What does rendere mean?
If you go through all the definitions of the word rendere and then check the meanings of the English word to render, you will notice many similarities.
This is because rendere (and to render) comes from the Latin word reddere, which means to give back or to return.
One of the meanings of rendere is to give back, as in:
Gli ho reso il libro che mi aveva prestato.
I gave him back the book he had lent me.
However, we’d like to concentrate on the meaning of rendere as to cause to be or to become.
Here’s an example:
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!
What is the conjugation of rendere?
Let’s have a look at the conjugation of rendere in the present indicative:
| io | rendo |
| tu | rendi |
| lui/lei | rende |
| noi | rendiamo |
| voi | rendete |
| loro | rendono |
The past participle is irregular and is reso, resa, resi, rese depending on the number and gender.
| io | rendo |
| tu | rendi |
| lui/lei | rende |
| noi | rendiamo |
| voi | rendete |
| loro | rendono |
How to use rendere + adjective?
Let’s have a look at this sentence again:
Lucia sa come rendere felice la sua familia.
Lucia knows how to make her family happy.
We usually follow this structure: the conjugated form of rendere + someone or something + adjective.
Or this one: Conjugated form of rendere + adjective + someone or something.
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!
How to use rendere + pronoun?
You could also use one of the following pronouns if you want to refer to someone without saying their name:
- mi
- ti
- la / lo
- 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.
Practice with Quizlet
Here's a set of flashcards and quizzes to practice this grammar topic.Rendere: common set phrases
Here’s a list with some common set phrases with the word rendere.
- Rendere l’idea
Means to be able to convey an idea, to explain a concept effectively, or to be able to make oneself understood.
Questo esempio rende l’idea di ciò che voglio dire.
This example conveys the idea of what I want to say.
- Rendere conto a qualcuno di qualcosa
Means to explain to justify something to someone.
Mi dovrai rendere conto delle tue decisioni.
You will have to explain your decision to me.
- Rendersi conto
Means to realize and is a reflexive verb, which means it always goes together with one of the following pronouns: mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si.
Non mi ero reso conto.
I hadn’t realized.
Ti rendi conto di quello che dici?
Do you realize what you’re saying?
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4 Responses
Ciao! The second sentence in the audio lesson is not well translated. Could you please correct it?
Ciao Anna! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re sorry for any confusion caused by the translation in the audio lesson. We’ll review it and make the necessary corrections. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve our course content. If you have any more questions or notice anything else, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
How to say “it makes me happy” in italian?
Ciao Anna, to say “it makes me happy” in Italian, you would say “mi rende felice”. The verb “rendere” is used in this context to mean “to make” or “to cause to be”. So, “mi rende felice” literally translates to “it makes me happy”. Remember, the verb “rendere” needs to be conjugated according to the subject and the pronoun “mi” refers to “me”. I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.