Lesson 185: Understanding verbs -- riflettere

I want to open this post by saying how important it is to use your Italian as often as you can - whether it's by chatting with your friends online or talking to them using programs like Skype - because it's one of the best ways to learn new things and to iron out any errors that may tend to creep into your Italian.

One such error reared its ugly head yesterday when chatting with my friend, Adriano. And that error was my use of the verb, riflettere -- below is a conjucation of the verb in the present tense:


Riflettere, like many Italian verbs, is both transitive and intransitive:

• As a transitive verb, riflettere means "to reflect" -- remember that as a transitive verb it must have a direct object. The verb is used in this way when something reflects something - such as a mirror, which reflects light. Or perhaps the blacktop which reflects heat, etc.
  
  The verb can also be used transitively in a figurative way - such as a work of art or work of writing which might reflect the historical period or a specific mood.
  
  Le pozzanghere riflettono la luce del sole.
  The puddles are reflecting the sunlight.
  
  Le opere di Hemingway riflettono lo spirito del tempo del Novecento.
  The works of Hemingway reflect the zeitgeist of the 20th century.
  
  
• As an intransitive verb, riflettere means "to reflect" in the sense of to think, to ponder, to consider, or to weigh.
  
  Devo riflettere bene prima di fare una decisione.
  I have to think it over before making a decision.
  
  Dopo aver molto riflettuto ha deciso di divorziare da suo marito.
  After much thought she decided to divorce her husband.
  
  
• When used reflexively, it can mean:
  
  
  • to be reflected
    
    Che bello! Le nuvole si riflettono nell'acqua del lago!
    How beautiful! The clouds are reflected in the water of the lake.
    
    
  • to have repercussions, to affect
    
    Le scelte economiche dei politici si rifletteranno su tutti i disoccupati.
    The politicians political choices will have repercussions on all the unemployed.
    

Another point to consider is that this verb has two past participles: riflesso, for when the verb is used transitively, and riflettuto for when the verb is used intransitively or reflexively.

Avere is used in compound tenses regardless of whether the verb is used transitively or intransitively.