fumare
/fuˈma.re/
The Italian phrase for "to smoke" is fumare.
fumare is used to describe the act of inhaling and exhaling the smoke of tobacco or other substances. When you want to talk about taking a puff, you can use the phrase Tirare una boccata, which is common among friends. If you are looking for related items, accendino is the word for a lighter and posacenere is the word for an ashtray.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use fumare in the present tense, you should use its conjugated forms: fumo for "I smoke", fumi for "you smoke" (singular), fuma for "he/she smokes", fumiamo for "we smoke", fumate for "you all smoke" and fumano for "they smoke". The past participle of the verb is fumato, which means "smoked".
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and the stress is on the second syllable: /fuˈma.re/.
Did you know?
- The Italian language uses the same root for fumare to describe the process of curing meats with smoke, known as affumicare.
- In Italian, if someone says they are 'andare in fumo', they might not be talking about a cigarette, but rather about something vanishing or failing completely.
- The verb fumare shares the same Latin root as the English word 'fume', which is why they look so similar.
Examples in context
- Si fermò per fumare.He stopped to smoke.This sentence shows someone stopping for the purpose of fumare.Tatoeba #1076045 by Guybrush88, translation #291669 by CK
- Ti proibisco di fumare.I forbid you to smoke.This sentence is an example of forbidding someone from fumare.Tatoeba #380214 by Pharamp, translation #17272 by Swift
- Non va bene fumare qui.It's not OK to smoke here.This sentence describes a situation where it is not okay to fumare in a specific location.Tatoeba #4826601 by Guybrush88, translation #991393 by Artfanster
- Andiamo fuori a tirare una boccata?Shall we go outside to take a puff?
- 77 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are standing outside a restaurant.
- SofiaVuoi andare fuori a fumare?Do you want to go outside to smoke?
- FrancescoSì, ho proprio bisogno di una sigaretta.Yes, I really need a cigarette.
- SofiaIo ho smesso di fumare l'anno scorso.I stopped smoking last year.
- FrancescoBrava Sofia, complimenti per la scelta!Well done Sofia, congratulations on the choice!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry fumare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fumare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
