finire

to finish, to end

verb fee-NEE-reh Common

Origin: From Latin finire (to limit, to end), from finis (end).

Also means

to run out of

Usage Note

Finire takes essere when intransitive (the subject is the thing that ends): la festa è finita ('the party ended'). It takes avere when transitive (subject completes an action): ho finito il lavoro ('I finished the work'). Finire per + infinitive means 'to end up doing': ha finito per accettare ('he ended up accepting').

Examples

"Ho finito i compiti alle nove."

Natural Translation

I finished my homework at nine.

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 Articles: Il, Lo, La, I, Gli, Le Explained

Italian has seven words for 'the' — il, lo, la, i, gli, le — but it's two questions, not seven cases. Master gender, sound, and the lo/gli rule fast.

June 5, 2026 7 min read

ItalianNow

You're Welcome in Italian: 8 Ways Beyond Prego

You're welcome in Italian is more than prego: say figurati to friends, si figuri to strangers, di niente, non c'è di che, or grazie a te. Pick the right one.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Present Tense: -are, -ere, -ire Verbs

Conjugate Italian present-tense verbs fast: one color-coded chart for -are, -ere, and -ire endings, plus the sneaky -isc- group most guides bury.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Diminutives: -ino, -etto, -one Explained

Italian diminutives like -ino, -etto, and -one signal size, affection, or contempt. Learn to read the feeling, dodge gender flips, and spot false diminutives.

June 9, 2026 6 min read