togliere

Togliere is an Italian verb meaning to remove, take away, or take off. It can refer to removing a physical object from a surface (Togli la polvere dal tavolo), removing an obstacle or burden, or taking something away from someone. It is also used in a figurative sense, such as removing doubts, restrictions, or time from consideration (togliere tempo).

The verb is transitive, typically requiring a direct object. It can also be used reflexively in togliersi, meaning to remove something from oneself (for example, to take off clothing) or to free oneself of a burden or constraint. Reflexive use is common for actions like removing attire or figuratively discarding worries.

Etymology and related forms: Togliere comes from Latin tollere, meaning to lift, raise, or remove. The form tolto is the past participle, used with auxiliary avere in compound tenses (ho tolto). The present participle is togliendo. The verb belongs to the -ere class, with standard present and compound-tense conjugations.

Conjugation (highlights): in the present indicative the forms are io tolgo, tu togli, lui/lei toglie, noi togliamo, voi togliete, loro tolgono. The passato prossimo uses avere: ho tolto, hai tolto, ha tolto, abbiamo tolto, avete tolto, hanno tolto. The future simple uses the tense form tolgerò, tolgerai, tolgerà, tolgeremo, tolgerete, tolgeranno. Other tenses follow regular -ere verb patterns with the stem tolg- or togli- as appropriate.

Common expressions include togliere qualcosa a qualcuno (to take something away from someone) and togliersi di mezzo (to get out of the way). Togliere is a frequently used verb in everyday Italian.