accendere

to turn on, to light

verb aht-CHEN-deh-reh Less Common

Also means

to ignite

Usage Note

Accendere is used for turning on lights, appliances, and engines (accendere la luce, accendere la macchina), as well as lighting fires or candles. Its reflexive accendersi means 'to light up' or 'to flare up' emotionally. The opposite is spegnere (to turn off/extinguish). It takes avere as its auxiliary in compound tenses.

Examples

"Puoi accendere la luce, per favore?"

Natural Translation

Can you turn on the light, please?

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian False Friends: 20 Words That Trick You

Italian false friends like preservativo, parenti, and caldo mean the opposite of what English speakers expect. Here are 20 ranked by how badly they bite.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Avere Fame: Why Italians "Have" Hunger, Not "Are"

In Italian you say Ho fame (I have hunger), never sono fame. Learn the avere + noun rule for fame, freddo, paura, age, and the sono caldo trap to avoid.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Essere vs Avere: Italian Past Tense Made Simple

In the passato prossimo, use avere for most verbs and essere for movement, change, and reflexives — plus the agreement trap English speakers always miss.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Ti Amo vs Ti Voglio Bene: I Love You in Italian

Ti amo is romantic love; ti voglio bene is tender affection for family and close friends. Here's exactly who to say each phrase to in Italian.

June 5, 2026 5 min read