Meaning
to prune, trim
- to cut back branches or shoots of a tree or plant to encourage growth or shape it
- to trim or cut back excessive details or expenses (figurative)

In a sentence
In febbraio il giardiniere pota sempre gli ulivi prima che fioriscano.
In February, the gardener always prunes the olive trees before they blossom.
Hai già potato i rami secchi del melo?
Have you already trimmed the dry branches off the apple tree?
L'azienda ha dovuto potare i costi di produzione per evitare perdite.
The company had to trim production costs to avoid losses.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| potare | infinitive |
| poto | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| poti | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| pota | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| potiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| potate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| potano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| potavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| potavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| potava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| potavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| potavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| potavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| potai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| potasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| potò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| potammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| potaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| potarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| poterò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| poterai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| poterà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| poteremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| poterete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| poteranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| poti | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| poti | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| poti | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| potiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| potiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| potino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| potassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| potassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| potasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| potassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| potaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| potassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| poterei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| poteresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| poterebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| poteremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| potereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| poterebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| pota | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| potiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| potate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| potando | gerund |
| potato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Regular -are verb taking 'avere'.
- The noun for the action is 'potatura'.