ascolta

Ascolta is an Italian verb form derived from ascoltare, meaning to listen. It functions as the second-person singular informal imperative (tu) meaning “listen!” and as the third-person singular present indicative, meaning “he/she listens.” In formal address, the polite form Lei uses the same form as the third-person singular, so “Lei ascolta” translates to “you listen.”

The pronunciation is roughly ah-SKOL-tah, with the emphasis on the second syllable. The word belongs to a family of related forms: ascolto (I listen, or the noun “listening”), ascolti (you listen, informal singular), ascoltiamo, ascoltate, ascoltano, and the gerund ascoltando. The underlying verb is ascoltare, which in turn derives from Latin auscultare, meaning to listen or hear.

Usage notes:

- Imperative: Ascolta! is used to command a single person to listen; Ascoltate! is used for multiple people.

- Active listening: ascoltare is often contrasted with listening passively; ascoltare attentamente means to listen carefully.

- Idiomatic expressions include prestare ascolto (to pay attention or heed) and dare ascolto a qualcuno (to heed or listen to someone).

In contemporary Italian, as a common verb form, ascalta appears frequently in everyday speech, literature, media, and instruction. It also appears as part of phrases that emphasize attention, comprehension, and responsiveness, reflecting the communicative importance of listening in Italian usage.