provate

Provate is an Italian verb form associated with the verb provare, meaning to try, to test, to prove, or to sample. It represents the second-person plural present indicative and the second-person plural imperative (voi form). In everyday use, provare covers a range of senses from attempting an action to tasting food or drink, or testing a hypothesis.

In practical use, provate appears in instructions, menus, or demonstrations where speakers encourage an action. For example: “Provate questo vino” (Taste this wine) or “Provate a seguire i passaggi” (Try following the steps). In cooking or testing contexts, it can introduce trials or evaluations, such as “Provate diverse quantità per trovare la giusta dose.” The form is common in both neutral descriptions and imperative directives.

Etymology and related forms: Provate derives from Latin probare, meaning to prove or test, a root that also gave English “prove.” The verb has the standard Italian conjugation with other forms including io provo, tu provi, lui/lei prova, noi proviamo, and loro provano. The word’s usage is widespread across informal speech, instruction, and evaluative contexts, often conveying the sense of encouraging an action or inviting experimentation.