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servire

to serve

verb ser-VEE-reh Common
People & Society Work

Origin: From Latin servire (to serve, be a slave to).

Also means

to be needed; to be useful

Usage Note

Servire has two common patterns: servire qualcuno ('to serve someone', with avere) and the impersonal servire a ('to be needed, to be of use'), which takes essere and behaves like piacere — the subject is the thing needed: mi serve una penna ('I need a pen', literally 'a pen is needed to me'). This second construction trips up learners.

Examples

"Mi serve ancora un po' di tempo."

Natural Translation

I still need a little more time.

Literal Translation

To-me is-needed still a little of time.

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