Learn how we can turn Italian verbs into nouns. With a Quiz.

Second lesson about the use of prefixes. Today we are looking into a different set of prefixes. Verbs turning into nouns. Look at the examples:

insegnare –> insegnamento (nouns indicating the action)
lavorare –> lavoratore (nouns indicating the “agente”)

Two examples represent two different sets of distinct nouns.

In the first case, we obtain the name of the action from the verb.

In the second, the result is the name of the “agente,” which is the person or the object doing the action described by the verb. The worker works…

In case you want to look up the exact definition, we call this family of nouns “nomi deverbali.” You don’t need to remember this.

As you know, the present participle of the verb insegnare is insegnante, which means teacher. The Italian present participle of most verbs converts into a noun or an adjective, depending on the use of the word. Do you now have a little indicator that words ending in —ante or —ente could be a noun, specifically the “person (or object) who does what the verb says”? Insegnante is “the person who teaches.”

What you need to remember are the suffixes below and how they interact with Italian verbs to create nouns.

Please note, there are no consistent rules; however, you can spot some patterns and follow your instinct. Experience will give you the right solution. I’ll try to use new words; look them up if you don’t know their meaning.