Capire means "to understand". It is the model verb for the -ISC group of -ire verbs, and phrases like non capisco and ho capito are among the first things a learner needs in a real conversation.
Infinitive
capire
English
to understand
Auxiliary
avere
Past participle
capito
Gerund
capendo
-ISC verb: adds -isc- between the stem and the ending in the three singular persons and the third person plural of the present: capisco, capisci, capisce, capiscono. Noi and voi have no -isc-: capiamo, capite. The same split appears in the present subjunctive (che io capisca, che loro capiscano, but capiamo, capiate) and the imperative (capisci, capisca, capiscano). The sound changes with the next vowel: hard "sk" in capisco and capiscono, soft "sh" in capisci and capisce. All other tenses are regular -ire: capivo, capii, capirò, capirei, capito. Finire, preferire, pulire, spedire and costruire follow the same pattern.
Capire is the everyday word for understanding a language, a person, a situation or an explanation: capisci l'italiano?, non ti capisco, finalmente ho capito. Italians use the passato prossimo ho capito where English uses a present ("I see", "got it"), and the question hai capito? is a common way to check that someone has followed you. The more formal synonym is comprendere. Capire also appears in useful phrases such as si capisce ("of course") and non ci capisco niente ("I can't make sense of it").
Capire takes avere: ho capito, avevamo capito. With a direct object pronoun before the verb, the participle agrees with it: la lezione? Non l'ho capita.
Capire in context
Presente:Scusi, non capisco. Può ripetere più lentamente? (Sorry, I don't understand. Could you repeat that more slowly?)
Presente:I miei genitori non capiscono il dialetto di mia moglie. (My parents don't understand my wife's dialect.)
Passato Prossimo:Hai capito cosa ha detto il professore? (Did you understand what the professor said?)
Imperfetto:All'inizio non capivo niente, ma dopo tre mesi andava meglio. (At first I didn't understand anything, but after three months it was getting better.)
Futuro Semplice:Un giorno capirai perché ti ho detto di no. (One day you will understand why I said no to you.)
Congiuntivo Presente:Parlo piano perché tutti capiscano. (I speak slowly so that everyone understands.)
Condizionale Passato:Se me l'avessi spiegato prima, avrei capito. (If you had explained it to me earlier, I would have understood.)
Common expressions with capire
ho capito: I see, got it. The usual reply when someone explains something. Italians use the passato prossimo here, not the present.
non ci capisco niente: I can't make sense of it. From capirci, "to make sense of something".
si capisce: of course, naturally
farsi capire: to make yourself understood. Con un po' di inglese riesco a farmi capire: "with a bit of English I can make myself understood".
capire al volo: to understand right away, to catch on fast
capire male: to misunderstand. Scusa, ho capito male: "sorry, I misunderstood".
Common mistakes
Non capisco la domanda., not Non capo la domanda. (I don't understand the question.). Capire is an -ISC verb, so the io form adds -isc- before the ending: capisco. The same goes for capisci, capisce and capiscono.
Noi non capiamo., not Noi non capiscamo. (We don't understand.). The -isc- infix never appears in the noi and voi forms of the present: capiamo, capite. Learners who have just mastered capisco often add it everywhere.
Hai capito? Sì, ho capito., not Hai capito? Sì, capisco. (Did you get that? Yes, I got it.). When you confirm that you have followed an explanation, Italian uses the passato prossimo: ho capito. Capisco is used for general understanding or sympathy, as in capisco come ti senti, "I understand how you feel".
Capire belongs to the -ISC group of -ire verbs, which add -isc- to the stem in the forms where the stress would otherwise fall on the stem: io, tu, lui and lei, and loro. In noi and voi the stress is on the ending, so there is no -isc-: capiamo, capite.
Is capire irregular?
No. Capire is a regular -ISC verb. The -isc- infix is a regular pattern shared by many -ire verbs, such as finire and preferire. Its participle capito and all its other tenses follow the normal -ire endings.
Does capire take essere or avere?
Avere: ho capito, hai capito, abbiamo capito. The pronominal capirsi, "to understand each other", takes essere: ci siamo capiti?, "are we clear?"
What is the difference between capire and comprendere?
They mean the same thing in the sense of understanding, but capire is the everyday word and comprendere is more formal or written. Comprendere also means "to include": il prezzo comprende la colazione, "the price includes breakfast". Capire never has that meaning.