Meaning
to activate, to enable
- to activate, to enable, to turn on
- to stimulate, to trigger
In a sentence
Puoi attivare il Wi-Fi sul telefono?
Can you turn on the Wi-Fi on the phone?
La musica giusta attiva la mia voglia di correre.
The right music activates my desire to run.
Non ho ancora attivato la nuova carta.
I still haven't activated the new card.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| attivare | infinitive |
| attiviamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| attivo | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| attivate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| attivi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| attivano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| attiva | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| attivavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| attivavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| attivavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| attivavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| attivavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| attivava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| attivammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| attivai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| attivaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| attivasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| attivarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| attivò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| attiveremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| attiverò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| attiverete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| attiverai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| attiveranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| attiverà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| attiviamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| attivi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| attiviate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| attivi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| attivino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| attivi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| attivassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| attivassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| attivaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| attivassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| attivassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| attivasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| attiveremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| attiverei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| attivereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| attiveresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| attiverebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| attiverebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| attiviamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| attivate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| attiva | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| attivando | gerund |
| attivato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Very common with services and devices: attivare un account, una SIM, la modalità aereo. For software features, abilitare is often more technical.
- For starting machines or systems, avviare often sounds more natural than attivare: avviare il motore, but attivare l'allarme.
- Usually takes avere in compound tenses: ho attivato il servizio. Reflexive attivarsi uses essere: il sistema si è attivato.