Italian Language Lessons

Grammar, spelling, and usage

Italian Present Tense

The Italian present tense (presente) is happening right now. It's a simple tensethat
is, the verb form consists of one word only. The present tense of a regular Italian
verb is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the appropriate endings
to the resulting stem.
The present tense of a regular -are verb is formed by dropping the infinitive ending
-are and adding the appropriate endings to the resulting stem (-o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate,
-ano). See the table below for a sample conjugation of amare (to love).
PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION OF AMARE (TO LOVE)
PERSON

SINGULAR

PLURAL

(io) amo (I love)

(noi) amiamo (we love)

II

(tu) ami (you love, familiar)

(voi) amate (you love, familiar)

III

(Lei) ama (you love, formal) (Loro) amano (you love, formal)
(lui/lei) ama (he/she loves)

(loro) amano (they love)

The infinitive of first-conjugation Italian verbs (those ending in -are) and the
conjugated forms of the present tense are pronounced like most Italian words: the
stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. The one exception is the third person plural
form amano, which is pronounced AH-mah-noh, with stress falling on the first
syllable. A few first-conjugation verbs are listed in the following table.
COMMON FIRST-CONJUGATION VERBS
arrivare

to arrive

ascoltare

to listen

aspettare

to wait

ballare

to dance

camminare

to walk

cantare

to sing

dimenticare

to forget

guidare

to drive

imparare

to learn

insegnare

to teach

lavorare

to work

nuotare

to swim

parlare

to speak

COMMON FIRST-CONJUGATION VERBS

pranzare

to dine, to have lunch

suonare

to play (a musical instrument)

telefonare

to telephone

visitare

to visit

Second-Conjugation Verbs
Italian verbs with infinitives ending in -ere are called second-conjugation (seconda
coniugazione) or -ere verbs. The present tense of a regular -ere verb is formed by
dropping the infinitive ending and adding the appropriate endings (-o, -i, -e, -iamo,
-ete, -ono) to the stem. For an example on how to conjugate a regular secondconjugation verb, take a look the following table.
PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION OF SCRIVERE (TO WRITE)
PERSON

SINGULAR

PLURAL

(io) scrivo (I write)

(noi) scriviamo (we write)

II

(tu) scrivi (you write, familiar)

(voi) scrivete (you write, familiar)

III

(Lei) scrive (you write, formal) (Loro) scrivono (you write, formal)
(lui/lei) scrive (he/she writes)

(loro) scrivono (they write)

Second-conjugation (-ere) verbs account for approximately one-quarter of all Italian

verbs. Although many have some sort of irregular structure, there are also many
regular verbs (see the following table for examples) which are conjugated in the
same way as scrivere.
COMMON SECOND-CONJUGATION VERBS
accendere

to light, ignite; turn/switch on

battere

to beat, to hit

cadere

to fall

chiedere

to ask

conoscere

to know

correre

to run

credere

to believe

descrivere

to describe

eleggere

to elect

leggere

to read

mettere

to put, to place

mordere

to bite

nascere

to be born

offendere

to offend

perdere

to lose

COMMON SECOND-CONJUGATION VERBS

rimanere

to remain, to stay

ridere

to laugh

rompere

to break

vendere

to sell

sopravvivere

to survive

While the infinitive forms of both first- and third-conjugation Italian verbs always
have the accent on the final -are or -ire, second-conjugation verbs are often
pronounced with the accent on the third-to-last syllable, as in prendere (PREHN-dehray).
Third-Conjugation Verbs
If there are first-conjugation and second-conjugation verbs, then it stands to reason
there are third-conjugation verbs (terza coniugazione)! This final group contains
verbs that end in -ire in the infinitive. The present tense of a regular -ire verb is
formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the appropriate endings (-o, -i,
-e, -iamo, -ite, -ono) to the resulting stem. Note that, except for the voi form, these
endings are the same as for regular second-conjugation (-ere) verbs. For an example
of how to conjugate a regular -ire verb, see the table below, which conjugates
sentire (to hear, to feel, to smell).
PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION OF SENTIRE (TO HEAR, TO FEEL, TO SMELL)
PERSON

SINGULAR

PLURAL

(io) sento (I feel)

(noi) sentiamo (we feel)

II

(tu) senti (you feel, familiar)

(voi) sentite (you feel, familiar)

III

(Lei) sente (you feel, formal)

(Loro) sentono (you feel, formal)

(lui/lei) sente (he/she feels)

(loro) sentono (they feel)

Other common -ire third-conjugation regular verbs are listed below.

