Ingerisci

Ingerisci is the second-person singular present indicative form of the Italian verb ingerire, meaning to swallow or ingest. It is also the informal imperative form used when addressing someone directly (tu). In a sentence, it typically governs a direct object: Ingerisci questa pillola.

Grammatically, ingerire belongs to the -ire verbs and follows a regular -isc- pattern in the present tense: io ingerisco, tu ingerisci, lui/lei ingerisce, noi ingeriamo, voi ingerite, loro ingeriscono. This form is the same for the imperative of tu in many everyday contexts, making Ingerisci both a present-tense form and a command in informal speech.

Etymology traces ingerire to Latin ingere, from in- “into” and gerere “to carry, to bear,” conveying the sense of putting something into the body. The verb is commonly used in medical, pharmacological, and nutritional contexts, as well as in casual speech when telling someone to swallow a substance.

Usage and nuance: ingerire emphasizes the act of taking something by swallowing. For more general or non-oral intake, Italian often uses ingovere or assumere in diet-related contexts, while ingestione is the noun referring to the act of ingestion. Synonyms for the act of swallowing include deglutire, though deglutire focuses more narrowly on the swallowing action, not the broader sense of ingesting.

Examples: “Ingerisci questa pillola con un bicchiere d’acqua.” “Durante la dieta, è necessario ingerire una quantità adeguata di proteine.”