Ridurre: Full Conjugation | Italian Grammar

Ridurre (to reduce, to cut down, to shrink) is a member of the closed but high-frequency family of Italian verbs whose infinitive ends in -urre. Like its cousins condurre, tradurre, produrre, sedurre, dedurre, and indurre, it is a hidden-stem verb: the modern infinitive ridurre is a contracted descendant of Latin redūcĕre (re- + dūcĕre, "to lead back"), but the original stem riduc- survives in nearly every conjugated form. Once you have one -urre verb internalised — usually condurre, the canonical model — ridurre falls out automatically.

The verb is especially common in journalism, science, business, and everyday speech: ridurre i costi (cut costs), ridurre il rischio (reduce risk), ridurre lo stipendio (cut wages), ridursi all'osso (reduce something to the bare bones). Mastering it gives you immediate access to a huge slice of contemporary Italian register.

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The mental shortcut: pretend the infinitive were riducere and conjugate it as a regular -ere verb on the riduc- stem. Almost every form falls out cleanly. Only three places break the pattern — the future and conditional contract to ridurr- (double r), the strong passato remoto persons collapse to riduss- (double s), and the participle is the irregular ridotto (with the regular -tto outcome of Latin -ct-).

Indicativo presente

Person	Form
io	riduco
tu	riduci
lui / lei / Lei	riduce
noi	riduciamo
voi	riducete
loro	riducono

The presente runs straight off the riduc- stem with regular -ere endings. The orthographic point: the c is preserved everywhere, and palatalises naturally before front vowels (riduce, riduci are pronounced with the soft ch-sound of cena, while riduco, riducono keep the hard k-sound). Italian never writes k; the alternation is purely phonetic.

L'azienda riduce gli stipendi del dieci per cento a partire da gennaio.

The company is cutting wages by ten percent starting in January.

Riduci il fuoco e fai cuocere il sugo per altri venti minuti.

Turn down the heat and let the sauce cook another twenty minutes.

Questo farmaco riduce la pressione del sangue in poche ore.

This drug brings blood pressure down within a few hours.

Riduciamo le porzioni a tavola per evitare di sprecare cibo.

We're cutting portion sizes at the table to avoid wasting food.

I governi europei riducono i sussidi alle famiglie più ricche.

European governments are scaling back subsidies to wealthier families.

Imperfetto

Person	Form
io	riducevo
tu	riducevi
lui / lei / Lei	riduceva
noi	riducevamo
voi	riducevate
loro	riducevano

The imperfetto is built straight from riduc- with the standard -evo, -evi, -eva endings — exactly as you would expect from a regular -ere verb. No surprises. English speakers should remember that the imperfetto has no clean English counterpart: riducevo covers "I was reducing," "I used to reduce," and habitual "I would reduce" all at once.

Negli anni Novanta le banche riducevano costantemente i tassi d'interesse.

In the 1990s the banks were continuously cutting interest rates.

Mio nonno riduceva sempre lo zucchero nel caffè per la pressione.

My grandfather always cut down on sugar in his coffee because of his blood pressure.

Passato remoto

Person	Form
io	ridussi
tu	riducesti
lui / lei / Lei	ridusse
noi	riducemmo
voi	riduceste
loro	ridussero

A textbook "1-3-3" passato remoto: the first-person singular, third-person singular, and third-person plural take the strong stem riduss- (double ss), while the other three persons keep the long riduc- stem with regular weak endings. This split — strong/weak/strong/weak/weak/strong — is the same pattern you see in prendere → presi/prendesti/prese and across the entire -urre family.

The double ss is mandatory: ridussi, never ridusi. It descends from the Latin perfect redūxī (with the -x- spelling /ks/), which Italian regularised across the -urre class to -ss-. The same pattern applies to every other -urre verb: condussi, tradussi, produssi, sedussi, dedussi, indussi.

La crisi del 2008 ridusse drasticamente il valore delle pensioni.

The 2008 crisis drastically reduced the value of pensions.

I bombardamenti ridussero la città in macerie nel giro di una settimana.

The bombings reduced the city to rubble in the space of a week.

L'autore ridusse il manoscritto da seicento a trecento pagine prima della pubblicazione.

The author cut the manuscript from six hundred to three hundred pages before publication.

