avere successo
/aˈve.re sutˈt͡ʃɛs.so/word by word
To succeed in Italian is avere successo.
The phrase avere successo is used to express the idea of being successful, obtaining a desired object or having a prosperous outcome. For achieving a particular goal, you can also use the phrase raggiungere il successo, which means 'to reach success'.
Meaning: to obtain the object desired, to accomplish what is attempted or intended, to have a prosperous issue or termination, to be successful (verb)
Which one should you use?
While avere successo describes the state of being successful or achieving prosperity, the verb riuscire is used to describe the act of successfully completing a specific action or task.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈve.re sutˈtʃɛs.so/. The word has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use riuscire to mean 'to be successful' in a general sense. Instead, use riuscire when you mean 'to manage to do something' or 'to succeed in a specific task'.
Did you know?
- If you want to say you succeeded in doing something, you use riuscire, which is derived from the word for 'exit'. It literally suggests 'finding a way out' of a problem.
- In Italian, the word successo is a 'false friend' for the English verb 'to succeed' in the sense of following someone in a position. To say a king succeeded his father, you would use succedere, not avere successo.
- An Italian speaker might say ha avuto successo to mean a movie was a 'hit', whereas in English 'succeed' is often used more personally.
Examples in context
- Sperò di avere successo.He hoped to succeed.This sentence shows how to express a hope to succeed using avere successo.Tatoeba #1135314 by Guybrush88, translation #300319 by CK
- Spero di avere successo.I hope to succeed.Tatoeba #3998740 by Guybrush88, translation #3820488 by CK
- Spera di avere successo?Does he hope to succeed?This sentence is a question about whether someone else hopes to succeed using avere successo.Tatoeba #7805045 by Guybrush88, translation #7777581 by sharris123
- Mi sono iscritto al corso di italiano e spero di riuscire a parlare fluentemente.I enrolled in an Italian course and I hope to succeed in speaking fluently.
- Sono molto determinato e lavorerò sodo per ottenere successo nella mia carriera.I am very determined and will work hard to succeed in my career.
- La mia amica ha avuto molto successo come cantante.My friend has been very successful as a singer.
- Sei stato costante nel tuo impegno, sono sicuro che ce la farai a superare l'esame.You have been consistent in your efforts, I'm sure you will succeed in passing the exam.
- Sto lavorando sodo per raggiungere il successo nel mio progetto artistico.I'm working hard to succeed in my artistic project.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are talking about Alessandro's new business venture.
- ChiaraVuoi avere successo con la tua attività?Do you want to succeed with your business?
- AlessandroSì, spero di avere successo molto presto.Yes, I hope to succeed very soon.
- ChiaraSei un uomo molto determinato, Alessandro.You are a very determined man, Alessandro.
- AlessandroGrazie, farò del mio meglio.Thank you, I will do my best.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (avere, successo) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
