Opporrei

Opporre, and its conditional form opporrei, is an Italian verb meaning to oppose or to place against. Opporre is transitive and typically takes a direct object, as in opporre una resistenza, opporre una controproposta, or opporre argomentazioni. Opporrei is the first-person singular present conditional form, used to express what one would oppose under certain conditions.

Etymology and meaning: The verb opporre comes from Latin oppōnere, formed from ob- “toward” and pōnere “to place.” In Italian, it shares the core sense of setting something against another thing, whether an argument, a proposal, or a course of action.

Usage and style: The conditional opporrei is used to describe hypothetical actions, polite offers or refusals, and negotiations dependent on conditions. It appears more often in formal or written language, such as political debate, academic writing, or negotiated agreements, than in everyday casual speech. The verb is commonly paired with concrete objects like resistenza, una controproposta, or argomenti to indicate what one would oppose or counter.

Examples: In a negotiation or debate, one might say that “se le condizioni non cambiassero, opporrei una controproposta,” signaling a conditional stance. As a general rule, opporrei signals a hypothetical or conditional opposition rather than a definitive present action.

Conjugation note: Opporre is a standard -ere verb with a distinctive stem pattern in the conditional. The form opporrei is the first-person singular. Other conditional forms include opporresti, opporrebbe, opporremmo, opporreste, and opporrebbero.