Disclaimer: This article was lovingly written by me truly, with no AI involved in the writing process. However, I did get a (huge) helping hand from AI to create the exercises—but don’t worry, I kept a close eye on everything! 😉
Bentornati! 👋
I have decided to write this post because some students, during my lessons, have asked me what the difference is between the verb “avere” and “avercela“.
I want to clarify this issue in a simple and direct way, without going into too much detail.
So, without further ado, here are some examples that will help you understand the difference between these two verbs, which may seem similar but actually have distinct meanings.
Avere
The verb “avere” is one of the most used verbs in the Italian language and has multiple meanings. In general, it indicates possession or control of something or someone. For example, “avere” can be used to say:
Other examples:
In this case, “avere” is used as a synonym for to feel a need (In this article I explain more about why in Italian we use ‘to have’ to express needs and why in English ‘being’) :
Avercela
The verb “avercela” is another very common Italian verb, but unlike “avere,” it has a more specific meaning. Essentially, it indicates an emotion of challenge, frustration, or anger towards something or someone.
In practice, it can be used to express an emotional reaction to a negative or unpleasant situation, such as when one feels unfairly treated or when one feels undervalued:
PDF summary and Exercises
I often come across interesting articles that I know I’ll want to revisit later, so I either print them out or save them on my iPad, as I find it inconvenient to read on a computer. If you feel the same way, I’ve provided a PDF version of this article, along with an exercise (with answers), so you can practice using “avere” and “avercela”.
I hope as always that this post has been helpful to you, and if you want to practice a bit of Italian with me, or if you have any further questions or feedbacks, I’ll leave you the link to my profile on Italki .🤗
Alla prossima! 👋
Dillo in Italiano 