Pesare

Pesare is an Italian verb meaning to determine the weight of something or to have weight. It is used literally when measuring mass with a scale or balance, and figuratively to indicate importance or impact. Examples: "Devo pesare la carne" (I need to weigh the meat) and "Questo oggetto pesa due chili" (This object weighs two kilograms). The related noun peso means weight, and you may say "La bilancia segna due chili" to indicate the reading on a scale.

Grammatical notes: Pesare is a regular -are verb and uses the auxiliary avere in compound tenses. Present indicative forms are io peso, tu pesi, lui/lei pesa, noi pesiamo, voi pesate, loro pesano. Imperfect: pesavo, pesavi, pesava, pesavamo, pesavate, pesavano. Passato prossimo: ho pesato, hai pesato, ha pesato, abbiamo pesato, avete pesato, hanno pesato. Other forms include gerund pesando and past participle pesato.

Usage and nuance: In addition to physical measurement, pesare is used figuratively to express significance or burden. Expressions such as "La decisione pesa molto" or "Questa questione pesa sul bilancio" convey that something has considerable weight or consequence. The verb can pair with prepositions to indicate influence, as in pesare su qualcuno o qualcosa (to weigh on someone or something). Related terms include peso (weight), pesante (heavy), and pesare su (to weigh on).

See also: peso, bilancia, pesante.