La fiducia (trust) and fidarsi (to trust)

Trusting someone or not is important to be able to express in the language you are using. But it can be tricky in Italian because "to trust" happens to be a reflexive verb. 

A reflexive verb in Italian is a particular kind of verb where the subject and object are the same and which requires a reflexive pronoun. In the infinitive, we use the reflexive pronoun si (attached to the end of the verb). For more on reflexive verbs, see this lesson. 

Before discussing how fidarsi works, let's look at a passage from a recent video on Yabla — Provaci ancora prof!. Renzo realizes he has been unfairly questioning his wife Camilla's relationship with reality. 

Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi un po' di più.

Yes, OK, maybe I should learn to trust you a bit more.

Caption 110, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 16

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One of our subscribers wondered if fidarmi was a mistake, if it should have been fidarti, since, after all, Renzo is talking about trusting the person he is talking to. That's what makes verbs like fidarsi tricky for English speakers. Renzo left out the part where it would have been clearer. He could have said:

Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi di te un po' di più.

He didn't say it, because it was clear who he was referring to and it was part of a longer conversation. It also makes for an awkward sentence.

Here is the sentence in context where Camilla speaks first.

Però almeno capisci che non sono pazza.

-Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi un po' di più. -Eh, forse. -La fiducia è importante.

But at least you understand that I am not crazy.

-Yes, OK, maybe I should learn to trust you a bit more. -Yeah, maybe. -Trust is important.

Captions 109-111, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 16

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Here’s how fidarsi works:

In a simple sentence, the reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb. The tricky thing to remember is that the reflexive pronoun corresponds to the subject, in other words, the person who is doing the trusting (or not). To trust is a transitive verb in English. 

Here’s the conjugation in the present tense:

Io mi fido (I trust)
Tu ti fidi (you trust)
Lui/Lei si fida (he/she trusts)
Noi ci fidiamo (we trust)
Voi vi fidate (you all trust)
Loro si fidano (they trust)

Notice the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) placed before the verb. In fact, we don't normally need to include the subject at all because it's clear from the verb conjugation (note the changing endings of the verb): 

Mi fido (I trust)
Ti fidi (you trust)
Si fida (he/she trusts)
Ci fidiamo (we trust)
Vi fidate (you all trust)
Si fidano (they trust)

To make these sentences negative, where you don't trust someone or something, we place non (not) before the reflexive pronoun. 

Non mi fido (I don't trust)
Non ti fidi (you don't trust)
Non si fida (he/she doesn't trust)
Non ci fidiamo (we don't trust)
Non vi fidate (you all don't trust)
Non si fidano (they don't trust)

In Italian, it's common to use this short phrase as is, with no other object. The object is implied. In English, however, we use "to trust" as a transitive verb with an object. 

Tanto ho capito, io il tipo l'ho inquadrato. Non mi fido.

Anyway I understand, I have that type figured out. I don't trust him.

Caption 38, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 8

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But when specifying whom or what you trust (thus including an indirect pronoun), we follow fidarsi with the preposition di (in, of). 

Non devi avere paura, ci penso io a te, non ti devi preoccupare. -Io mi fido di Lei.

You shouldn't be afraid, I'll take care of you, you shouldn't worry. -I trust you.

Captions 14-16, La linea verticale EP4 - Part 6

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Io non mi fido di te.

I don't trust you.

Caption 35, Sposami EP 1 - Part 1

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 It might be helpful to remember that in English we sometimes do use a preposition, saying, "I trust in you" or "I trust in God." 

Here's an example of a question using a compound past tense:

Ti rendi conto di chi mi sono fidata?

Do you realize whom I trusted?

Caption 10, Provaci ancora prof! S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 24

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We have the noun la fiducia, too.

Ho pienamente riconquistato la tua fiducia?

Have I fully reconquered your trust?

Caption 83, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 15

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La fiducia does mean "the trust," but it also means "the faith" (which can also translate as la fede in Italian, especially in the context of religion). Note also that after fiducia, the preposition is in (in). It works much like the English "to have faith in someone."

Ho sempre avuto fiducia in te,

I have always had faith in you,

Caption 32, Moscati, l'amore che guarisce EP 2 - Part 19

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We use la fiducia with the verb avere (to have), just like in English, but we can also use the verb dare (to give), in which case it makes more sense to translate this with "to trust."  

Infatti, mi sto occupando da tempo, in prima persona, di questo problema, però Lei deve darmi un po' di fiducia.

In fact, I have been working for a while now, personally, on this problem, but you have to trust me a little.

Captions 13-14, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 19

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So when I want to simply say, "Trust me" I just say: Fidati. No need to say fidati di me unless I need or want to emphasize or be clear about who should be trusted. 

Non ci facciamo una figuraccia con questo Marsili, no? -Fidati. -Mi fido di più se mi dici chi te l'ha detto. -Una persona molto affidabile.

We're not going to look like idiots with this Marsili, right? -Trust me. -I trust you more if you tell me who told you. -A very reliable person.

Captions 50-53, Il Commissario Manara S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 6

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We hope we have given you a better understanding of the reflexive verb fidarsi and the noun la fiducia, both of which have to do with trust.  With a little practice, you'll be able to use both of these words with confidence in your Italian conversations.