COMMON THIRD-CONJUGATION VERBS
acconsentire

to agree, to acquiesce

assorbire

to soak

aprire

to open

bollire

to boil

coprire

to cover

cucire

to sew

dormire

to sleep

fuggire

to flee

mentire

to lie

morire

to die

COMMON THIRD-CONJUGATION VERBS

offrire

to offer

partire

to leave

riaprire

to reopen

scoprire

to discover, to uncover

seguire

to follow

sentire

to hear, to feel, to smell

servire

to serve

sfuggire

to escape

soffrire

to suffer

vestire

to dress, to wear

Table of Regular Verb Endings

Indicative, Subjunctive, Conditional, Imperative, and Gerund Tenses

INDICATIVE/INDICATIVO
CONDITIONAL/CONDIZIONALE
Present/Presente
ENDING ARE ERE
IRE
Present/Presente
I singular o
o
o/isco
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
II
i
i
i/isci
I singular erei
erei
irei
III
a
e
e/isce
II
eresti
eresti
iresti
I plural iamo iamo
iamo
III
erebbe erebbe irebbe
II
ate ete
ite
I plural eremmo eremmo iremmo
III
ano ono ono/iscono
II
ereste
ereste
ireste
Imperfect/Imperfetto
III
erebbero erebbero irebbero
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
IMPERATIVE/IMPERATIVO
I singular avo
evo
ivo
II
avi
evi
ivi
Present/Presente
III
ava
eva
iva
ENDING ARE ERE
IRE
I plural avamo evamo ivamo
I singular

II
avate evate ivate
II
a
i
i/isci
III
avano evano ivano
III
i
a
a/isca
Past absolute/Passato remoto
I plural iamo iamo
iamo
ENDING ARE
ERE
IRE
II
ate ete
ite
I singular ai
ei/etti
ii
III
ino ano ano/iscano
II
asti
esti
isti
INFINITIVE/INFINITO
III

/ette

I plural ammo
emmo
immo
Present/Presente
II
aste
este
iste
ENDING ARE ERE IRE
III
arono
erono/
irono
PARTICIPLE/PARTICIPIO
ettero

Future/Futuro semplice
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
I singular er
er
ir
II
erai
erai
irai
III
er
er
ir
I plural eremo eremo iremo
II
erete erete irete
III
eranno eranno iranno
SUBJUNCTIVE/CONGIUNTIVO
Present/Presente
ENDING ARE ERE
IRE
I singular i
a
a/isca
II
i
a
a/isca
III
i
a
a/isca
I plural iamo iamo
iamo
II
iate iate
iate
III
ino ano ano/iscano
Imperfect/Imperfetto
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
I singular assi
essi
issi
II
assi
essi
issi
III
asse
esse
isse
I plural assimo essimo issimo
II
aste
este
iste
III
assero essero issero

Present/Presente
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
Singular
ante
ente
ente
Plural
anti
enti
enti
Past/Passato
ENDING
ARE
ERE
IRE
Singular ato, ata uto, uta ito, ita
Plural ati, ate uti, ute iti, ite
GERUND/GERUNDIO
Present/Presente
ENDING ANDO ENDO ENDO

