Meaning
to stop, to finish, to cease
- to abate, to die down, to subside
- to stop doing, to cease doing [with da (+ object or infinitive); or with di (+ infinitive)]
- to shut down, to fold (of a company)
In a sentence
La pioggia è cessata verso le sei.
The rain stopped around six.
Quando cesserai di fare tutto questo rumore?
When will you stop making all this noise?
L'azienda ha cessato l'attività il mese scorso.
The company shut down last month.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| cessare | infinitive |
| cessiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| cesso | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| cessate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| cessi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cessano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cessa | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| cessavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| cessavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| cessavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| cessavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| cessavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| cessava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| cessammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| cessai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| cessaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| cessasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| cessarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| cessò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| cesseremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| cesserò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| cesserete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| cesserai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| cesseranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| cesserà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| cessiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| cessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| cessiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| cessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cessino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| cessassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| cessassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| cessaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| cessassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| cessassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| cessasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| cesseremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| cesserei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| cessereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| cesseresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cesserebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cesserebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| cessiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| cessate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| cessa | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| cessando | gerund |
| cessato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- More formal than smettere or fermarsi. Common in news, legal, medical, and written Italian.
- For weather, noise, pain: use cessare naturally. Pioggia, vento, rumore, dolore often pair with it.
- With infinitives, both cessare di and cessare da are found, but di + infinitive is the safer standard choice.