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Regolare: Aggettivo e Verbo

Regolare, which sounds very much like "regular" is both a verb (to regulate, to adjust) and an adjective (normal, standard, regular, legitimate).

In questo corridoio io ho anche il condizionatore dell'aria calda e fredda, che mi aiuta un po' a regolare la temperatura.

In this corridor, I also have a hot and cold air conditioner, which helps me to regulate the temperature a bit.

Captions 28-29, Marika spiega - Il corridoio

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As an adjective, regolare comes up a lot when talking about verbs and conjugations.

Come vedete, il verbo è regolare nella formazione della desinenza,

As you can see, the verb is regular in the formation of its ending,

Caption 14, Corso di italiano con Daniela - L'imperfetto - Part 2

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Note that we also have the noun la regola (the rule), and often the adjective regolare refers to following the rules or the law, such as in the following example. Note also that the opposite of regolare is irregolare, just as "irregular" is the opposite of "regular." 

Ma per eliminare l'immigrazione irregolare e clandestina bisogna favorire quella regolare.

but to eliminate illegal and clandestine immigration, we need to favor the legitimate kind,

Caption 23, Dottor Pitrè - e le sue storie - Part 14

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As a verb, it can also be used reflexively: regolarsi, and that's how it's used in this week's episode of Commissario Manara.  Manara is asking his team to adapt to the theme of the party: the eighties. He might also have meant, "Figure it out," or "Control yourselves." 

Il tema della festa è anni ottanta, quindi regolatevi.

The theme of the party is the eighties, so act accordingly.

Caption 40, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 11

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This reflexive form is used a lot when discussing how to behave, how to react to a particular situation.

Mi regolo (I adjust my schedule, my opinion, or my actions [according to something]).

 

When used in the negative, it usually means I can't or won't control myself. I'm not careful, not disciplined. 

Quando mangio al ristorante, non mi regolo (when I go out to eat, I don't watch what I eat).

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This isn't all there is to the common verb/adjective regolare. We will try to address additional subtleties as they come up in future videos. Meanwhile, if you have questions about how to translate "regular" or any other English words you're having trouble finding the Italian equivalent of, please let us know, and ci regoleremo (we'll figure out how to help you).

Vocabulary

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