smettere

Smettere is an Italian verb meaning to stop, cease, or quit an activity. It is used to indicate the end of a habit, behavior, or ongoing action, and is typically followed by di + infinitive, as in smettere di fumare (to quit smoking) or smettere di lavorare (to stop working). It can also appear in imperative form, as in Smetti! (Stop it).

Etymology and form: the verb is derived from the root mettere with the prefix s-, a development that conveys cessation. Smettere belongs to the first-group -ere verbs in the present system, with a regular conjugation pattern. In compound tenses, it uses avere as the auxiliary: ho smesso (I stopped). The present tense forms are io smetto, tu smetti, lui/lei smette, noi smettiamo, voi smettete, loro smettono.

Usage notes: the standard construction is smettere di + infinito to indicate stopping a specific action. For example, “Ho smesso di fumare” means “I stopped smoking.” The verb can appear in different tenses to express timing or aspect, such as “Smetterò di bere” (I will stop drinking) or “Non smettere di provare” (Don’t stop trying). While primarily used with di + infinito, smettere can appear with other complements in more specialized phrases, but di + infinito remains the most common pattern.

See also: cessare, interrompere, rinunciare. The phrase smettere di is widely used in everyday Italian to express quitting or ceasing any action, habit, or behavior.