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A state of urgency or impatience to do something quickly.
Non avere fretta, prenditi il tuo tempo.
Don't rush, take your time.
Faccio tutto con fretta perché ho un appuntamento tra dieci minuti.
I'm doing everything in a hurry because I have an appointment in ten minutes.
Often used to express impatience or stress about time constraints.
A brief moment or instant (literary/poetic usage).
In un attimo, in una fretta, tutto cambiò.
In a moment, in a flash, everything changed.
Rare in modern speech; primarily found in older or poetic texts.
Avoid using 'fretta' as a verb. The correct verb forms are *avere fretta* (to be in a hurry) or *fare qualcosa in fretta* (to do something quickly).
Use 'fretta' when describing a feeling of urgency or impatience due to time constraints. It is not used for physical speed (e.g., 'run fast' is *correre veloce*).
From Latin *festīna* (hasten), derived from *festīnāre* (to hurry). Related to Italian *festa* (party) in its original sense of 'haste' or 'rush'.
Fretta is a feminine noun and commonly used with the verb *avere* (to have) in expressions like *ho fretta* (I'm in a hurry). It conveys a sense of urgency or impatience, often negative, but can also describe a natural rush in neutral contexts.