commettere

Commettere is an Italian verb that mainly means to commit or to perpetrate an act, especially in the sense of wrongdoing. It is commonly used with phrases such as commettere un reato (to commit a crime) and commettere un errore (to make or commit an error). The verb can also indicate undertaking or performing an act, as in commettere un atto.

Etymology and sense evolution: Commettere derives from the Latin committere, formed from com- “together” and mittere “to send.” The original sense of entrusting or bringing together a person with an action broadened in Italian to include both positive and negative deeds, with a strong association to illegal or faultful actions in contemporary usage.

Conjugation and forms: Commettere is a regular -ere verb. Present indicative forms are: io commetto, tu commetti, lui/lei commette, noi commettiamo, voi commettete, loro commettono. The past participle is commesso, used with avere to form the passato prossimo: ho commesso, hai commesso, ha commesso, abbiamo commesso, avete commesso, hanno commesso. Other tenses follow standard -ERE verb conjugation patterns: future will be commetterò, commetterai, commetterà, commetteremo, commetterete, commetteranno.

Usage notes: The verb is typically used with concrete acts and is more formal or specific than general synonyms for “do.” It can be contrasted with related expressions such as fare qualcosa di sbagliato or compiere un atto, depending on nuance. A potential source of confusion lies in the noun commesso (with two meanings: a store clerk and the past participle “commesso”); context usually resolves the meaning.

See also: common collocations include commettere un reato, commettere un errore, commettere un atto, and related forms in various tenses.