leggere
/ˈlɛd.d͡ʒe.re/
To read in Italian is leggere.
The verb leggere is used to describe the act of looking at and understanding written words.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on the tense and person. The first-person singular present indicative is leggo (I read), while leggerò is the future tense (I will read). The past participle is letto, which is used in phrases like Ho letto (I have read). For the imperfect tense, Leggevo means I used to read. To address a group, the second-person plural present indicative is leggete (you all read).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable: /ˈlɛd.dʒe.re/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use leggero to mean "I read" in the present tense. That form is used for the future tense. Instead, use leggo for the first-person singular present indicative.
Did you know?
- The past participle of leggere is letto, which is also the Italian word for 'bed'.
- The Latin ancestor of leggere, which was 'legere', actually meant 'to gather' or 'to collect' as well as 'to read'.
- In Italian, the word leggere shares a root with the English word 'legend', which stems from the idea of things that are 'to be read'.
Examples in context
- Leggere un libroTo read a book
- Leggere un giornaleTo read a newspaper
- Leggere un articoloTo read an article
- Leggo spessoI often read
- Leggo sempreI always read
- Leggo raramenteI rarely read
- Mi piace leggere libri prima di dormire.I like to read books before sleeping.
- Puoi leggere questo messaggio per me?Can you read this message for me?
- Dobbiamo leggere attentamente le istruzioni.We must read the instructions carefully.
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are in a library looking for a book.
- SofiaMatteo, vuoi leggere questo libro?Matteo, do you want to read this book?
- MatteoSì, sembra molto interessante.Yes, it looks very interesting.
- SofiaAllora possiamo leggere insieme.Then we can read together.
- MatteoOttima idea, Sofia.Great idea, Sofia.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry leggere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leggere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
