aggrapparsi

Aggrapparsi is an Italian pronominal verb meaning to cling to or hold onto something, physically or emotionally. It can describe the action of gripping to prevent a fall, as well as the act of clinging to a memory, a belief, a hope, or a person. The sense can be literal or metaphorical and is common in everyday language as well as literary contexts.

Etymology and meaning: The word derives from the transitive verb aggrappare, to seize or grasp, with the reflexive suffix -si to form aggrapparsi. The root grapp- expresses the idea of grabbing or gripping firmly. The phrase is typically used with the preposition a to indicate the object of the cling (aggrapparsi a qualcosa).

Usage: Aggrapparsi is used with a following noun or clause introduced by a to-express the thing one clings to: aggrapparsi a una speranza, aggrapparsi al corrimano, aggrapparsi a un ricordo. It appears in literal descriptions of holding onto something, as well as in figurative statements about clinging to ideas, routines, or people.

Conjugation: It is a regular -are verb used reflexively. Present: mi aggrappo, ti aggrappi, si aggrappa, ci aggrappiamo, vi aggrappate, si aggrappa- no. The past participle is aggrappato (agreeing in gender/number with the subject in compound tenses), and in compound tenses it uses the auxiliary essere: mi sono aggrappato, ti sei aggrappato, si è aggrappato, ecc. Imperfect: mi aggrappavo, ti aggrappavi, si aggrappava, ecc. Subjunctive present: che io mi aggrappi, che tu ti aggrappi, ecc.

Examples: “Durante la crisi si è aggrappato all’ultima speranza.” “Il piccolo si è aggrappato al baratro della ringhiera.” “Non ti aggrappare a scuse banali.”

See also: attaccarsi, tenersi, aggrappare.

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