Futuro semplice

Person	Form
io	ridurrò
tu	ridurrai
lui / lei / Lei	ridurrà
noi	ridurremo
voi	ridurrete
loro	ridurranno

The future stem ridurr- has double rr. This is not arbitrary — it is the predictable outcome of contraction. Latin redūcĕre + the Romance future formative -ò would historically yield riducerò, which contracted first to ridurò and then assimilated to ridurrò. The same mechanism produces double rr in every -urre future (condurrò, tradurrò, produrrò) and in unrelated contracted-future verbs (vorrò from volere, terrò from tenere, avrò from avere).

A common error is to write riducerò (forgetting the contraction) or ridurò (single r). Both are non-forms.

Il governo ridurrà le tasse sulla casa entro la fine dell'anno.

The government will cut housing taxes by the end of the year.

Se continueremo così, ridurremo l'inquinamento del trenta per cento.

If we keep going at this rate, we'll cut pollution by thirty percent.

Condizionale presente

Person	Form
io	ridurrei
tu	ridurresti
lui / lei / Lei	ridurrebbe
noi	ridurremmo
voi	ridurreste
loro	ridurrebbero

The conditional builds on the same contracted ridurr- stem. Watch the spelling difference between ridurremo (future, single m) and ridurremmo (conditional, double m) — this is the single most-confused pair in the paradigm, and the same trap appears across every -urre verb and every contracted-future verb.

Ridurrei volentieri le ore di lavoro, ma ho bisogno di soldi.

I'd happily cut my hours, but I need the money.

Senza un accordo politico non ridurremmo mai il debito pubblico.

Without a political agreement we'd never bring down the public debt.

Congiuntivo presente

Person	Form
(che) io	riduca
(che) tu	riduca
(che) lui / lei	riduca
(che) noi	riduciamo
(che) voi	riduciate
(che) loro	riducano

Built on riduc- with the standard -ere subjunctive endings (-a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano). The three singular forms collapse into riduca, so explicit subjects or context are essential after subjunctive triggers like credo che, voglio che, sembra che, è importante che.

È importante che il direttore riduca le spese inutili.

It's important that the director cut down on unnecessary expenses.

Voglio che tu riduca un po' lo stress al lavoro.

I want you to cut down on stress at work a little.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Person	Form
(che) io	riducessi
(che) tu	riducessi
(che) lui / lei	riducesse
(che) noi	riducessimo
(che) voi	riduceste
(che) loro	riducessero

Standard -ere imperfect-subjunctive endings on the riduc- stem. Used in hypotheticals (se riducessi i costi...) and after past-tense subjunctive triggers (pensavo che riducessero...).

Se riducessimo gli sprechi, risparmieremmo milioni di euro all'anno.

If we cut waste, we'd save millions of euros a year.

Speravo che riducesse almeno un po' il consumo di alcol.

I was hoping he'd cut down on his drinking at least a little.

Imperativo

Person	Form
tu	riduci!
Lei (formal)	riduca!
noi	riduciamo!
voi	riducete!
loro (formal pl.)	riducano!

The imperativo follows the standard -ere pattern: tu and voi borrow from the indicative; Lei and loro borrow from the subjunctive. Riduci! is the everyday "cut it down!"; Riduca! is the formal version you'd hear from a doctor or a financial adviser ("Riduca lo stress, signora" — "Cut down on stress, ma'am").

Riduci la velocità, c'è un autovelox dopo la curva.

Slow down, there's a speed camera after the bend.

Riducete il volume, i bambini stanno dormendo.

Turn the volume down — the kids are sleeping.

Forme non finite

Form	Italian
Infinito presente	ridurre
Infinito passato	avere ridotto / aver ridotto
Gerundio presente	riducendo
Gerundio passato	avendo ridotto
Participio passato	ridotto
Participio presente	riducente (rare, technical/scientific)

Two non-finite forms deserve attention:

Participio passato ridotto is irregular and must be memorised. It is not riducto — that form would be the predictable Latinate spelling, but Italian inherited the syncopated redŭctus → ridotto with the regular -tto outcome of -ct- (compare factus → fatto, strictus → stretto, coctus → cotto). Every -urre verb shares this pattern: condotto, tradotto, prodotto, sedotto, dedotto, indotto.
Participio presente riducente survives mainly in chemistry and technical writing — un agente riducente is a "reducing agent," the opposite of un ossidante. In everyday Italian you will rarely encounter it.

