stupirsi

Stupirsi is a pronominal Italian verb meaning to experience astonishment or surprise, often in response to something unexpected. It is used to express a personal feeling of wonder, rather than an external action done to someone else. The verb can convey both mild surprise and stronger amazement, depending on context.

Etymology and related forms: Stupire, the non-reflexive counterpart meaning “to astonish,” shares its origin with stupor, from Latin stupere “to be amazed.” Stupirsi combines this root with the reflexive pronoun, producing meanings like “to be astonished” or “to be surprised at.” The reflexive form emphasizes the subject’s own reaction.

Usage and construction: Stupirsi is intransitive and typically takes di- or che-clauses to introduce the cause of the astonishment. Common patterns include stupirsi di + noun or di + phrase, and stupirsi che + congiuntivo in subordinate clauses. Example: Mi sono stupito di quanto sia facile. Si è stupito quando l’ha visto. In informal speech, it can also appear with non + imperative: Non ti stupire se accade qualcosa di inaspettato.

Conjugation overview: Stupirsi follows regular pronominal verb conjugation. In the present tense: mi stupisco, ti stupisci, si stupisce, ci stupiamo, vi stupite, si stupiscono. Passato prossimo: mi sono stupito/a, ti sei stupito/a, si è stupito/a, ci siamo stupiti/e, vi siete stupiti/e, si sono stupiti/e. Imperfect: mi stupivo, ti stupivi, si stupiva, ci stupivamo, vi stupivate, si stupivano. Future: mi stupirò, ti stupirai, si stupirà, ci stupiremo, vi stupirete, si stupiranno. The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject when used with essere.

See also: stupire (to astonish), sorpregersi (to be surprised), sorpresa.