attendendo

Attendendo is the gerund form of the Italian verb attendere, which among its main senses means to wait for something or to attend to something or someone. As a present participle, attendendo describes an ongoing action and can be used with auxiliary verbs such as stare to convey a progressive aspect, for example sto attendendo una risposta. It can also appear in descriptive phrases to indicate simultaneous or related actions.

The word derives from Latin attendere, formed from ad- plus tendere, and entered Italian through the same root family as attendere. In modern Italian, attendere is less common in everyday speech for simple “waiting” than aspettare, and the gerund attendendo tends to appear more in formal, literary, or historical contexts. When used to mean “attending to” or “taking care of,” attendere takes an object (attendere ai bisogni, attendere ai doveri), and attendendo can function as a participial modifier in a sentence.

Usage notes: attendendo is more formal or literary than the more frequent aspettando in ordinary conversation. It is often found in written prose, summaries, or narrative passages that aim for a slightly elevated tone. For most contemporary speech, speakers default to aspettare for “to wait for” and to occuparsi di or prendersi cura di for “to attend to."

Examples: Sto attendendo una risposta. Attendendo ai bisogni dei clienti, l’azienda ha riorganizzato i servizi. This illustrates how attendendo conveys ongoing action or a lingering focus on a duty, depending on context.