Raccomandare

Raccomandare is an Italian transitive verb whose primary meaning is to recommend or urge someone to do something. It can also mean to entrust someone to the care or protection of another person, or to commend someone to someone else. The phrase mi raccomando, a common colloquial usage, expresses a strong request to remember or take care of something, roughly “please, do make sure…”.

Etymology and form. The verb derives from Latin re-commendare, through the evolution of Italian phonology into raccomandare. The root is the stem commend-, with a phonetic assimilation that yields the characteristic -cc- in modern Italian. The related noun raccomandazione means “a recommendation” or “an act of recommending,” and in some contexts can carry a sense of influence or patronage.

Usage and conjugation. Raccomandare governs a direct object when used in the sense “to recommend someone or something to someone”: io raccomando questo libro al collega, you would say. It can also take a person and a recipient: ti raccomando Marco al tuo medico (I recommend Marco to your doctor). When indicating that someone should do something, it is used with di + infinitive or with che + congiuntivo: ti raccomando di partire in tempo, oppure ti raccomando che tu venga puntuale. The past participle is raccomandato, and passato prossimo uses ho raccomandato. As a reflexive or semicombative expression, it features prominently in the idiom mi raccomando.

See also and nuance. Synonyms include consigliare and suggerire; raccomandare can also imply a more insistent or personal request, or a patronage-based sense when used with people or positions. The term is common in everyday speech as well as in formal or professional contexts discussing endorsements, referrals, or entrusted responsibilities.