preoccupano

Preoccupano is a verb form in Italian that functions as the third-person plural present indicative of the transitive verb preoccupare. It means “they worry” or “they concern,” and is used when the subject is plural and the action is directed at a direct object that represents what causes worry. For example: Le notizie preoccupano la popolazione (The news worries the population).

Etymology and sense: preoccupare derives from Latin praeoccupare, formed with prae- “before” and occupare “to occupy.” The original sense was “to occupy beforehand,” which over time acquired the figurative meaning of causing concern and anxiety about future events or outcomes. In modern Italian, preoccupare is typically used to express legitimate concern about a situation, risk, or consequence.

Usage and examples: The verb commonly appears with nouns that denote events, conditions, or facts that can cause concern. Examples include: Le conseguenze economiche preoccupano i mercati (The economic consequences worry the markets); La situazione sanitaria preoccupa i cittadini (The health situation concerns the citizens); I tagli al bilancio preoccupano i dipendenti (The budget cuts worry the employees). The construction is usually subject–verb–direct object, without reflexive pronouns, unless the intended meaning is that someone is worrying themselves or about something, in which case the reflexive form si preoccupano is used (e.g., Si preoccupano per l’esame).

Relation to related forms: The related verb preoccupare can be used with a direct object; its pronominal counterpart, preoccuparsi, expresses becoming worried or concerned about something. Preoccupano contrasts with less intense verbs like interessano or riguardano, which denote interest or relevance rather than anxiety.