spero
The English phrase "I hope" is translated into Italian as spero.
spero is used to express a desire for something to happen in the future.
Which one should you use?
spero is the first-person singular present indicative form, used to say "I hope". In contrast, speravo is the imperfect indicative, used to say "I was hoping" or "I had hoped".
How does it change in a sentence?
The way you use spero depends on the structure of your sentence. If you are following the phrase with a clause containing a new subject and a verb, you must use the conjunction spero che and the verb that follows must be in the subjunctive mood (congiuntivo). If the person who is hoping and the person performing the action are the same, use spero di followed by an infinitive. Additionally, the first-person plural form speriamo is often used as an exhortation meaning "let's hope".
Did you know?
- The phrase speriamo bene is a common idiomatic expression that translates to 'let's hope for the best', but it is often used with a hint of skepticism or irony.
- In Italian, the concept of hope is tied to the word speranza, which is historically associated with the theological virtue of hope in Catholic tradition, deeply influencing how the word is used in art and literature.
- While spero is the standard way to say 'I hope', Italians often use the phrase incrociamo le dita meaning 'let's cross our fingers' to express a more superstitious or urgent kind of hope.
Examples in context
- Spero che lo veda.I hope he sees this.This sentence demonstrates the use of spero to express hope regarding someone seeing something.Tatoeba #1832766 by Guybrush88, translation #1832145 by Spamster
- Spero non sia vero.I hope it's not true.This sentence shows how to use spero to express a hope that something is not true.Tatoeba #1283272 by Guybrush88, translation #2438305 by Hybrid
- Spero che tu muoia.I hope you die.This sentence illustrates a use of spero to express a very dark hope.Tatoeba #1547137 by rado, translation #436715 by lukaszpp
- Mi auguro che questa situazione si risolva presto.I hope this situation gets resolved soon.
- Mi auguro di incontrarti presto.I hope to meet you soon.
- Desidero ardentemente che le tue ambizioni siano realizzate.I fervently hope that your ambitions come true.
- 1520 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are talking about the weather for their weekend trip.
- LorenzoSpero che domani faccia bel tempo.I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.
- GiuliaAnch'io, spero che non piova.Me too, I hope it doesn't rain.
- LorenzoAllora possiamo andare in spiaggia.Then we can go to the beach.
- GiuliaSarebbe fantastico, spero di sì!That would be fantastic, I hope so!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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