appreciare

Appreciare is not a standard Italian verb. In standard Italian, the correct infinitive is apprezzare, which means to value, to regard with esteem, to recognize merit, or to be grateful for something. The form appreciare may appear in informal writing or as a misspelling, but it is generally treated as nonstandard.

The meaning of apprezzare encompasses both valuing something’s quality or importance and showing gratitude for a gesture or help. Common uses include appreciating a person’s effort, appreciating a work of art, or appreciating a situation. In financial or market contexts, apprezzare can also mean to increase in value, as in assets appreciated in price, though this sense is usually expressed with apprezzare in its proper spelling.

Conjugation and forms. Apprezzare follows the regular -are verb pattern in Italian. Present indicative: io apprezzo, tu apprezzi, lui/lei apprezza, noi apprezziamo, voi apprezzate, loro apprezzano. The past participle is apprezzato, used with avere: Ho apprezzato il tuo aiuto. Subjunctive present: che io apprezzi, che tu apprezzi, che lui/lei apprezzi, che noi apprezziamo, che voi apprezziate, che loro apprezzino. Imperative: apprezza, apprezziamo, apprezzate.

Cross-language note. The concept of appreciating—valuing or recognizing merit—has cognates in other Romance languages (for example French apprécier, Spanish apreciar). However, appreciare as a standard form is not used in Italian; readers are advised to use apprezzare in formal writing.