coprire

Coprire is an Italian verb that primarily means to cover, i.e., to place something over a surface or to shield it from view. It is used both in a literal sense (coprire una tavola con una tovaglia) and in a figurative sense (coprire una verità, nascondere qualcosa). The verb also extends to phrases such as coprire i costi, meaning to pay or assume expenses, and coprire una notizia, i.e., report on or cover a story in journalism. In sports, it can describe guarding or marking an opponent (coprire una fascia).

Etymology and related forms

Coprire derives from Latin cooperire or operire, meaning to cover or to encompass. The Italian form preserves the core morpheme copr-, with typical -ire verb endings. A closely related verb is ricoprire, meaning to cover again or to fill a role, depending on context.

Conjugation and principal tenses

Coprire is an -ire verb and follows the regular present-tense endings for this class, with a stem change in the present indicative: io copro, tu copri, lui/lei copre, noi copriamo, voi coprite, loro coprono. The imperfect is coprivo, coprivi, copriva, coprivamo, coprivate, coprivano; the future is coprirò, coprirai, coprirà, copriremo, coprirete, copriranno. The gerund is coprendo and the past participle is coperto. In compound tenses you typically use avere: ho coperto, hai coperto, ha coperto, abbiamo coperto, avete coperto, hanno coperto.

Usage notes

Coprire is transitive and often requires a with-construction when describing covering material (coprire con una tenda, coprire la tavola con una tovaglia). It can also express concealment or suppression (coprire le prove) and the act of reporting on a topic (un giornalista che copre un evento). The verb distinguishes from ricoprire, which emphasizes occupying a position or filling a role.