{"id":15052,"date":"2015-08-21T08:34:44","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T23:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=15052"},"modified":"2026-05-17T22:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T13:58:47","slug":"italian-verbs-followed-preposition-di","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-verbs-followed-preposition-di\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Verbs Followed by DI: The Complete B1 List"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> <strong>Italian verbs followed by di<\/strong> need the preposition <em>di<\/em> before a second verb in the infinitive: <em>spero <strong>di<\/strong> arrivare<\/em>, <em>cerco <strong>di<\/strong> capire<\/em>, <em>ho finito <strong>di<\/strong> lavorare<\/em>. They cluster in four meaning groups: declarative verbs (<em>dire, affermare, promettere, negare<\/em>), opinion verbs (<em>pensare, credere, sperare, sospettare<\/em>), stopping verbs (<em>finire, smettere, cessare<\/em>), and trying or deciding verbs (<em>cercare, decidere, dimenticarsi, ricordarsi<\/em>). They take <em>di<\/em> only when the subject is the same in both clauses; otherwise Italian switches to <em>che<\/em> plus a finite verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get the italian verbs followed by di right and the most common B1 sentence type, &#8220;I hope to \/ I decided to \/ I forgot to&#8221;, finally lands cleanly: no more <em>spero a partire<\/em> or <em>ho finito a lavorare<\/em>. This guide is the companion to our verbs-with-<em>a<\/em> page, and together they cover almost every verb that governs an infinitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-15052\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-h-15052 gb-headline-text\" style=\"text-align:center;font-size:24px\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What &#8220;verb + di + infinitive&#8221; means<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#declarative\">Group 1: declarative verbs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#opinion\">Group 2: believing, hoping, thinking<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#stopping\">Group 3: stopping and finishing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#trying\">Group 4: trying, deciding, remembering<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#samesubject\">The same-subject rule: di or che<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#advsdi\">A or di: is there a rule?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ne\">Replacing di + phrase with ne<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#finire\">Finire di vs finire a<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#asking\">Asking, permitting, forbidding: the object pattern<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian verbs followed by di<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialog\">Dialog: at the Lucca travel agency<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What &#8220;verb + di + infinitive&#8221; means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When two verbs meet, the second goes in the infinitive and the first decides the link. Modals link with nothing (<em>voglio partire<\/em>), one family links with <em>a<\/em> (<em>comincio a capire<\/em>), and a very large family links with <em>di<\/em>. The italian verbs followed by di are that last family: the governing verb requires <em>di<\/em> before its dependent infinitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the bigger of the two prepositional families, because it includes all the verbs of saying, thinking and hoping, the backbone of everyday talk. The italian verbs followed by di also share one structural condition: they use <em>di<\/em> plus infinitive only when the two clauses have the same subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"declarative\">Group 1: declarative verbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first family of italian verbs followed by di covers saying, declaring, promising and denying. These are extremely frequent in reported speech.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Pietro <strong>dice di<\/strong> essere stanco.<\/em><br>Pietro says he is tired.<\/li>\n<li><em>Elena <strong>promette di<\/strong> portare il preventivo domani.<\/em><br>Elena promises to bring the quote tomorrow.<\/li>\n<li><em>Il direttore <strong>ha negato di<\/strong> aver firmato quel documento.<\/em><br>The director denied having signed that document.<\/li>\n<li><em>Caterina <strong>ammette di<\/strong> aver sbagliato strada per Modena.<\/em><br>Caterina admits she took the wrong road to Modena.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The group includes <em>affermare, aggiungere, annunciare, confessare, dichiarare, dire, giurare, informare, negare, promettere, raccontare, riferire, rifiutarsi, rispondere, scrivere, spiegare<\/em>. They are core italian verbs followed by di whenever the speaker is talking about themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"opinion\">Group 2: believing, hoping, thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The second family of italian verbs followed by di is about opinion and expectation. This is the one English speakers most often get wrong, because English uses &#8220;to&#8221; everywhere and Italian here insists on <em>di<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Spero <strong>di<\/strong> arrivare in tempo alla riunione di Lucca.<\/em><br>I hope to arrive in time for the Lucca meeting.<\/li>\n<li><em>Penso <strong>di<\/strong> essere stato influenzato dal corso di tedesco.<\/em><br>I think I was influenced by the German course.<\/li>\n<li><em>Caterina <strong>crede di<\/strong> avere ragione.<\/em><br>Caterina believes she is right.