ritenere

to consider

verb ree-teh-NEH-reh Common

Origin: Latin retinere (to hold back, retain)

Also means

to believe

Usage Note

Ritenere takes avere as its auxiliary. In modern Italian it primarily means to consider or regard something as being a certain way: ritengo che sia giusto (I believe it is right). It is more formal than pensare and is very common in written Italian, news, and official speech. The past participle is ritenuto.

Examples

"Ritengo che questa sia la scelta migliore."

Natural Translation

I consider this to be the best choice.

Literal Translation

I-consider that this is the choice best.

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