Predire

Predire is an Italian verb meaning to predict or foretell, i.e., to state in advance what will happen or what the outcome will be. It is used to refer to forecasts or prophecies about the future, in contexts ranging from science and politics to personal life or literature.

Etymology and nuance: Predire derives from Latin prae- “before” and videre “to see.” The term carries a sense of looking forward or foreseeing, sometimes with a prophetic or speculative nuance. In everyday language, preverere (prevedere) is more common for neutral forecasting based on evidence or modeling, while predire can imply a more tentative or speculative claim.

Usage and grammar: Predire is a transitive verb. It can take a direct object, as in predire qualcosa (to predict something), or be followed by a clause introduced by che, often with a tense appropriate to the context (predire che arriverà, predire che sarebbe accaduto). The exact mood of the subordinate clause depends on the speaker’s stance and the time relationship of the prediction.

Conjugation and forms: Predire belongs to the -ire verb group and follows its standard conjugation patterns, with some irregularities in certain tenses. For precise forms, consult a conjugation table.

See also: Prevedere, forecast, prophecy, predizione. In practice, predire is used when the language aims at a more speculative or prophetic tone, whereas prevedere is the go-to term for evidence-based forecasting. Example: Gli esperti hanno predetto una recessione. L'oracolo prediceva un futuro incerto.