<\/li>\n<li><em>Sospetto <strong>di<\/strong> aver lasciato le chiavi in officina.<\/em><br>I suspect I left the keys at the workshop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The group includes <em>credere, dubitare, immaginare, pensare, ritenere, sospettare, sperare, supporre<\/em>, plus phrases like <em>essere convinto di<\/em>, <em>rendersi conto di<\/em>, <em>avere il sospetto di<\/em>. All take <em>di<\/em>, never <em>a<\/em>, so they belong squarely to the italian verbs followed by di.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-focus-op-15052\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>The &#8220;say, think, hope&#8221; rule of thumb.<\/strong> If the governing verb means say, declare, think, believe or hope, it is almost always one of the italian verbs followed by di. <em>Dico di, penso di, spero di, credo di<\/em>. This single cluster covers a huge slice of real conversation about yourself.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stopping\">Group 3: stopping and finishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Verbs that mark the end of an activity all take <em>di<\/em>, and this is the cleanest sub-rule among the italian verbs followed by di.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Ho <strong>finito di<\/strong> lavorare alle sei.<\/em><br>I finished working at six.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Smetti di<\/strong> lamentarti, non \u00e8 cos\u00ec grave.<\/em><br>Stop complaining, it is not that serious.<\/li>\n<li><em>Il bambino non <strong>cessa di<\/strong> fare domande.<\/em><br>The child does not stop asking questions.<\/li>\n<li><em>Pietro <strong>ha smesso di<\/strong> fumare l&#8217;anno scorso.<\/em><br>Pietro stopped smoking last year.<\/li>\n<li><em>Caterina non <strong>finisce<\/strong> mai <strong>di<\/strong> stupirmi con i suoi restauri.<\/em><br>Caterina never stops amazing me with her restorations.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Smettila di<\/strong> rimandare, prenota il treno per Padova adesso.<\/em><br>Stop putting it off, book the train to Padua now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The core verbs are <em>finire, smettere, cessare<\/em>, all signalling that an action terminates. They are reliable italian verbs followed by di: there is no <em>finire a<\/em> with this meaning (see the dedicated section below on the trap).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trying\">Group 4: trying, deciding, remembering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The fourth family of italian verbs followed by di is about attempting, choosing and recalling.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Caterina <strong>cerca di<\/strong> finire il restauro entro venerd\u00ec.<\/em><br>Caterina is trying to finish the restoration by Friday.<\/li>\n<li><em>Pietro <strong>ha deciso di<\/strong> trasferirsi a Padova.<\/em><br>Pietro has decided to move to Padua.<\/li>\n<li><em>Mi sono <strong>dimenticato di<\/strong> chiamare il meccanico.<\/em><br>I forgot to call the mechanic.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ti <strong>consiglio di<\/strong> prenotare prima, \u00e8 alta stagione.<\/em><br>I advise you to book in advance, it is high season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>This group includes <em>cercare, decidere, dimenticarsi, ricordarsi, accettare, accorgersi, augurarsi, evitare, pentirsi, sforzarsi, temere<\/em>, and the advice and command verbs <em>consigliare, chiedere, permettere, suggerire, ordinare<\/em> (these last ones take an indirect object: <em>ti consiglio di<\/em>). They round out the italian verbs followed by di.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"samesubject\">The same-subject rule: di or che<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the structural heart of the italian verbs followed by di. They use <em>di<\/em> plus infinitive only when the subject of the main verb and the subject of the second verb are the same person. When the subjects differ, Italian switches to <em>che<\/em> plus a finite verb.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Same subject: <em>Pietro <strong>dice di<\/strong> essere stanco.<\/em><br>Pietro says he (Pietro) is tired.<\/li>\n<li>Different subjects: <em>Pietro <strong>dice che<\/strong> sua sorella \u00e8 stanca.<\/em><br>Pietro says that his sister is tired.<\/li>\n<li>Same subject: <em>Spero <strong>di<\/strong> arrivare presto.<\/em> Different: <em>Spero <strong>che<\/strong> tu arrivi presto.<\/em><br>I hope to arrive early. \/ I hope you arrive early.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>So the test for the italian verbs followed by di has two steps: is this verb in the di-family, and is the subject the same? If yes to both, use <em>di<\/em> plus infinitive. If the subject changes, drop the infinitive and go to <em>che<\/em> (with the subjunctive for opinion and hope verbs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"advsdi\">A or di: is there a rule?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No clean rule predicts <em>a<\/em> versus <em>di<\/em> from meaning. <em>Cominciare<\/em> takes <em>a<\/em>, <em>finire<\/em> takes <em>di<\/em>, though both describe phases of an action. The italian verbs followed by di must be learned as chunks with their preposition, exactly like their <em>a<\/em> counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Cerco <strong>di<\/strong> capire.<\/em> but <em>Riesco <strong>a<\/strong> capire.<\/em><br>I try to understand. but I manage to understand.<\/li>\n<li><em>Smetto <strong>di<\/strong> fumare.<\/em> but <em>Comincio <strong>a<\/strong> fumare.<\/em><br>I quit smoking. but I start smoking.<\/li>\n<li><em>Spero <strong>di<\/strong> partire.<\/em> but <em>Mi preparo <strong>a<\/strong> partire.