Presumiamo

Presumiamo is the first person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb presumere, meaning “to presume” or “to assume.” The verb derives from the Latin presumpsere, a combination of pre (before) and sumere (take). In contemporary Italian, presumere is used to express an assumption based on reason or evidence, often with a sense of certainty that something is likely true, though not definitively proven. The word is frequently found in formal and literary contexts, as well as in everyday speech when people make informed conjectures.

The conjugation of presumere follows regular -ere verbs. The present indicative forms are: io presumo, tu presumi, lui/lei presume, noi presumiamo, voi presumete, loro presumono. The same form, presumiamo, appears in the subjunctive mood, but with a different meaning (e.g., “se noi presumiamo che…”) and is conjugated as: io presuma, tu presuma, lui/lei presuma, noi presumiamo, voi presumiate, loro presumano. The reflexive form presumersi, meaning “to presume of oneself,” is rarely used today. In literature and academic writing, presumiamo often precedes clauses that assert a hypothesis, such as “Presumiamo che la popolazione crescerà” (We assume that the population will grow). In everyday conversation, it can signal a tentative belief, reflecting modest certainty rather than absolute fact.