Meaning
to invent
- to fabricate, make up
In a sentence
Mio nonno ha inventato un gioco divertente.
My grandpa invented a fun game.
Perché inventi sempre scuse per arrivare tardi?
Why do you always make up excuses for being late?
Non inventare storie, dimmi la verità.
Don't make up stories, tell me the truth.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| inventare | infinitive |
| inventiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| invento | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| inventate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| inventi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| inventano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| inventa | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| inventavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| inventavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| inventavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| inventavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| inventavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| inventava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| inventammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| inventai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| inventaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| inventasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| inventarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| inventò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| inventeremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| inventerò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| inventerete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| inventerai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| inventeranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| inventerà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| inventiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| inventi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| inventiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| inventi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| inventino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| inventi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| inventassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| inventassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| inventaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| inventassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| inventassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| inventasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| inventeremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| inventerei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| inventereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| inventeresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| inventerebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| inventerebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| inventiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| inventate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| inventa | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| inventando | gerund |
| inventato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use creare for artistic creation and scoprire for finding something that already exists; inventare is for devising something new or making something up.
- Often takes a direct object: inventare una storia, una scusa, un gioco. Don't add a preposition before the thing invented.
- In the reflexive form inventarsi, it often means 'to come up with for oneself' or 'make up': Si è inventato tutto.