<\/em><br>I hope to leave. but I get ready to leave.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Practical strategy: every time you meet a new governing verb, store it with its preposition. Our companion page lists the verbs that take <em>a<\/em>; this one lists the italian verbs followed by di. Between the two, you have the whole map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ne\">Replacing di + phrase with ne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A shortcut mirrors the <em>ci<\/em> trick of the <em>a<\/em> verbs. When the <em>di<\/em> phrase after one of the italian verbs followed by di is known from context, you can replace it with the particle <em>ne<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Hai deciso di partire? S\u00ec, <strong>ne<\/strong> ho gi\u00e0 deciso.<\/em> (more often: <em>l&#8217;ho gi\u00e0 deciso<\/em>)<br>Have you decided to leave? Yes, I have decided.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ti sei accorto dell&#8217;errore? S\u00ec, me <strong>ne<\/strong> sono accorto.<\/em><br>Did you notice the mistake? Yes, I noticed it.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ti sei pentito di averlo detto? S\u00ec, me <strong>ne<\/strong> sono pentito.<\/em><br>Did you regret saying it? Yes, I regretted it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The particle <em>ne<\/em> stands in for the <em>di<\/em> complement, just as <em>ci<\/em> stands in for an <em>a<\/em> complement. It is a further sign that the preposition is genuinely part of how the italian verbs followed by di work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"finire\">Finire di vs finire a<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One verb shows why the preposition is not interchangeable. With the italian verbs followed by di, <em>finire di<\/em> means &#8220;to stop doing&#8221;; <em>finire a<\/em> exists too but means something completely different, &#8220;to end up doing&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Ho <strong>finito di<\/strong> lavorare.<\/em><br>I have finished working. (the work is over)<\/li>\n<li><em>\u00c8 <strong>finito a<\/strong> vendere giornali.<\/em><br>He ended up selling newspapers. (an unexpected outcome)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The lesson generalises: changing the preposition can change the meaning entirely, so treat each verb plus preposition as one unit. For the standard &#8220;finish doing&#8221; sense, <em>finire<\/em> stays firmly among the italian verbs followed by di.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"asking\">Asking, permitting, forbidding: the object pattern<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A distinct sub-family of the italian verbs followed by di covers asking, allowing, ordering, forbidding and preventing. Here <em>di<\/em> plus infinitive appears even when the doer is the object of the main verb, not its subject, and the second subject is left unexpressed.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With a direct object:<\/strong> <em>pregare, implorare, supplicare<\/em>. <em>Ti prego di arrivare puntuale.<\/em><br>I beg you to arrive on time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>With an indirect object:<\/strong> <em>chiedere, ordinare, permettere, impedire, vietare, proibire, consigliare, raccomandare<\/em>. <em>Ho chiesto a Pietro di aspettare.<\/em><br>I asked Pietro to wait.<\/li>\n<li><em>La timidezza gli impedisce di suonare il campanello.<\/em><br>Shyness stops him from ringing the bell.<\/li>\n<li><em>Il responsabile ha vietato ai visitatori di entrare in officina.<\/em><br>The manager forbade visitors from entering the workshop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>One useful alternation: with these italian verbs followed by di you can almost always switch to <em>che<\/em> plus the subjunctive without changing the meaning. <em>Ti chiedo di venire<\/em> equals <em>ti chiedo che tu venga<\/em>; <em>disse al contadino di aspettare<\/em> equals <em>disse che il contadino aspettasse<\/em>. The infinitive form is shorter and far more common in speech, so prefer it whenever the object person is clear. As with the rest of the italian verbs followed by di, a little daily reading fixes these patterns faster than any list, because you see the verb and its preposition working together in real sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian verbs followed by di<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The high-frequency list on one card. Learn each verb together with its <em>di<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Group<\/th><th>Verbs + di<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Declarative<\/td><td>dire, affermare, promettere, negare, ammettere<\/td><td><em>dice di essere stanco<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Opinion<\/td><td>pensare, credere, sperare, sospettare, ritenere<\/td><td><em>spero di arrivare<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stopping<\/td><td>finire, smettere, cessare<\/td><td><em>ho finito di lavorare<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Trying<\/td><td>cercare, decidere, evitare, sforzarsi<\/td><td><em>cerco di capire<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Remembering<\/td><td>ricordarsi, dimenticarsi, accorgersi, pentirsi<\/td><td><em>mi dimentico di chiamare<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Advice + object<\/td><td>consigliare, chiedere, permettere, suggerire<\/td><td><em>ti consiglio di prenotare<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Same subject only<\/td><td>di + infinitive; else che + verb<\/td><td><em>dice di \/ dice che<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make with italian verbs followed by di<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Using a instead of di.