What does it mean word for word?
The verb is composed of the prefix con- (meaning with or together) and fronte (meaning forehead or front), literally meaning to bring things face-to-face.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a regular second-conjugation verb, the present tense forms are confronto, confronti, confronta, confrontiamo, confrontate and confrontano. When you are comparing one thing to another, the verb is typically followed by the preposition con.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /kon.fronˈta.re/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use confrontare to mean 'to confront' someone in an argument. In Italian, confrontare is primarily used for comparing objects or ideas. Instead, use confrontarsi or affrontare for person-to-person confrontation.
Did you know?
- Because confrontare involves the word for 'forehead', it shares a linguistic root with the English word 'frontier', though they are used very differently.
- Because confrontare literally means 'to bring face-to-face', it is often used in legal contexts to compare two pieces of evidence or testimonies.
- While confrontare means 'to compare', the Italian word for a 'comparison' as a noun is comparazione, which shares a closer root with the English word 'comparison'.
Examples in context
- Voglio confrontare i piani prima di fare una scelta.I want to compare plans before making a choice.This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to use confrontare when discussing plans.Tatoeba #13190406 by Nuel, translation #13190405 by Nuel
- Confrontiamo i prezzi delle due auto.Let's compare the prices of the two cars.
- Vorrei paragonare i vantaggi di entrambe le opzioni.I would like to compare the advantages of both options.
- Voglio mettere a confronto le caratteristiche di questi due telefoni.I want to compare the features of these two phones.
- Dobbiamo confrontare i prezzi di questi due telefoni.We need to compare the prices of these two phones.
- È difficile confrontare i risultati di questi studi.It is difficult to compare the results of these studies.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are looking at different apartment listings online.
- LorenzoPossiamo confrontare queste due case, Chiara?Can we compare these two houses, Chiara?
- ChiaraSì, confrontiamo subito la metratura.Yes, let's compare the square footage immediately.
- LorenzoLa seconda sembra molto più grande.The second one seems much larger.
- ChiaraHai ragione, Lorenzo, è decisamente spaziosa.You are right, Lorenzo, it is definitely spacious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry confrontare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
