Have you ever asked an Italian what time the next bus is coming, only to get a beautifully vague answer like verso le 9 (around 9) or verso mezzogiorno (around midday)? Sure, there’s wisdom in that answer (who can predict public transport!), but it also introduces a useful word to know in Italian: verso.
verso
Verso can mean “around,” “towards, and a whole bunch of other things. Let’s see them all!
VERSO as a preposition
Verso is one of those prepositions we reach for constantly. Here’s why:
1. VERSO = Around
This is the verso from our bus stop example, and you’ll hear it a lot when we talk about time. Basically, whenever we don’t want to commit to an exact hour.
Siamo in treno, arriveremo verso le 10.
We’re on the train, we’ll arrive around 10.
But it doesn’t just work with specific numbers. You can also pair it with more general time expressions, such as:
- Verso mezzogiorno: Around noon
- Verso sera: Around the evening
- Verso metà settimana / mese: Around the middle of the week / month
- Verso la fine della settimana / del mese: Around the end of the week / month
And it works with age too:
Verso i 30 anni ho deciso di trasferirmi all’estero.
Around the age of 30, I decided to move abroad.
2. VERSO = Towards
Verso can also indicate the direction in which someone or something is moving. If you’ve ever been lost in Italy and asked for directions, chances are you’ve already heard it in action.
A: Scusi, come arrivo al museo archeologico?
B: Deve andare verso la piazza principale e girare a sinistra prima del semaforo.
A: Excuse me, how do I get to the Archaeological Museum?
B: Go towards the main square and turn left before the traffic light.
A: Sono arrivato, ma voi dove siete? Non vi vedo.
B: Vieni verso l’uscita, ci trovi vicino al bar.
A: I’m here, but where are you? I can’t see you.
B: Come towards the exit, you’ll find us near the bar.
Here are a couple more examples, just so you can see how easily it fits into everyday talk:
Proviamo ad andare verso la stazione, magari troviamo un bar aperto.
Let’s head towards the station, maybe we’ll find a bar that’s open.
Smettila di alzare gli occhi verso il cielo ogni volta che ti parlo!
Stop rolling your eyes every time I talk to you!
3. VERSO = Close to, near
This meaning is closely related to “towards,” but instead of movement, it’s about proximity, as in “near” or “in the area of.” You’ll hear it a lot when we describe where something is located.
So, for example, if someone tells you they parked verso il duomo, they’re not saying they left their car right next to the cathedral; they just mean somewhere in that area. How close exactly? Who knows, it’s that same vagueness we saw with time.
Here are some more examples:
Ci fermiamo a dormire in un agriturismo bellissimo verso Firenze.
We’re stopping to spend the night at a beautiful farmhouse near Florence.
Il ristorante dovrebbe essere verso il porto, ma non sono sicurissima.
The restaurant should be near the harbour, but I’m not completely sure.
4. VERSO = For, towards (opinions and feelings)
And finally, on the preposition front, we use verso when talking about someone’s feelings, attitudes, or positions regarding a topic. It’s like pointing your emotions towards something or someone.
Non ho mai nascosto la mia antipatia verso di lei.
I never hid my dislike for her.
Dovresti essere più tollerante verso chi la pensa diversamente da te.
You should be more tolerant towards those who think differently from you.
Il suo atteggiamento verso la questione è cambiato molto negli ultimi anni.
His attitude towards the matter has changed a lot in the last few years.
VERSO as a noun
If you thought verso was versatile as a preposition, wait until you see what it can do as a noun.
Grammatically, it’s masculine:
- Il / Un verso
- I / Dei versi
5. VERSO = Verse
If you’re into poetry, or even just vaguely remember it from school, this meaning will feel familiar: in Italian, verso is the word for a single line in a poem. Now, unless you’re planning to discuss Dante’s rhymes at a dinner party, you might not use this word every day, but, hey, it’s always good to know.
Il cantante ha scritto dei versi bellissimi per il compleanno della moglie.
The singer wrote some beautiful verses for his wife’s birthday.
A few type of versi you might come across:
- Versi settenari: Lines of seven syllables
- Versi endecasillabi: Lines of eleven syllables
- Versi liberi: Free verses
- Versi sciolti: Blank verses (unrhymed)
6. VERSO = Sound (of an animal)
You know that game where someone asks “what sound does a cow make?” and everyone goes muuuu? Well, in Italian, that sound in the question is called a verso. It’s the generic word for any sound an animal makes — un miagolio (a meow), un ruggito (a roar), you name it.
Che verso fa l’asino?
What sound does a donkey make?
Da bambino ti divertivi a imitare i versi degli animali.
As a kid, you used to have fun imitating animal sounds.
7. VERSO = Face, gesture, noise
A verso can also be a silly face or a (more or less funny) noise someone makes, like kids stretching their mouth and making weird noises while their parents are trying to buy groceries. Here’s the classic line:
Smettetela di fare versi!
Stop making faces!
Typically accompanied by un’occhiataccia (a big, disapproving stare).
This meaning also gives us the expression fare il verso a qualcuno, which means to parrot someone.
Non fare il verso allo zio, lo sai che poi si offende!
Don’t parrot your uncle, you know he’ll get offended!
8. VERSO = Way
Il verso can also mean the method or way of doing something.
Vedi tu se trovi il verso di farla ragionare. Io ci rinuncio.
See if you can find a way to talk some sense into her. I’m giving up.
It frequently appears in common expressions that are absolutely worth knowing:
- Non c’è verso: There’s no way. We say this when something is simply impossible, no matter how hard we try:
Non c’è verso di trovare parcheggio vicino a casa quando c’è un concerto.
There’s no way to find parking near home when there’s a concert on.
- Prendere per il verso giusto: To handle someone or something the right way (as in knowing how to approach a person, or reacting well to a situation)
Se lo prendi per il verso giusto, Giuseppe è molto disponibile.
If you approach him the right way, Giuseppe is actually very helpful.
Se prendi la situazione per il verso giusto, può diventare un’opportunità.
If you approach the situation the right way, it can become an opportunity.
- Andare per il verso giusto: To go smoothly (when things are working out as planned)
Fortunatamente, è andato tutto per il verso giusto e non ci sono stati problemi.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly and there were no problems.
- Per certi versi: In some ways, in certain respects
Per certi versi, viaggiare in bassa stagione ha il suo fascino.
In some ways, traveling in the off-season has its own charm.
9. VERSO = side
Finally, as a noun verso can be a “side,” as in which way something is facing.
Guarda che hai messo la maglietta nel verso sbagliato. Si vede l’etichetta.
Hey, you’ve put your T-shirt on the wrong way round. The label is showing.
VERSO as an adjective
We’ve seen verso as a preposition and a noun, but it also works as an adjective. And this one comes with some ancient Roman vibes!
10. VERSO = Turned down
This last meaning is a bit niche, nothing you’ll hear in casual conversation, but it’s too good to leave out. There’s one classic expression keeping it alive: pollice verso, literally “thumb turned down.” You’ve probably used this gesture countless times yourself, or at least its emoji version, to express dislike or disapproval.
Fun fact: if you’ve ever wondered where this comes from, the popular story is that Roman emperors used the thumbs-down gesture to seal a gladiator’s fate in the arena. But historians believe it was actually the opposite: they actually pointed their thumbs up when they wanted a gladiator killed, not down. Apparently, we have to blame Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 19th-century painting Pollice Verso for this, which depicted a thumbs-down scene so convincingly that it stuck in popular culture.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
