commutiamo

Commutiamo is the first-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb commutare, meaning that it expresses the action “we exchange,” “we convert,” or “we switch” in the present tense. The verb is transitive and used across several domains, sometimes with distinct nuances depending on context.

The verb has several common senses. One sense is exchange or conversion of one thing for another, often in legal or formal language (for example, to commute a penalty: to reduce a sentence). It also appears in technical and mathematical contexts to denote switching or substituting one state for another, or to intervene in a process by replacing one element with another. A third sense, less common in everyday speech, relates to travel or movement in the sense of shifting from one condition or place to another, though in Italian this sense is typically conveyed with more ordinary verbs.

Etymology and related terms: commutare comes from Latin commutare, combining com- (together, thoroughly) with mutare (to change). Related Italian terms include comutazione (the act of exchanging or switching) and commutatore (a switch or switchgear in electrical engineering).

Conjugation overview: present indicative forms include io commuto, tu commuti, lui/lei commuta, noi commutiamo, voi commutate, loro commutano. The imperfect is mutava forms, and the passato prossimo uses avere with the past participle commutato (ho commutato, hai commutato, ha commutato, abbiamo commutato, avete commutato, hanno commutato).

See also: comutazione, commutatore, mutare.