guidare

Guidare is an Italian verb that primarily means to drive a vehicle or to guide/lead someone or something. It belongs to the first conjugation (-are) and is used in both literal and figurative contexts, from operating a car to directing a group or project.

In everyday use, guidare appears with a direct object: guidare un’auto, una moto, una barca, or guidare qualcuno through a task. It can also describe steering or managing a situation, for example guidare una squadra, guidare un progetto, or guidare una tournée. The noun forms related to guidare include la guida (guidance, steering, or the act of guiding) and il guidatore (driver). In compound nouns, cabina di guida refers to the cockpit or driving cabin of a vehicle.

Conjugation and grammar: guidare is conjugated like a typical -are verb. Present indicative forms are io guido, tu guidi, lui/lei guida, noi guidiamo, voi guidate, loro guidano. The passato prossimo is formed with avere: ho guidato, hai guidato, ha guidato, abbiamo guidato, avete guidato, hanno guidato. Other common forms include the imperfect guidavo, guidavi, guidava, guidavamo, guidavate, guidavano; the present subjunctive: che io guidi, che tu guidi, che lui guidi, che noi guidiamo, che voi guidiate, che loro guidino; the conditional: guiderei, guideresti, guiderebbe, guideremmo, guidereste, guiderebbero; the gerund guiding (guidando) and the past participle guidato.

Overall usage tends toward physical driving and metaphorical leadership, with context determining whether guidare refers to operating a vehicle or directing people and activities.