porre

Porre is an Italian transitive verb meaning to place or put, and more broadly to set, pose, or present. It is frequently used with abstract or concrete objects, and it also appears in many fixed expressions such as porre una domanda (to pose a question), porre fine a qualcosa (to put an end to something), porre rimedio (to remedy), and porre attenzione (to pay attention). It can also mean to impose or lay down conditions, limits, or requirements.

Etymology and forms. Porre derives from the Latin ponere, preserving the core meaning of placing or putting. In Italian, the verb is irregular in several tenses. The present indicative forms are io pongo, tu poni, lui/lei pone, noi poniamo, voi ponete, loro pongono. The past participle is posto, used with avere to form compound tenses (ho posto, hai posto, ha posto, etc.). The gerund is ponendo, and the present indicative imperfect is ponevo, ponevi, poneva, ponevamo, ponevate, ponevano. The passato remoto forms are posi, ponesti, pose, ponemmo, poneste, posero; the future is porrò, porrai, porrà, porremo, porrete, porranno; the conditional is porrei, porresti, porrebbe, porremmo, porreste, porrebbero. The present subjunctive appears as ponga, ponga, ponga, poniamo, poniate, pongano; the imperfect subjunctive includes ponessi, ponesse, ponessimo, poneste, ponessero.

Usage notes. Porre is versatile and often appears with abstract objects, unlike more concrete verbs such as mettere. It commonly introduces demands, problems, or propositions, as in porre una questione, porre una condizione, or porre rimedio. In passive or passive-like constructions, the past participle posto can appear in phrases such as il problema è stato posto. Nuances distinguish porre from other verbs like mettere or presentare, but in many contexts they are interchangeable.

See also. The verb is foundational in Italian, widely used in formal and written Italian to express presentation, placement, or proposal of ideas, questions, or requirements.