with the present subjunctive forms such as che io contribuisca, che tu contribuisca, che lui contribuisca, etc., and the imperfect and future tenses in their regular forms.

Usage and context

Contribuire is common in civic, professional, and academic language. It appears with a to-phrase to denote involvement in a project or cause, and with con- or with a noun to specify the type of contribution, for example contribuire con risorse o contribuire al progresso. It also appears in everyday phrases like “contribuire al miglioramento” and in open-source communities, where speakers say di contribuire a un progetto.

Related forms

The noun contributo means a contribution or input; contributes to phrases like un contributo economico or un contributo di idee. A person who contributes is a contributore or contributrice. The adjective contributivo is used in contexts such as sistema contributivo.