suppone

Suppone is the third-person singular present indicative form of the Italian verb supporre, meaning to suppose or to assume. It is used to indicate that someone is presuming a fact or a situation in the present. In formal address, Lei suppone can also be used to mean “you suppose.”

Origin and forms: Supporre derives from Latin supponere, a compound of sub- “under” and ponere “to place.” In Italian, supporre is conjugated with avere as the auxiliary for most compound tenses. The present tense forms include io suppongo, tu supponi, lui/lei suppone, noi supponiamo, voi supponete, loro suppongono. The past participle is supposto, so the passato prossimo is ho supposto, hai supposto, ha supposto, etc. The gerund is supponendo. These forms allow a range of expressions about belief, assumption, and conjecture.

Usage notes: Supporre is common in everyday Italian for making cautious assumptions or presenting an hypothesis. It is often followed by a subordinate clause introduced by che, as in “Suppongo che sia tardi” (I suppose that it is late) or “Supponi che possa venire” (Assume that he can come). The form suppone specifically appears when describing a single, current assumption by a third-person subject: “Lui suppone che sia possibile” (He supposes that it is possible). In translation, supporre corresponds to the English verb suppose, with similar nuances of uncertainty or estimation.

As a word in English, suppone is not used; capitalized Suppone can occasionally be a surname or toponym.