Riducendo lo stress, dormirai molto meglio la notte.

By reducing stress, you'll sleep much better at night.

Compound tenses and auxiliary choice

Ridurre is transitive and uses avere as its auxiliary in every compound tense. The participle ridotto does not normally agree with the subject — but it does agree with a preceding direct-object pronoun: l'ho ridotta (la spesa), li ho ridotti (i costi), le ho ridotte (le porzioni).

Tense	io	noi
Passato prossimo	ho ridotto	abbiamo ridotto
Trapassato prossimo	avevo ridotto	avevamo ridotto
Trapassato remoto	ebbi ridotto	avemmo ridotto
Futuro anteriore	avrò ridotto	avremo ridotto
Condizionale passato	avrei ridotto	avremmo ridotto
Congiuntivo passato	abbia ridotto	abbiamo ridotto
Congiuntivo trapassato	avessi ridotto	avessimo ridotto

Abbiamo ridotto i consumi di gas del venti per cento quest'inverno.

We've cut gas consumption by twenty percent this winter.

Se l'avessero ridotta in tempo, l'inflazione non sarebbe esplosa così.

If they'd brought it down in time, inflation wouldn't have spiralled like this.

The reflexive: ridursi (essere)

The reflexive form ridursi means "to be reduced," "to come down to," "to end up." Like all reflexives, it takes essere and the participle agrees with the subject: si è ridotto (m.sg.), si è ridotta (f.sg.), si sono ridotti (m.pl.), si sono ridotte (f.pl.).

The most idiomatic uses are negative: ridursi a niente (to be reduced to nothing), ridursi male (to be in a bad way), ridursi all'osso (to be reduced to the bare bones), ridursi a + infinitive (to be reduced to doing something). The verb often carries a tone of decline, deterioration, or last resort.

Dopo il divorzio si è ridotto a niente — non riconosco più mio fratello.

Since the divorce he's been reduced to nothing — I don't recognise my brother anymore.

Guarda come ti sei ridotta! Quando hai mangiato l'ultima volta?

Look at the state you're in! When did you last eat?

Si sono ridotti a chiedere l'elemosina davanti alla stazione.

They've been reduced to begging in front of the station.

Il bilancio si è ridotto della metà rispetto all'anno scorso.

The budget has been cut in half compared to last year.

Constructions and prepositions

Ridurre takes two main prepositional constructions, plus a third reflexive one.

ridurre a + noun — "to reduce to (a state, a result, a number)." Lo hanno ridotto al silenzio (they silenced him); l'incendio ha ridotto la casa a un cumulo di cenere (the fire reduced the house to a heap of ashes).
ridurre in + state — "to reduce into (a physical or metaphorical state)." Ridurre in cenere, ridurre in pezzi, ridurre in poltiglia, ridurre in miseria. The preposition in is used when the result is a state or condition; a is used when the result is a point on a scale (a number, a level, a destination).
ridursi a + infinitive — "to be reduced to doing." Mi sono ridotto a chiedere aiuto a mio padre (I was reduced to asking my father for help).

L'attentato ha ridotto la chiesa in pezzi.

The attack reduced the church to pieces.

L'azienda è stata ridotta a un decimo della sua dimensione originale.

The company has been cut down to a tenth of its original size.

Etymology and the -urre family

The infinitive ridurre descends from Latin redūcĕre, a compound of the prefix re- ("back") and dūcĕre ("to lead, to draw"). The original meaning was concrete: "to lead back, to bring back." Over the centuries the verb shifted toward "to bring back to a smaller state" → "to diminish" → the modern "to reduce." The same Latin verb dūcĕre is the source of the entire -urre family:

Verb	Latin source	Meaning	1sg presente	1sg passato remoto	Participio
condurre	condūcĕre	to lead, conduct	conduco	condussi	condotto
tradurre	tradūcĕre	to translate	traduco	tradussi	tradotto
produrre	prodūcĕre	to produce	produco	produssi	prodotto
ridurre	redūcĕre	to reduce	riduco	ridussi	ridotto
sedurre	sedūcĕre	to seduce	seduco	sedussi	sedotto
dedurre	dedūcĕre	to deduce, deduct	deduco	dedussi	dedotto
indurre	indūcĕre	to induce	induco	indussi	indotto
introdurre	introdūcĕre	to introduce	introduco	introdussi	introdotto

Every verb in this column behaves identically: regular -ere paradigm on a hidden long stem (riduc-, conduc-, traduc- etc.), contracted future and conditional in -rr-, strong passato remoto in -ss-, irregular participle in -tto.

