Skip to content

ricambiare

to reciprocate, to return

verb ree-kahm-BYAH-reh Rare

Also means

to exchange (gifts, favours)

Usage Note

Ricambiare combines ri- (again/back) and cambiare (to change/exchange). It is used for reciprocating feelings (ricambiare l'amore = to return love) or exchanging objects (ricambiare un regalo = to exchange a gift). Uses avere as auxiliary. Common in both formal and informal registers.

Examples

"Ha ricambiato il suo sorriso con calore."

Natural Translation

She returned his smile warmly.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

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

Explore Italian by topic