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pretendere

to demand, to claim

verb preh-TEN-deh-reh Less Common
Communication Speech

Origin: Latin praetendere, from prae- (before) + tendere (to stretch)

Also means

to pretend (archaic/regional)

Usage Note

Pretendere is a significant false friend: it does NOT mean 'to pretend' (that is fingere). It means to demand or claim something as a right: pretendo una risposta = 'I demand an answer'. Only in some regional or dated usage does it edge toward 'to claim falsely'. Auxiliary: avere.

Examples

"Non puoi pretendere tutto subito."

Natural Translation

You can't demand everything at once.

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