bere
/ˈbe.re/
The English phrase 'drinking' can be translated into Italian as bere.
The verb bere is used for the act of consuming any liquid, such as water or tea, as well as the specific act of consuming alcohol. For specialized contexts, you might see Consumo di bevande used for the 'consumption of beverages' in business or academic settings or Assunzione di liquidi to refer to 'fluid intake' in medical or health-related discussions. If you are drinking a beverage slowly, you might use the verb sorseggiare, which means 'to sip'.
Meaning: act or session by which drink is consumed (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
bere is an irregular verb. The continuous present gerund form is bevendo. In the present subjunctive, the forms are beva, beva, beva, beviamo, beviate and bevano.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbe.re/
When do people say it?
When toasting, Italians may say Salute! to mean 'Cheers!'
Did you know?
- The verb bere is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'bib', which refers to a cloth used to catch liquid while 'drinking'.
- If you are drinking heavily, an Italian might describe you as 'essere un bevitone', using a suffix to turn the verb into a slightly mocking noun for a heavy drinker.
- While 'drinking' is a common gerund in English, if you want to describe the 'act of drinking' as a noun in Italian, you often use the noun bevuta, which implies a specific session or event of drinking.
Examples in context
- Amo bere il tè.I love drinking tea.This sentence shows how to express a preference for a specific drink using bere.Tatoeba #7795630 by Guybrush88, translation #7794451 by sharris123
- Tom smise di bere.Tom stopped drinking.This sentence demonstrates using bere to describe stopping an action.Tatoeba #3501561 by Guybrush88, translation #3157844 by CK
- La smetta di bere.Stop drinking.This sentence is an example of using bere as a command to stop.Tatoeba #9272278 by Guybrush88, translation #8914918 by CK
- Sto bevendo un bicchiere di vinoI am drinking a glass of wine
- Mi piace bere un caffè al mattinoI like to drink a coffee in the morning
- Sorseggio la mia birra preferita mentre guardo la partitaI sip my favorite beer while watching the game
- Prendo una tazza di tè.I'm having a cup of tea.
- 311 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are discussing their health habits.
- ChiaraHai smesso di bere?Did you stop drinking?
- MatteoSì, non voglio più bere.Yes, I don't want to drink anymore.
- ChiaraÈ una scelta molto salutare.It is a very healthy choice.
- MatteoGrazie, mi sento meglio così.Thanks, I feel better this way.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
