esprimere

Esprimere is an Italian verb meaning to express, convey, or articulate thoughts, feelings, or ideas. It is used transitively to indicate giving form to something that would otherwise be implicit, and it can also be used reflexively as esprimersi, meaning to express oneself or to speak one's mind.

Etymology and sense

The verb derives from Latin exprimere, from ex- “out” and premere “to press.” The sense broadened over time from a physical act of pressing out to the figurative act of giving form or meaning to an idea, feeling, or statement.

Conjugation and forms

Esprimere is a regular -ere verb. In the present indicative, the forms are io esprimo, tu esprimi, lui/lei esprime, noi esprimiamo, voi esprimete, loro esprimono. The imperfect is esprimevo, esprimevi, esprimeva, esprimevamo, esprimevate, esprimevano. The passato prossimo uses avere: ho espresso, hai espresso, ha espresso, abbiamo espresso, avete espresso, hanno espresso. The past participle is espresso, which also serves as the masculine singular adjective meaning “expressed” (as in un concetto espresso) and agrees in gender and number when used adjectivally (espressa, espressi, espr esse).

Usage and nuances

Esprimere is commonly paired with nouns such as un’opinione, un’opinione, un sentimento, un’idea, a concept, or a feeling. It can be used in phrases like esprimere un’opinione, esprimere un desiderio, esprimere un punto di vista. In reflexive form, esprimersi denotes the act of communicating one’s thoughts or feelings clearly. Related terms include espressione (expression) and espressivo/espressiva (expressive).

In translation, esprimere corresponds to the English “to express,” “to convey,” or “to articulate,” depending on the context.