accelerare
/at.t͡ʃe.leˈra.re/
To speed up in Italian is accelerare.
Accelerare means to increase speed. It is used both for physical movement and for abstract concepts, such as speeding up a process or a timeline.
Meaning: increase speed (intransitive) (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
Accelerare is a regular second-conjugation verb ending in -are. The first-person plural present indicative form is acceleriamo (we speed up / let's speed up), and the past participle is accelerato (sped up / accelerated).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of accelerare is /at.tʃe.leˈra.re/. It has 5 syllables, and the stress is on the 4th syllable.
When do people say it?
In an informal context, you might hear the phrase Spingere sull'acceleratore, which literally means 'to push on the accelerator'.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word acceleratore is used for both the gas pedal of a car and the massive particle accelerators used in nuclear physics.
- To describe someone who is failing to accelerare, Italians use the phrase andare a passo di lumaca, which means 'to go at a snail's pace'.
- The root of accelerare is linked to the Latin word celer, which is the same ancestor for the English word 'celerity', meaning swiftness.
Examples in context
- Dobbiamo accelerare i tempi.We need to speed up the process.This sentence shows how to use accelerare when talking about speeding up a process.Tatoeba #13819721 by Nuel, translation #13819720 by Nuel
- Dobbiamo accelerare la produzione per rispettare la scadenza.We need to speed up production in order to meet the deadline.
- Necessitiamo di aumentare la velocità del processo di produzione.We need to speed up the production process.
- Dai, spingiamo sull'acceleratore e finiamo questo lavoro!Come on, let's speed up and finish this job!
- Dobbiamo fare in fretta se vogliamo terminare la presentazione a tempo.We need to speed up if we want to finish the presentation on time.
- Dà il gas, altrimenti perderemo il treno!Speed up, or else we'll miss the train!
- L'auto ha accelerato improvvisamente.The car sped up suddenly.
- L'auto ha iniziato ad accelerare improvvisamente.The car suddenly began to speed up.
- Il corridore deve accelerare per vincere.The runner must speed up to win.
Example conversation
Sofia and Lorenzo are jogging in the park.
- SofiaLorenzo, dobbiamo accelerare!Lorenzo, we need to speed up!
- LorenzoNon posso più accelerare, sono stanco.I can't speed up anymore, I'm tired.
- SofiaDai, forza, accelera un po'!Come on, go, speed up a little!
- LorenzoVa bene, lo farò per te.Alright, I'll do it for you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry accelerare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries accelerare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
