Meaning
to hurl down, to cast down
- to fall suddenly, to crash
- to deteriorate rapidly (of a situation)
- to rush, to hasten
In a sentence
Non precipitare le cose, parliamone con calma.
Don't rush things, let's talk about it calmly.
L'aereo è precipitato vicino al mare ieri.
The plane crashed near the sea yesterday.
Perché vuoi precipitare tutto proprio adesso?
Why do you want to rush everything right now?
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| precipitare | infinitive |
| precipitiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| precipito | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| precipitate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| precipiti | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| precipita | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| precipitavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| precipitavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| precipitavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| precipitavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| precipitava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| precipitammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| precipitai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| precipitaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| precipitasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| precipitò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| precipiteremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| precipiterò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| precipiterete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| precipiterai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| precipiteranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| precipiterà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| precipitiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| precipiti | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| precipitiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| precipiti | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| precipiti | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| precipitassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| precipitassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| precipitaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| precipitassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| precipitasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| precipiteremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| precipiterei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| precipitereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| precipiteresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| precipiterebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| precipiterebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| precipitiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| precipitate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| precipita | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| precipitando | gerund |
| precipitato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- For situations worsening quickly, Italians often prefer precipitare over cadere: La situazione è precipitata sounds natural; La situazione è caduta does not.
- As an intransitive verb of falling/crashing, it usually takes essere in compound tenses: l'aereo è precipitato, not ha precipitato.
- Transitive use is more formal or literary: precipitare qualcuno nel panico, negli eventi. In everyday speech, far precipitare is often clearer.