Meaning
to confess, to admit
- to confess, admit, own up
- to confide, disclose
In a sentence
Ti devo confessare una cosa importante.
I have to confess something important to you.
Hai confessato tutto a tua sorella?
Did you tell your sister everything?
Non vuole confessare di aver sbagliato.
He doesn't want to admit he was wrong.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| confessare | infinitive |
| confessiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| confesso | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| confessate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| confessi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| confessano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| confessa | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| confessavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| confessavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| confessavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| confessavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| confessavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| confessava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| confessammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| confessai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| confessaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| confessasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| confessarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| confessò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| confesseremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| confesserò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| confesserete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| confesserai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| confesseranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| confesserà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| confessiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| confessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| confessiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| confessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| confessino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| confessi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| confessassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| confessassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| confessaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| confessassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| confessassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| confessasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| confesseremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| confesserei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| confessereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| confesseresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| confesserebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| confesserebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| confessiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| confessate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| confessa | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| confessando | gerund |
| confessato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use confessare for admitting guilt or revealing something personal; ammettere is broader and more neutral for admitting facts or mistakes.
- Often followed by di + infinitive: ha confessato di aver mentito. With a person, use confessare qualcosa a qualcuno.
- In compound tenses it normally takes avere: ho confessato, not sono confessato, unless used reflexively in religious contexts.