inciampare

to trip

verb een-CHAHM-pah-reh Rare

Also means

to stumble

Usage Note

Inciampare takes essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses: sono inciampato ('I tripped'). It is followed by in to specify what one tripped on: inciampare in un sasso ('to trip on a stone'). Figuratively, inciampare in un errore means to stumble into a mistake, making it useful in both literal and abstract contexts.

Examples

"Sono inciampato sul gradino e sono caduto."

Natural Translation

I tripped on the step and fell.

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