Idiomatic and collocational usage

Ridurre is one of the workhorse verbs of contemporary Italian — newspapers, government press releases, science journalism, business reports, and everyday speech all use it constantly. Some core collocations:

ridurre i costi / le spese / il personale / lo stipendio — to cut costs / expenses / staff / wages
ridurre il rischio / l'impatto / l'inquinamento / le emissioni — to reduce risk / impact / pollution / emissions
ridurre al silenzio — to silence (literally and metaphorically)
ridurre in cenere — to reduce to ashes
ridurre in poltiglia — to reduce to a pulp (informal, sometimes humorous)
ridurre all'osso — to cut to the bone, strip down to essentials
ridurre in miseria — to reduce to poverty
ridursi male / da cani — to be in bad shape / a sorry state (informal)
ridursi all'ultimo — to leave it until the last minute (informal)

Si è ridotta all'ultimo per fare la valigia, come sempre.

She left packing until the last minute, as always.

L'ho ridotto al silenzio con un solo sguardo.

I silenced him with a single look.

Hanno ridotto il bilancio all'osso, ma il servizio non ha sofferto.

They cut the budget to the bone, but the service didn't suffer.

Common mistakes

❌ Riduceremo le tasse l'anno prossimo.

Be careful — riduceremo treats the verb as if it had no contracted future. The future stem must be ridurr-.

✅ Ridurremo le tasse l'anno prossimo.

Correct — ridurremo with double rr is the simple future.

❌ Cesare ridusi le legioni della metà.

Incorrect — the passato remoto third-person singular is ridusse, with double ss. Single-s 'ridusi' is a non-form.

✅ Cesare ridusse le legioni della metà.

Correct — ridusse with double ss.

❌ Hanno riducto il personale del venti per cento.

Incorrect — the participle is not 'riducto' (a Latinate non-form).

✅ Hanno ridotto il personale del venti per cento.

Correct — ridotto, with the regular -tto outcome of Latin -ct-.

❌ Voglio che tu riduci il consumo di zucchero.

Incorrect — voglio che triggers the subjunctive.

✅ Voglio che tu riduca il consumo di zucchero.

Correct — riduca is the congiuntivo presente.

❌ Domani ridurremmo il volume.

Incorrect for a definite plan — ridurremmo (double m) is the conditional.

✅ Domani ridurremo il volume.

Correct — ridurremo (single m) is the simple future.

❌ Si ha ridotto a niente dopo il divorzio.

Incorrect — the reflexive ridursi takes essere, not avere.

✅ Si è ridotto a niente dopo il divorzio.

Correct — si è ridotto (essere + ridotto agreeing with masculine singular subject).

Key takeaways

Ridurre is a member of the -urre family and shares its paradigm with condurre, tradurre, produrre, sedurre, dedurre, indurre, introdurre. Its short infinitive hides the longer Latin riduc- stem (from redūcĕre), which surfaces in every form except three.

Three points to internalise:

The riduc- stem is everywhere. Riduco, riducevo, riduca, riducendo — once you mentally treat ridurre as if its infinitive were riducere, the paradigm becomes regular.
Three forms break the pattern. The future and conditional collapse to ridurr- (double r): ridurrò, ridurrei. The strong passato remoto persons collapse to riduss- (double s): ridussi, ridusse, ridussero. The participle is the irregular ridotto (not riducto).
Avere is the auxiliary for the transitive use; the reflexive ridursi takes essere with subject-agreeing participle. Watch the conditional/future spelling pair: ridurremmo (cond., double m) vs ridurremo (fut., single m).

Once ridurre is solid, the rest of the -urre family — including condurre, tradurre, and produrre — follows automatically.

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