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Spero a partire<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Spero di partire<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dropping the preposition.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Ho finito lavorare<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Ho finito di lavorare<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Di + infinitive with different subjects.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Spero di tu venga<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Spero che tu venga<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Che + infinitive when subjects match.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Penso che essere stanco<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Penso di essere stanco<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Finire a for &#8220;finish doing&#8221;.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Ho finito a lavorare<\/em> (means &#8220;ended up&#8221;). \u2705 <em>Ho finito di lavorare<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>For the other half of the system, see our companion guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-verbs-followed-by-the-preposition-a\/\">Italian verbs followed by A<\/a>. For the full infinitive picture, the <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-infinitive\/\">Italian infinitive<\/a>. For the <em>ne<\/em> shortcut, <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ci-ne-particles\/\">ci and ne in Italian<\/a>. The institutional reference is the Accademia della Crusca note on <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/valenze-e-reggenze-dei-verbi\/183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">valenze e reggenze dei verbi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-1-15052\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge.<\/strong> Conjugate the verb in the tense given, then add <em>di<\/em>, <em>a<\/em>, <em>che<\/em>, or nothing. The governing verb is not always one of the italian verbs followed by di: think first, then read each sentence aloud once.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Elena (sperare &#8211; presente) _____ arrivare in tempo alla riunione di Lucca.<\/li>\n<li>(io, sperare &#8211; presente) _____ tu arrivi in tempo, il treno \u00e8 in ritardo.<\/li>\n<li>Ieri Pietro (finire &#8211; passato prossimo) _____ lavorare alle sette di sera.<\/li>\n<li>Caterina (cercare &#8211; presente) _____ capire dove ha sbagliato strada per Modena.<\/li>\n<li>Domani (noi, dovere &#8211; presente) _____ partire prestissimo.<\/li>\n<li>Dopo un&#8217;ora di museo il bambino (cominciare &#8211; passato prossimo) _____ stancarsi.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>1. <em>spera di<\/em> arrivare (same subject, family DI) \u00b7 2. <em>spero che<\/em> tu arrivi (different subject, sperare che + subjunctive) \u00b7 3. <em>ha finito di<\/em> lavorare (family DI) \u00b7 4. <em>cerca di<\/em> capire (family DI) \u00b7 5. <em>dobbiamo<\/em> partire (dovere is a modal: no preposition) \u00b7 6. <em>ha cominciato a<\/em> stancarsi (cominciare takes a, not di)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialog\">Dialog: at the Lucca travel agency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Caterina books a trip; Pietro is the travel agent in Lucca. Watch the italian verbs followed by di across declaring, hoping, deciding and the same-subject rule.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-15052\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Buongiorno, ho deciso <strong>di<\/strong> partire per Padova a fine mese.<br><em>Good morning, I have decided to leave for Padua at the end of the month.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Ottimo. Le consiglio <strong>di<\/strong> prenotare adesso, spero <strong>di<\/strong> trovarle ancora posto sul diretto.<br><em>Great. I advise you to book now, I hope to still find you a seat on the direct train.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Va bene. Temo <strong>di<\/strong> non avere la carta con me, posso pagare dopo?<br><em>All right. I am afraid I do not have my card with me, can I pay later?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Certo. Le chiedo solo <strong>di<\/strong> confermare entro domani. Pensa <strong>di<\/strong> tornare lo stesso giorno?<br><em>Of course. I only ask you to confirm by tomorrow. Are you thinking of returning the same day?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> No, conto <strong>di<\/strong> fermarmi due notti. Spero <strong>che<\/strong> l&#8217;albergo sia vicino alla stazione.<br><em>No, I plan to stay two nights. I hope the hotel is near the station.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Le assicuro <strong>di<\/strong> averne trovato uno a dieci minuti a piedi. Ha smesso <strong>di<\/strong> piovere, controllo gli orari.<br><em>I assure you I found one a ten-minute walk away. It has stopped raining, I will check the times.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Perfetto. Mi raccomando, non si dimentichi <strong>di<\/strong> mandarmi la conferma via email.<br><em>Perfect. Please remember to send me the confirmation by email.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Non mancher\u00f2. Le prometto <strong>di<\/strong> inviarla appena finisco <strong>di<\/strong> compilare la prenotazione.<br><em>I will not fail. I promise to send it as soon as I finish filling in the booking.