Conjugating regular verbs is fairly simple. Take off the last three letters of -are, -ere,
and -ire ending verbs and add these to the stem:
-ARE ending
(I) -o
(you) -i
(he/she/it) -a
(we) -iamo
(you all) -ate
(they) -ano
-ERE ending
(I) -o
(you) -i
(he/she/it) -e
(we) -iamo
(you all) -ete
(they) -ono
Some -IRE verbs have alternative endings
-IRE ending
(I) -o / -isco
(you) -i / -isci
(he/she/it) -e / -isce
(we) -iamo
(you all) -ite
(they) -ono / -iscono
ESSERE
---Past Tense (Imperfect):
I was = io ero
you were = tu eri
he/she/it was = lui/lei era
we were = noi eravamo
you all were= voi eravate
they were = loro erano

---Present Tense:
I am = io sono
you are = tu sei
he/she/it is = lui/lei
we are = noi siamo
they are = loro sono
you all are= voi siete

AVERE
---Present Tense:
I have = io ho
you have = tu hai
he/she/it has = lui/lei ha
we have = noi abbiamo
you all have= voi avete

---Past Tense (Imperfect):

I had = io avevo
you had = tu avevi
he/she/it had = lui/lei aveva
we had = noi avevamo
you all had = voi avevate
they had = loro avevano

they have = loro hanno

CONOSCERE (know or be acquainted with)
---Present Tense:
I know = io conosco
you know = tu conosci
he/she/it knows = lui/lei conosce
we know = noi conosciamo
you all know= voi conoscete
they know = loro conoscono

---Past Tense (Imperfect):

I knew = io sapevo
you knew = tu sapevi
he/she/it knew = lui/lei sapeva
we knew = npi sapevamo
you all knew= voi sapevate
they knew = loro sapevano

FARE
---Present Tense:
I make = io faccio
you make = tu fai
he/she/it makes = lui/lei fa
we make = noi facciamo
you all make= voi fate
they make = loro fanno

---Past Tense (Imperfect):

I made = io facevo
you made = tu facevi
he/she/it made = lui/lei faceva
we made = noi facevamo
you all made = voi facevate
they made = loro facevano

Commands
The imperative tense is used for commands. This tense is formed using these rules:

1. The second person singular and plural (tu and voi) forms are the same as their present
indicative forms, with the exception of -are verbs, which add -a to the root.
2. The formal lei/loro form take the present subjunctive form.
3. The first person plural (noi) form also uses the present indicative form.
Here are some examples:
tu (you)
lei
(he/she)
noi (we)

aprire cantare vendere

apri
canta
vendi
apra
canti
venda

apriam cantiamovendiamo
o
loro (they) aprano cantino vendano
To form negative commands place non before the Infinitive form:
Don't sleep! => (tu) Non dormire!
Don't sing! => Non cantare!

Imperative

The imperative mood is the mood of command in Italian. There is one tense form.
The imperative in Italian is limited to five personal forms in the affirmative, and five personal forms
in the negative. The imperative lacks a "first person singular" form.

Second Person
The main parts of any imperative are the second person singular and plural.

Affirmative

For the first conjugation in are, the affirmative second person singular is identical to the third
person singular form of the present tense.

For the second and third conjugations in ere/ire, the affirmative second person singular is
identical to the second person singular form of the present tense.

For all conjugations (are/ere/ire), the second person plural is identical to the second person
plural form of the present tense.
"to sing"
(are)
2sg tu

"to see"
(re)
canta!

"to put"
(ere)
vedi!

"to finish"
(ire w/ isc)
metti!

"to sleep"
(ire w/o isc)
finisci!

dormi!

2pl voi

cantate!

vedete!

mettete!

finite!

dormite!

Negative
The negative imperative in the second person has the following quirk: the second person singular is
the word non before the infinitive. The plural is non before the plural affirmative:
"to sing"
(are)
2sg tu

"to see"
(re)
non cantare!

"to put"
(ere)
non vedere!

"to finish"
(ire w/ isc)
non mettere!

"to sleep"
(ire w/o isc)
non finire!

non dormire!

2pl voi

non cantate!

non vedete!

non mettete!

non finite!

non dormite!

