Meaning
to challenge
- to defy, to brave
In a sentence
Vuoi sfidarmi a una partita di tennis?
Do you want to challenge me to a tennis match?
Ha sfidato il capo e ha detto no.
He defied the boss and said no.
Ha sfidato il freddo ed è uscito in maglietta.
He braved the cold and went out in a T-shirt.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| sfidare | infinitive |
| sfidiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| sfido | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| sfidate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sfidi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| sfida | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sfidavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| sfidavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| sfidavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| sfidavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| sfidava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| sfidammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| sfidai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| sfidaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| sfidasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| sfidò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| sfideremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| sfiderò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| sfiderete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| sfiderai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| sfideranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| sfiderà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| sfidiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| sfidi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| sfidiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sfidi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| sfidi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sfidassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| sfidassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| sfidaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| sfidassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| sfidasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| sfideremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| sfiderei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| sfidereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sfideresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sfiderebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| sfiderebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sfidiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| sfidate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| sfida | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| sfidando | gerund |
| sfidato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use sfidare for direct challenge or open defiance; contestare is more about disputing ideas, and provocare often means to provoke.
- For difficult tasks, Italian often prefers mettere alla prova or essere una sfida, not always sfidare directly.
- It is a regular -are verb and normally takes avere in compound tenses: ho sfidato, not sono sfidato.