Meaning
to waste
- to squander
In a sentence
Non sprecare acqua quando ti lavi i denti.
Don't waste water when you brush your teeth.
Hai sprecato troppi soldi per quella maglietta.
You wasted too much money on that shirt.
Perché sprecare tempo con una serie noiosa?
Why waste time on a boring series?
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| sprecare | infinitive |
| sprechiamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| spreco | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| sprecate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sprechi | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| spreca | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sprecavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| sprecavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| sprecavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| sprecavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| sprecava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| sprecammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| sprecai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| sprecaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| sprecasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| sprecò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| sprecheremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| sprecherò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| sprecherete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| sprecherai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecheranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| sprecherà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| sprechiamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| sprechi | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| sprechiate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sprechi | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sprechino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| sprechi | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sprecassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| sprecassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| sprecaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| sprecassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| sprecasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| sprecheremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| sprecherei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| sprechereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| sprecheresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecherebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| sprecherebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| sprechiamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| sprecate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| spreca | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| sprecando | gerund |
| sprecato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use sprecare for wasting time, money, food, energy, or opportunities. For embezzling or misusing public funds, prefer sperperare or dilapidare in formal contexts.
- Very common with direct objects: sprecare tempo, soldi, fiato. Italian usually omits the article in these fixed combinations.
- In reflexive use, sprecarsi means to overexert oneself or go to unnecessary trouble: Non ti sprecare! It does not mean simply 'to be wasted.'