Formal Imperative
The "formal" imperative, used to make more polite commands, in the singular is identical to the
third person singular form of the present subjunctive:
"to sing"
(are)
2sg.form
Lei

"to see"
(re)
canti!

"to put"
(ere)
veda!

"to finish"
(ire w/ isc)
metta!

"to sleep"
(ire w/o isc)
finisca!

dorma!

The plural form, which is not often used (it is considered too formal), is the third person plural of
the present subjunctive:
"to sing"
(are)
2pl.form
Loro

"to see"
(re)
cantino!

"to put"
(ere)
vedano!

"to finish"
(ire w/ isc)
mettano!

"to sleep"
(ire w/o isc)
finiscano!

dormano!

The negative of the polite forms adds non before the respective forms: (Lei) non canti!, (Loro) non
cantino!

Other Persons
Even though there is no first person singular, there is a first person plural, as well as the third person
(singular and plural).
These forms are identical to the corresponding forms of the present subjunctive
"to sing"
(are)
3sg lei

"to see"
(re)
canti!

"to put"
(ere)
veda!

"to finish"
(ire w/ isc)
metta!

"to sleep"
(ire w/o isc)
finisca!

dorma!

1pl noi

cantiamo!

vediamo!

mettiamo!

finiamo

dormiamo!

3pl loro

cantino!

vedano!

mettano!

finiscano!

dormano!

These forms translate as "Let him ..., let's ..., let them ...":
Cantiamo questa canzone! Let's sing this song!
Scrivino a loro genitori! Let them write to their parents!
Mangi tutti i maccheroni! Let him eat all the macaroni!

Negative
The negative is formed by adding non before the affirmative forms: non canti!, non vediamo!,
non dormano!.

Non-Finite Forms
Participles
Participles in Italian are non-finite forms that are usually used with auxiliary verbs, and
sometimes as nominal modifiers (i.e. adjectives). There are two types of participles: present
and past.

Present Participle
The present participle ends in -ante for are verbs or -ente for ere/ire verbs, and is attached to
the verb stem:
cantante (singing)
vedente (seeing)
mettente (setting)
finente (ending)
dormente (sleeping) Present participle forms are not used with verb nowadays; they are
mainly used as adjectives.

Past Participle

The past participle is slightly harder to form as, along with the preterite, this has the most
irregular forms of any verb form.
Verbs in are and ire have the most number of regular forms. The basic ending is -ato or -ito:
<p> cantato (sung)
finito (ended, finished)
dormito (slept)
Verbs in ere have the most number of irregular forms. However, there is a regular affix for
verbs of this class, in -uto: <p> avuto (had) [avere]
saputo (known) [sapere]
tenuto (held) [tenere]
Many irregular forms have endings in -to, -so, or -sso: <p> nato (born) [nascere]
discusso (discussed) [discutere]
messo (set) [mettere]
preso (taken) [prendere]
chiuso (closed) [chiudere]
cotto (cooked) [cuocere]
scelto (chosen) [scegliere]
visto (seen) [vedere]
vissuto (lived) [vivere]
etc...
Many verbs with irregular forms are also irregular in other ways (see *Irregular Verbs).

Use of the Past Participle

The past participle is used mainly with auxiliary verbs in forming compound tenses: <p> nato
(he was born) [passato prossimo]
sono discusso [per] (I am discussed [by]) [passive]
ebbero messo (they had set) [trapassato remoto]
ho preso (I took) [passato prossimo]
si sar chiuso (it will be closed) [reflexive future passive]
etc...
The past participle can also be used as an adjective: <p> bottiglia aperta (open bottle)
[aprire]
libro trovato (found book) [trovare]
nemici conosciuti (known enemies) [conoscere]
The past participle can change forms according to gender and number, whether used with an
auxiiary or as an adjective: <p> "sung"

cantato masc. sing.

cantata fem. sing.
cantati masc. sing.
cantate fem. sing. <p> "closed"
chiuso masc. sing.
chiusa fem. sing.
chiusi masc. sing.
chiuse fem. sing.