“Rendere” in Italian
Meaning
If you see the meaning of the Italian word rendere from an etymologic point of view, you will see that it comes from the Latin word reddere, which means to give back or to return.
If you see its meaning based on its use in Italian today, you will see that it can have two main uses:
- to give back, as in the following example:
Gli ho reso il libro che mi aveva prestato.
I gave him back the book he had lent me.
- to make something or someone somehow, as in the following examples:
Lucia sa come rendere felice la sua famiglia.
Lucia knows how to make her family happy.
La musica rende tutto più facile!
Music makes everything easier!
Conjugation
Let me show you the conjugation of the verb rendere in some of the most common verb tenses:
- Presente (present)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io | rendo |
| Tu | rendi |
| Lui/Lei | rende |
| Noi | rendiamo |
| Voi | rendete |
| Loro | rendono |
- Imperfetto (imperfect)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io | rendevo |
| Tu | rendevi |
| Lui/Lei | rendeva |
| Noi | rendevamo |
| Voi | rendevate |
| Loro | rendevano |
- Passato prossimo (present perfect)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io | ho reso |
| Tu | hai reso |
| Lui/Lei | ha reso |
| Noi | abbiamo reso |
| Voi | avete reso |
| Loro | hanno reso |
Of course, here you can also see how to form the past participle that is crucial to form compound verbs in general.
- Futuro semplice (simple future)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io | renderò |
| Tu | renderai |
| Lui/Lei | renderà |
| Noi | renderemo |
| Voi | renderete |
| Loro | renderanno |
How to use “Rendere”
Rendere + Adjective
We use the structure rendere + someone/something + adjective to mean that we make that something/someone somehow, where the “how” is defined by the adjective.
Have a look at this example again:
Lucia sa come rendere felice la sua familia.
Lucia knows how to make her family happy.
Here are some common adjectives we usually use after rendere:
- rendere facile (to make happy)
- rendere difficile (to make difficult)
- rendere semplice (to make simple)
- rendere normale (to make normal)
- rendere felice (to make happy)
- rendere contento (to make happy)
- rendere triste (to make sad)
- rendere impossibile (to make impossible)
- rendere possibile (to make possible)
- rendere pubblico (to make public)
- rendere visibile (to make visible)
- rendere forte (to make strong)
Let’s look at some examples:
Stai rendendo la situazione molto difficile!
You’re making this situation very difficult!
I ministri hanno reso pubblico e disponibile il documento ufficiale.
Ministers made the official document public and available.
Mi rende la vita impossibile!
She makes my life impossible!
Rendere + Direct Pronoun
Of course, you can also use a direct pronoun to refer to someone without saying their name. Here is a brief recap of the Italian direct pronouns:
- mi
- ti
- lo / la
- ci
- vi
- li / le
Here are some examples:
Lei mi rende tanto felice!
She makes me so happy!
Ci rende molto triste questa cosa.
This thing makes us very sad.
Li ho resi disponibili.
I made them available.
Common Expressions
Here’s a list with some common set phrases with the word rendere.
- Rendere l’idea
It means to to convey an idea, to explain a concept effectively, or to be understood.
Questo esempio rende l’idea di ciò che voglio dire.
This example conveys the idea of what I want to say.
- Rendere conto di qualcosa a qualcuno
It means to explain or to justify something to someone.
Mi dovrai rendere conto delle tue decisioni.
You will have to explain your decision to me.
- Rendersi conto
It means “to realize” but in Italian it is a reflexive verb, which means it needs a reflexive pronoun. Let me show you briefly what they are: mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si.
Non mi ero reso conto del problema.
I hadn’t realized the problem.
Ti rendi conto di quello che dici?
Do you realize what you’re saying?
