assistono

Assistono is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb assistere. The verb has two principal senses in Italian: to help or to attend/be present at something. In the helping sense, assistere is transitive (someone assists someone else). In the attending sense, it is intransitive with a following preposition when describing attendance at events.

Etymology and meaning: Assistere derives from Latin assistere, from ad- “to” + sistere “to stand.” Historically, it carried the sense of standing by or being present to help, which underpins both Italian meanings today.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense, the forms of assistere are: io assisto, tu assiste, lui/lei assiste, noi assistiamo, voi assistite, loro assistono. The past participle is assistito, and the present participle (gerund) is assistendo. The form assistono specifically appears with third-person plural subjects: they assist or they attend.

Usage and examples: In the sense of providing help, one might say, “I medici assistono i pazienti” (the doctors assist the patients). In the sense of being present at an event, one can say, “Assistono al concerto” or “Assistono alla conferenza” (they attend the concert/conference). The choice of meaning is usually clear from context and, for attending, a preposition such as al/alla with a definite article is common.

Related terms: Common related terms include assistenza (assistance), assistente (assistant), and presenziare (to be present at, though less common in everyday Italian). The verb is sometimes contrasted with aiuto (help) or partecipare (to participate) depending on the nuance.