Conjugation of Capire, Definition and Examples

What Does Capire Mean in Italian?

To understand; realize; grasp; admit

Capire Can Also Mean

• Of course, or certainly (si capisce!)
• Let’s get this straight
• You see 

Capire is a verb that’s often used in the Italian language, particularly the past participle form “capito” or “ho capito” (I understood). For example, you may say “Sì, sì, sì ho capito” to reaffirm to someone that you understood what they said.

It’s the English equivalent of saying, “okay, I got it,” or “understood.”

Capire is an irregular -ire verb, so you’ll need to memorize the conjugation tables below. Like many other verbs in this group, capire inserts the particle -isc in the singular 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons and the 3rd person plural when conjugating the present subjunctive and indicative.

How to Conjugate Capire

Capire Presente Conjugation:

	Italian	English
io	Capisco	I understand
tu	Capisci	You understand
lui/lei	Capisce	He/she/it/formal understands
noi	Capiamo	We understand
voi	Capite	You all understand
loro	Capiscono	They understand

Capire Presente Examples

1. Signore, non capisco cosa significa – Sir, I don’t understand what that means.
2. E capisce quello che vogliamo fare – She understands what we’re trying to do.
3. Noi capiamo e siamo qui per voi – We understand and we are here for you.

Capire Passato Prossimo Conjugation

	Italian	English
io	Ho capito	I understood
tu	Hai capito	You understood
lui/lei	Ha capito	He/she/it/formal understood
noi	Abbiamo capito	We understood
voi	Avete capito	You all understood
loro	Hanno capito	They understood

Capire Passato Prossimo Examples

1. Hai capito che intendo – You know what I mean
2. Nessuno ha capito com’è entrato – No one knew how he got inside.
3. Siamo certo che l’hanno capito – We’re sure they got it.

Capire Futuro Semplice Conjugation:

	Italian	English
io	Capirò	I will understand
tu	Capirai	You will understand
lui/lei	Capirà	He/she/it/formal will understands
noi	Capiremo	We will understand
voi	Capirete	You all will understand
loro	Capiranno	They will understand

Capire Futuro Semplice Examples

1. Lo capirai un giorno – You’ll understand this one day.
2. Sono sicuro che capirete, ragazze – I’m sure you will understand, girls.
3. Capiremo come arrivarci – We’ll figure out how to get there.

Capire Imperfetto Conjugation:

	Italian	English
io	Capivo	I had understood
tu	Capivi	You had understood
lui/lei	Capiva	He/she/it/formal had understood
noi	Capivamo	We had understood
voi	Capivate	You all had understood
loro	Capivano	They had understood

Capire Imperfetto Examples

1. Capivo sempre quando stavamo per partire – I always knew when we were about to leave.
2. Ci capivamo – We understood each other.
3. Loro non si capivano per niente – They didn’t understand each other at all.