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In this episode I'm going to explain two Italian verbs that are often mixed up.
The verbs in question are "accorgersi" and "rendersi conto".
Both verbs can be used with the preposition "di" or with the conjunction "che" followed by a clause.
Many people who've learned Italian as a foreign language have trouble with these two verbs, which are indeed very similar. And, for this very reason, this pair of verbs often creates confusion.
Let me say right away that these two verbs are synonyms. So, if you use one in place of the other, it's not a bad mistake. Or rather, in many cases, these two verbs are perfectly equivalent and interchangeable.
However, in certain cases, these two verbs can place emphasis on two slightly different things. So in certain sentences it would be better to use "accorgersi", whereas in other sentences it would be better to use "rendersi conto".
Before I proceed and give you some examples, I'd like to point something out.
The verb "accorgersi" is slightly irregular and has the past participle with T. The past participle of "accorgersi" is "accorto". Secondly, "accorgersi" is a pronominal verb, so in compound tenses it requires as auxiliary verb the verb "essere". For example, the passato prossimo of "accorgersi" is "mi sono accorto", not "mi ho accorto".
The verb "rendersi" too is slightly irregular and its past participle is "reso". Since it's a pronominal verb, it requires as auxiliary the verb "essere". For example, the passato prossimo tense is "mi sono reso conto".
But let's try to understand what's the difference between these two verbs!
1.
The first example sentence could be this: "Mi sono accorto che il frigo è quasi vuoto".
In theory, I could also say: "Mi sono reso conto che il frigo è quasi vuoto".
In this case, though, it would be better to use the verb "accorgersi". Why is it better to use the verb "accorgersi" in this sentence? Because I notice that the fridge is almost empty as I see it. So this is something that I notice right away, it's not a conclusion that I draw upon reflection.
The phrase "rendersi conto" usually puts emphasis on reflection: someone draws certain conclusions after thinking about something.
2.
The second example could be: "Quando ho messo la mano in tasca, mi sono accorto di aver dimenticato il telefono a casa".
Instead of using the verb "accorgersi", I could use "rendersi conto" and say: "Quando ho messo la mano in tasca, mi sono reso conto di aver dimenticato il telefono a casa".
In this case "rendersi conto" is ok because, even though it's a split-second thought, so to speak, there is some thinking involved.
3.
The third example sentence is this: "Quando ero già sull'aereo, mi sono accorto di aver dimenticato gli
occhiali in aeroporto".
In this case I could say: "Quando ero già sull'aereo, mi sono reso conto di aver lasciato gli occhiali in aeroporto".
4.
The fourth example could be this: "Mi sono accorto che hai spostato quel quadro".
In this case it's not ok to replace the verb "accorgersi" with "rendersi conto". It's not ok because in this case I noticed this when I saw it.
5.
The fifth example is this: "Quando sono entrato, mi sono accorto che sopra c'era qualcuno".
Alternatively, I could say: "Quando sono entrato, mi sono reso conto che sopra c'era qualcuno".
These two sentences suggest two slightly different scenarios.
The sentence with the verb "accorgersi" suggests this type of scenario, namely: I walked in and immediately understood that there was somebody upstairs. Perhaps because I heard some noise. But in any case I understood that straight away.
Instead, if I say "Mi sono reso conto che sopra c'era qualcuno", it seems that I understood that after a while. For example, first I heard a strange noise, then, after a while, I heard another one, and then I put two and two together and realized there was somebody upstairs.
(Example sentences 5 to 18)
Basically, "accorgersi" and "rendersi conto" are synonyms and are often interchangeable, but "accorgersi" is closer to noticing, also through the senses, whereas "rendersi conto" places emphasis on reflection and the fact that someone comes to certain conclusions after thinking about something.
In other words, "accorgersi" is closer to noticing something we didn't notice before, whereas "rendersi conto" is closer to the idea of understanding something we didn't understand before, in particular upon reflection. The difference between the verbs "accorgersi" and "rendersi conto" is this. As I said, though, in many cases you can use both.
I hope this subtle difference is clear!
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