Esplodere

Esplodere is an Italian verb meaning to explode or to burst forth. It can describe a physical explosion—for example, a bomb detonating or a bottle breaking—as well as non-physical bursts such as emotions or events that erupt suddenly. The verb is primarily intransitive, and in compound tenses it uses essere (io sono esploso, tu sei esploso, lui è esploso, lei è esplosa). The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject. In the transitive sense “to explode something,” the standard construction is to use the causative fare esplodere: ha fatto esplodere la bomba, oppure far esplodere qualcosa. The present tense forms are: io esplodo, tu esplodi, lui esplode, noi esplodiamo, voi esplodete, loro esplodono. The imperfect forms: esplodevo, esplodivi, esplodeva, esplodevamo, esplodevate, esplodevano. The word derives from Latin explodere, with the general sense of bursting out. Usage notes: It can be used figuratively to describe sudden or intense eruptions of emotion, such as “esplode di gioia” or “esplode di rabbia.” Common synonyms include scoppiare; in many contexts they can be interchangeable, though scoppiare can carry a more colloquial or dramatic nuance. See also: far esplodere.