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Correre (to Run): Finding the Flow

Sometimes learning just one verb can open up a world of related words we can figure out without having to look for the exact word in English. The verb correre (to run, to rush, to flow, to race, to cycle on a racing bike) is one such word. It comes from the Latin "currere." Looking at the conjugation chart, on the left-hand side, you will see other words that contain the root verb correre. They conjugate the same way.

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If we visualize movement in a direction, we can see the connection with so many words. Here are a few.

Related nouns:

il corriere (the courier, the shipping company)
la corriera (the bus).

Related adjectives (from the present participle):

corrente as in acqua corrente (running/flowing water)
corrente as in mese corrente (current month)
corrente as in essere al corrente (to be well-informed, to know about)

A noun related to corrente the adjective:

la corrente (the electricity, the electrical current)

A noun from corso, the past participle of correre:

corso (course)

With the noun corso, we have a true cognate: a course of study, a golf course. But if you connect the noun corso with its root verb correre, and again think of movement in a direction, either concretely or figuratively, then some words and expressions suddenly become easier to grasp and assimilate.

Lavori in corso (work in progress) 
Nel corso del discorso (during the speech)

 

Getting back to the verb correre itself, check out this lesson to find out when you use essereor avere as an auxiliary verb with it. 

Correre is an intransitive verb. This means it can't have a direct object.

Ah! Mi è venuta in mente quella volta che correvamo in bici e siamo caduti insieme! 

Ah, I just remembered [it came to my mind] that time we were cycling and we fell down together!

Captions 44-45, Marika spiega - Il verbo venire - Part 2

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Ho corso due ore. Sono stanca morta.
I ran for two hours. I'm exhausted.

But when we need a transitive verb, that is, a verb with a direct object, then we turn to percorrere (to follow, to go down, to travel along). 

Sembra un paese addormentato nella pianura, è difficile incontrarlo. Devi percorrere strade e acque silenziose e solitarie.

It seems like a sleeping village on the plains, it's difficult to come upon it. You have to follow silent and solitary roads and water ways.

Captions 29-30, L'arte della cucina - Terre d'Acqua - Part 3

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This verb has a noun form, too: il percorso (the path, the route, the itinerary, the journey).

Ma tutto il mio percorso creativo parte fondamentalmente da una scultura.

But my entire creative journey essentially started out from one sculpture.

Captions 8-9, Claudio Capotondi - Scultore - Part 2

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We'll look more closely percorrere and percorso next month, as well as other related words. Hopefully, you will be able to build your vocabulary using your intuition as well as your flashcards.

Vocabulary

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