spegnere

to turn off

verb SPEH-nyeh-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin exstinguere (to extinguish), contracted and altered phonetically in Vulgar Latin.

Also means

to extinguish

Usage Note

Spegnere is irregular: past participle spento, simple past spensi/spense. It takes avere as its auxiliary. It is the standard verb for switching off a device (spegnere la luce, spegnere il telefono) or putting out a fire (spegnere l'incendio). The opposite is accendere (to switch on/light). Note the past participle spento also functions as an adjective meaning 'switched off' or 'dull, lifeless'.

Examples

"Ricordati di spegnere il computer prima di uscire."

Natural Translation

Remember to turn off the computer before leaving.

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