heypolyglot
Italian
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alimentare

/a.li.menˈta.re/adjective · masculine / verbB2
Less common · Top 5,000

Meaning · adjective

food-related

  • dietary

In a sentence

Seguo un regime alimentare più semplice adesso.

I follow a simpler diet now.

Hai qualche intolleranza alimentare?

Do you have any food intolerance?

Non lavoro più nel settore alimentare.

I don't work in the food sector anymore.

Word forms (4)
WordWord forms
alimentaremasculine · singular
alimentarefeminine · singular
alimentarimasculine · plural
alimentarifeminine · plural

Usage notes

  • Often used in formal or technical contexts: industria alimentare, educazione alimentare. In everyday speech, cibo or alimentazione is often more natural.
  • As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number: settore alimentare, aziende alimentari.
  • Do not confuse it with alimentare as a verb ('to feed, fuel, foster'). Context and sentence structure make the difference.

Meaning · verb

to feed, to fuel

  • to feed, to nourish
  • to fuel, to incite, to stoke

In a sentence

Una buona colazione alimenta il corpo e la mente.

A good breakfast nourishes the body and mind.

Perché vuoi alimentare questa lite tra amici?

Why do you want to fuel this argument among friends?

Non alimentare le paure dei bambini, per favore.

Don't feed the children's fears, please.

Word forms (48)
WordWord forms
alimentareinfinitive
alimentiamoindicative · present · plural · 1st person
alimentoindicative · present · singular · 1st person
alimentateindicative · present · plural · 2nd person
alimentiindicative · present · singular · 2nd person
alimentanoindicative · present · plural · 3rd person
alimentaindicative · present · singular · 3rd person
alimentavamoindicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person
alimentavoindicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person
alimentavateindicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person
alimentaviindicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person
alimentavanoindicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person
alimentavaindicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person
alimentammoindicative · past · plural · 1st person
alimentaiindicative · past · singular · 1st person
alimentasteindicative · past · plural · 2nd person
alimentastiindicative · past · singular · 2nd person
alimentaronoindicative · past · plural · 3rd person
alimentòindicative · past · singular · 3rd person
alimenteremoindicative · future · plural · 1st person
alimenteròindicative · future · singular · 1st person
alimentereteindicative · future · plural · 2nd person
alimenteraiindicative · future · singular · 2nd person
alimenterannoindicative · future · plural · 3rd person
alimenteràindicative · future · singular · 3rd person
alimentiamosubjunctive · present · plural · 1st person
alimentisubjunctive · present · singular · 1st person
alimentiatesubjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person
alimentisubjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person
alimentinosubjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person
alimentisubjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person
alimentassimosubjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person
alimentassisubjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person
alimentastesubjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person
alimentassisubjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person
alimentasserosubjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person
alimentassesubjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person
alimenteremmoconditional · present · plural · 1st person
alimentereiconditional · present · singular · 1st person
alimenteresteconditional · present · plural · 2nd person
alimenteresticonditional · present · singular · 2nd person
alimenterebberoconditional · present · plural · 3rd person
alimenterebbeconditional · present · singular · 3rd person
alimentiamoimperative · plural · 1st person
alimentateimperative · plural · 2nd person
alimentaimperative · singular · 2nd person
alimentandogerund
alimentatopast · participle

Usage notes

  • Often more formal than dare da mangiare or nutrire, especially in technical, medical, economic, or abstract contexts.
  • Very common figuratively: alimentare dubbi, polemiche, tensioni. English speakers often overuse nutrire where Italian prefers alimentare.
  • Regular -are verb; takes avere in compound tenses: ha alimentato, not è alimentato unless used as an adjective/passive.

Related words

nutrire ↗cibare ↗rifornire ↗fomentare ↗

Opposites

affamarespegnere ↗
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