The present participle of all regular –are verbs (and of andare, dare, and stare) ends in –ando (parlando), and that of nearly all the other verbs, regular and irregular, ends in –endo (vendendo, sentendo, facendo).
The present participle is invariable and is usually translated by the English participle ending in –ing, either alone or preceded by a preposition such as “by,” “in,” “on,” “upon,” or “while”
Essendo vecchio, egli non lavora più. –“Being old, he does not work any more.”
Studiando, s’impara. –“By studying, one learns.”
Egli mangiave camminando. –“He was eating while walking.”
The present participle is sometimes used after the present or imperfect of stare to indicate that an action is or was in progress.
Sto leggendo. –“I am (in the act of) reading.”
Stavano mangiando. –“They were (in the act of) eating.”
VOCABULARY A
| *coscienza consciousness; conscience; conscientiousness |
*credere to believe |
menzogna lie, falsehood |
odiatore hater (cf. odiare, to hate) |
| tirannide (= tirannia) tyranny; despotism; oppression |
VOCABULARY B
| accrescersi to increase, to grow |
arrossire to blush |
cappello hat |
decidersi a to make up one’s mind |
| imprimere to impress, to imprint |
mente (f.) mind (irreg.) |
ottimamente very well |
premio reward,recompense, prize |
| si tolse took off (3d. sing. past abs., togliersi) |