Meaning
to grab; to grasp
- to take advantage of (a circumstance); to seize
- to grasp; to understand
In a sentence
Afferra la mia mano e salta giù.
Grab my hand and jump down.
Hai afferrato l'occasione al volo, bravo.
You seized the opportunity right away, well done.
Non afferro cosa vuoi dire adesso.
I don't understand what you mean right now.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| afferrare | infinitive |
| afferriamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| afferro | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| afferrate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| afferri | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| afferra | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| afferravamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| afferravo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| afferravate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| afferravi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| afferravano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| afferrava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| afferrammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| afferrai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| afferraste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| afferrasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| afferrò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| afferreremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| afferrerò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| afferrerete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| afferrerai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| afferreranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| afferrerà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| afferriamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| afferri | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| afferriate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| afferri | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| afferri | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| afferrassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| afferrassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| afferraste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| afferrassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| afferrasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| afferreremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| afferrerei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| afferrereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| afferreresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrerebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| afferrerebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| afferriamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| afferrate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| afferra | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| afferrando | gerund |
| afferrato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- For physical holding, afferrare is stronger and more sudden than prendere; for simply taking an object, prendere is usually more natural.
- For understanding, afferrare is less common and more emphatic than capire: Ho afferrato il concetto sounds like finally grasping it.
- It takes avere in compound tenses: ho afferrato, not sono afferrato.