20 Spanish Verbs of Italian Origin

Many Spanish verbs come from Latin, Arabic, or French, but fewer learners know that a considerable number also come from Italian. This influence became especially strong during the Renaissance, when Italian culture, art, and trade had a huge impact on Spain. In this article, we’ll look at several Spanish verbs of Italian origin, see how they entered the language, and learn how to use them in context.

20 Spanish Verbs of Italian Origin

The contact between Spanish and Italian intensified in the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly through art, music, and maritime trade. Italian artists, architects, and musicians traveled to Spain, bringing not only their knowledge but also their vocabulary. As a result, some Italian verbs were adopted into Spanish with slight spelling and pronunciation changes.

Here are some of the most common Spanish verbs of Italian origin that are still widely used today.

Acampar

Let’s start the list of Spanish verbs of Italian origin with acampar (to camp). It comes from the Italian verb accampare, which comes from the phrase ad campo (in the field).

Aguantar

Aguantar (to put up with, to stand) probably comes from the Italian verb agguantare. This Italian verb derived from guanto (glove).

Atacar

Atacar (to attack) comes from the Italian verb attaccare (to join, to attach), which is used in the expression attaccare battaglia (to join battle).

Brillar

Brillar (to shine) comes from the Italian verb brillare, which is derived from brillo (shine).

Canjear

Canjear (to exchange, to redeem) comes from the Italian verb cangiare.

Charlar

Charlar (to chat, to chatter) comes from the Italian verb ciarlare. This verb is probably onomatopoeic in origin.

Cortejar

Cortejar (to court, to enamor) comes from the Italian verb corteggiare, which means to woo or to romance. This Italian verb derives from corte (court) and the verbal suffix –eggiare.

Diseñar

Diseñar (to design) comes from the Italian verb disegnare, which is derived from the Latin designāre, which meant to mark, to draw, to design.

Empatar

Empatar (to tie, to draw) comes from the Italian verb impattare, which ultimately derives from the Latin pacta (agreements), through the Italian phrase far patta (to make peace, to reach an agreement). It originally referred to two sides making peace or agreeing, and later came to mean to tie or to draw in a game or contest.

Esbozar

Esbozar (to sketch, to outline) is another example of a Spanish verb of Italian origin. It comes from the Italian sbozzare. Originally, it referred to shaping marble roughly before fine carving. In Spanish, it came to mean to outline or to sketch an idea or drawing.

Esfumar

Esfumar (to fade away, to disappear) comes from the Italian sfumare, meaning to make vanish gradually or to blur. In painting, it refers to the technique of softening transitions between colors or tones. In Spanish, it later took on the figurative sense to fade away or to disappear.

Estafar

Estafar (to defraud) comes from the Italian staffare, which mean to remove the foot from the stirrup. It refers metaphorically to someone being left off balance—just as a cheated person is left in a difficult or false situation.

Estropear

Estropear (to damage, to ruin) comes from the Italian verb stroppiare (to cripple), which comes from Vulgar Latin exturpiāre, from Latin turpis (ugly).

Fracasar

Fracasar (to fail) comes from the Italian fracassare, meaning to break or to smash. Originally, it referred to something breaking apart or collapsing with a loud noise. In Spanish, its meaning shifted metaphorically to to fail — as if a plan or attempt had broken down or fallen apart.

Festejar

Festejar (to celebrate) comes from the Italian verb festeggiare, inherited from Vulgar Latin festizāre, which is derivable from festa (party) and the verbal suffix‎ –eggiare. This is probably one of the most popular Spanish verbs of Italian origin.

Impostar

Impostar (to project voice) comes from the Italian verb impostare, meaning to set or to position. In Spanish, it is mainly used in the context of the voice — impostar la voz — meaning to project or place the voice correctly. The original sense of setting or placing something properly evolved into the idea of positioning the voice for clear and strong sound.

Manejar

Manejar (to handle) comes from the Italian maneggiare, meaning to handle or to manage, derived from mano (hand). In Spanish, it developed the senses to handle, to operate, and later to drive (a vehicle) — a sense used mainly in Latin America.

Marcar

Marcar (to mark, to score) is one of the notable Spanish verbs of Italian origin. It probably comes from the Italian marcare, which itself derives from the Lombardic (a Germanic language) markan. It is related to Old High German merken (to notice) and Old English mearcian (to mark, to note). In Spanish, marcar came to mean to mark, to indicate, or to score.

Pillar

Pillar (to catch) comes from the Italian pigliare, meaning to catch or to grab, which derives from Vulgar Latin piliare and Late Latin pilāre (to strip, to plunder). In Spanish, it evolved to mean to catch, to grab, or colloquially to get or to catch someone off guard.

Saldar

Let’s finish this list of Spanish verbs of Italian origin with saldar (to pay off). It comes from the Italian saldare, derived from saldo meaning whole, firm, or solid, which in turn comes from the Latin solidus. In Spanish, saldar means to settle or to pay off a debt, keeping the original idea of firmness and completeness.

Exercises

Let’s do some exercises to practice some of these Spanish verbs of Italian origin. Feel like doing more vocabulary exercises? In our blog, you can also do exercises with Spanish words of Arabic, French, Nahuatl, and Persian origins.