accusare

Accusare is an Italian transitive verb meaning to allege that someone has committed a fault or crime, or to charge someone with an offense. It is used in both everyday language and formal or legal contexts, often with the preposition di to specify the alleged act, as in accusare qualcuno di furto (to accuse someone of theft). The verb can also denote the act of presenting charges before a court.

Etymology and history: accusare derives from Latin accūsāre, formed from ad- plus causa, meaning to bring a case against someone or to lay a charge. The sense of attributing blame or responsibility has persisted in modern Italian.

Usage and nuance: accusare is commonly followed by a direct object (someone) and by di + noun or di + gerund to specify the alleged action. It can be used in investigative, journalistic, and courtroom language. Related verbs include incolpare (to blame or hold accountable) and imputare (to attribute responsibility, often in formal or legal contexts). The word can carry a strong or contentious tone depending on context.

Conjugation and grammar: accusare is a regular -are verb. Present indicative: io accuso, tu accusi, lui/lei accusa, noi accusiamo, voi accusate, loro accusano. Past tense forms include ho accusato (present perfect) and accusai (passato remoto). The past participle is accusato. Subjunctive present: che io accusi, che tu accusi, che lui/lei accusi, che noi accusiamo, che voi accusiate, che loro accusino. The verb is used transitively and can appear in passive constructions such as essere accusato. Reflexive use exists as accusarsi, meaning to blame oneself.