ritenere

Ritenere is an Italian verb that means to deem, to consider, or to regard something as true or true enough to be treated as such. It is primarily used to express a belief, opinion, or formal assessment, rather than a simple, casual thought. The verb is transitive and can take a direct object (ritenere qualcosa) or a clause introduced by che (ritenere che ...).

In addition to its figurative sense of forming an opinion, ritenere has a more formal or juridical use in which something is held to be the case by authorities, courts, or institutions. For example, a judge may ritenere someone colpevole, meaning to deem or find the person guilty. The phrase Ritengo che... is common in everyday speech to introduce a personal assessment, while Ritenevano is used for past or reported beliefs.

Etymology traces ritenere to Latin retinere orretenere, meaning to retain, hold back, or keep. Over time, the sense shifted toward forming a judgment or opinion about something, while the older sense of holding or retaining influenced its figurative uses.

Conjugation notes: ritenere is a regular -ere verb. The participle is ritеноuto, and the gerund is ritenendo. The verb appears in various tenses and moods like other Italian verbs, with typical forms for present, past, and subjunctive in accordance with standard -ere conjugation patterns.

See also: considerare, stimare, supporre.