appartenersi

Appartenersi is a pronominal Italian verb used to express mutual belonging or a reciprocal bond between two or more subjects. It is the reflexive form of appartenere and is typically used to indicate that the people or groups involved belong to one another or share a common bond, identity, or belonging. It is rarely applied to inanimate objects.

Grammatical notes: Appartenersi is intransitive and used with reflexive pronouns to convey reciprocity. It is conjugated with the auxiliary essere. In the present tense, the forms for plural subjects are noi ci apparteniamo, voi vi appartenete, loro si appartengono; individual forms exist but the reciprocal sense is mainly used with plural subjects. The past participle is appartenuto, and with the auxiliary essere it agrees with the subject in gender and number (e.g., ci siamo appartenuti, ci siamo appartenute).

Usage and nuance: The verb foregrounds mutual belonging, shared membership, or deep relational ties—often in contexts such as couples, close friends, families, or communities. It is a formal or literary option; in everyday speech speakers more commonly use phrases like appartenere a vicenda, fare parte l’uno dell’altro, or essere legati.

Examples:

- Noi ci apparteniamo a vicenda da molti anni. (We belong to each other for many years.)

- I membri della coppia si appartengono l’uno all’altro. (The members of the couple belong to one another.)

Etymology: Appartenersi derives from the base appartenere (to belong), with the reflexive form marking reciprocity. The term appears in standard Italian dictionaries as the pronominal variant used for mutual belonging.