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Notice <em>spero che l&#8217;albergo sia<\/em>: different subjects, so <em>che<\/em> plus subjunctive, not <em>di<\/em>. Everywhere the subject stays the same, the italian verbs followed by di take <em>di<\/em> plus infinitive: <em>deciso di, consiglio di, spero di, temo di, chiedo di, conto di, assicuro di, dimentichi di, prometto di, finisco di<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A quiz on the italian verbs followed by di, the four families and the same-subject rule, is on its way. For now, redo the mini-challenge from memory and rebuild the cheat-sheet list.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-quiz-15052\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:36px;color:#ab2227;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:10px;letter-spacing:0.3em;font-family:Georgia,serif\">\u00a7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven questions about the italian verbs followed by di come up in every B1 cohort. The answers draw on classroom usage and on the Accademia della Crusca note on <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/valenze-e-reggenze-dei-verbi\/183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">valenze e reggenze dei verbi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-vd-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Which Italian verbs are followed by di plus infinitive?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Four big families. Declarative: dire, affermare, promettere, negare, ammettere. Opinion: pensare, credere, sperare, sospettare, ritenere. Stopping: finire, smettere, cessare. Trying and remembering: cercare, decidere, dimenticarsi, ricordarsi, evitare. Plus advice verbs with an object: consigliare, chiedere, permettere, suggerire.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why is it spero di partire and not spero a partire?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because sperare belongs to the opinion and hope family, which always takes di: spero di, penso di, credo di, temo di. Spero a partire is wrong. The same goes for cercare di, decidere di, finire di. There is no rule from meaning; the verb simply governs di.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">When do I use di plus infinitive and when che plus verb?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Same subject in both clauses: di plus infinitive. Pietro dice di essere stanco (Pietro is tired). Different subjects: che plus a finite verb. Pietro dice che sua sorella \u00e8 stanca. With opinion and hope verbs the che clause takes the subjunctive: spero che tu arrivi.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is there a rule for a versus di?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No reliable rule from meaning. Cominciare takes a, finire takes di, although both describe phases of an action. You learn each verb as a chunk with its preposition. Our companion guide lists the verbs that take a; this one lists the verbs that take di.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I replace the di phrase with ne?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, when the action is known. Ti sei accorto dell&#8217;errore? Si, me ne sono accorto. Ti sei pentito di averlo detto? Si, me ne sono pentito. The particle ne stands in for the di complement, just as ci stands in for an a complement.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between finire di and finire a?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Finire di means to stop doing: ho finito di lavorare, the work is over. Finire a means to end up doing, an unexpected outcome: \u00e8 finito a vendere giornali. Changing the preposition changes the meaning, so learn each verb plus preposition as one unit.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-vd-7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Do advice and command verbs take di?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, with an indirect object: ti consiglio di prenotare, le chiedo di confermare, gli ho permesso di uscire, vi suggerisco di partire presto. The person who receives the advice or order is the one who performs the action in the infinitive.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three guides that pair with the italian verbs followed by di, plus an institutional reference.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-verbs-followed-by-the-preposition-a\/\">Italian Verbs Followed by A<\/a>: the companion family, the other half of the system.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-infinitive\/\">Italian Infinitive<\/a>: the full di-or-a-before-the-infinitive picture.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ci-ne-particles\/\">Ci and Ne in Italian<\/a>: the ne that replaces a di complement.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/valenze-e-reggenze-dei-verbi\/183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Accademia della Crusca: valenze e reggenze dei verbi<\/a>: institutional note.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. Italian verbs followed by di need the preposition di before a second verb in the infinitive: spero di arrivare, cerco di capire, ho finito di lavorare. They cluster in four meaning groups: declarative verbs (dire, affermare, promettere, negare), opinion verbs (pensare, credere, sperare, sospettare), stopping verbs (finire, smettere, cessare), and trying or &#8230; <a title=\"Italian Verbs Followed by DI: The Complete B1 List\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-verbs-followed-preposition-di\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian Verbs Followed by DI: The Complete B1 List\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1865],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b1","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15052"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60194,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15052\/revisions\/60194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}