As you probably know, many Italian verbs can be used as transitive (i.e. the action falls on someone/something else) or reflexive (i.e. the action falls on yourself). And some of these actually change meaning when you use them in the reflexive form. Additionally, some require a preposition in English but not in Italian. Here are some examples:

Sto aspettando mia cugina = I’m waiting for my cousin; per favore aspettaci! = please wait for us

Ci si aspetta che le stanze d’albergo vengano ben disinfettate prima dell’arrivo dei nuovi ospiti = one expects hotel rooms to be properly disinfected before the arrival of the new guests [Note the use of the subjunctive: aspettarsi che qualcuno faccia qualcosa = to expect someone to do something as distinct from mi aspetto di arrivare alla stazione verso le 19:00 = I expect to get to the station around 7 pm]

Ma cosa ti aspetti da lui? È un tossicodipendente e quindi non responsabile delle sue azioni = but what do you expect of him? He’s a drug addict and therefore not responsible for his actions

Sentire means to hear as in sento gli uccelli che cantano = I hear the birds sing;  non sento più bene – sarà l’età! = I don’t (can’t) hear well anymore – it’s probably age-related!  Ho sentito dire che i voli internazionali non ricominceranno quest’anno = I’ve heard [it said] that international flights won’t resume this year

Sentirsi meanwhile means to feel as in the expressions mi sento stanco/bene/male for instance. Oggi non mi sento affatto bene = Today I don’t feel at all well. Come ti senti questa settimana? Ti è passata l’influenza? = How do you feel this week? Have you got over the ‘flu?

Prendere [to get, take, pick up, catch etc] is one of the most commonly-used transitive verbs in Italian, e.g. Prendi questo mazzo di fiori e dallo a tua madre da parte mia = Take this bunch of flowers and give it to your mother on my behalf. Oggi vado in spiaggia a prendere il sole = Today I’m going to the beach to sunbathe. Non vuole prendere i soldi che volevo dargli = He doesn’t want to take the money I wanted to give him.

But note its use as a reflexive verb: Prendersi  means to catch an illness, and is used in  similar expressions eg A maggio si è preso il Covid da un amico = In May he caught Covid from a friend. Non prendertela per una piccolezza = Don’t get upset/riled up over a trivial matter/over nothing.

Yvette Alberti