afferma

Afferma is the third-person singular present indicative form of the Italian verb affermare, meaning to state firmly that something is true, to declare, or to claim. It is used to report what a person says or believes, often in formal, journalistic, or argumentative contexts.

As an -are verb, affermare follows regular conjugation patterns. The present tense forms include: io affermo, tu affermi, lui/lei afferma, noi affermiamo, voi affermate, loro affermano. The form afferma is therefore commonly found in reported speech, where a subject states a proposition, for example: “Il portavoce afferma che i fondi saranno disponibili.”

Etymology traces affermare to the Latin affirmare, from ad- (toward) and firmare (to make firm, to strengthen), conveying the sense of making a claim sound or credible. The noun corresponding to the verb is affermazione, meaning an assertion or statement.

Usage notes: afferma is often used in formal or semi-formal writing, including news reporting, legal discourse, and public statements. It carries a nuance of confidence or certainty about the stated claim, somewhat stronger than synonyms like dichiara or sostiene in certain contexts. In everyday language, it can appear with a variety of prepositional clausal complements, most commonly afferma che + clause or afferma di + infinito.

Examples: “Il ministero afferma che la procedura è sicura.” “Secondo il rapporto, l’esperto afferma di non aver commesso errori.” The related noun affermazione denotes the act or content of making such a claim.