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esistere

to exist

verb eh-ZEES-teh-reh Common

Origin: Latin existere (to step out, emerge).

Usage Note

Esistere is intransitive and always takes essere as its auxiliary (è esistito = it existed). It is often used in the third person to assert the existence of something (esiste un problema = there is a problem). Note that ci sono / c'è are the everyday equivalents for 'there is/are', while esistere tends to feel more philosophical or emphatic.

Examples

"Il problema esiste davvero."

Natural Translation

The problem really exists.

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