Verbs, the dynamic heart of any language, are often referred to as 'doing' or 'action' words. As a language learner, mastering verbs is a crucial step in your journey.
Welcome to our comprehensive guide to Italian verbs. Whether you're just starting your Italian journey or need a refresher, this guide will equip you with the essential verbs you need to know.
Verbs and Conjugations
If you've never studied a foreign language before or it's been a while since you have, let's refresh your memory.
In both English and Italian, verbs change their form to show who is performing the action and when it is happening. This is what we call verb conjugation.
For example, in English, verbs conjugate with one of six pronouns:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First Person | I | we |
| Second Person | you | you |
| Third Person | he/she/it | they |
Pronouns are either grammatically singular (I, you, he/she/it) or grammatically plural (we, you, they). They're also either first person (I, we), second person (you), or third person (he/she/it, they). At this point, it may also help to know the numbers in Italian.
Every verb in English conjugates with these pronouns. We don't think that much about it because most verbs change very little. Take the verb “to run”, for example. You'd say:
- I run
- You run
- He/she/it runs
- We run
- You run
- They run
An English speaker only needs to remember that in the third person singular, the verb adds an -s on the end in the present tense.
Some irregular verbs like "to be" are a little more complicated:
- I am
- You are
- He/she/it is
- We are
- You are
- They are
Still, there are only three different variations for this conjugation.
In Italian, like in English, there are six different types of personal pronouns: io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, and loro.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First Person | I / io | we / noi |
| Second Person | you / tu | you / voi |
| Third Person | he / lui, she / lei, it / esso (less common) | they / loro |
With every verb, you must learn the six conjugations for each pronoun in each grammatical tense.
This may seem daunting, but it's a crucial step in your journey to learning Italian. Understanding verb conjugations will greatly enhance your ability to communicate in Italian, keeping you motivated and engaged in the learning process.
This article will keep things as simple as possible with the present tense. After all, there are 21 tenses in Italian, so let's learn to walk before we run. Remember, learning a language is a gradual process, and you're taking the first steps towards mastering Italian verbs.
Different Types of Verbs in Italian
There are three main types of verbs in Italian. How a verb conjugate usually depends on how it ends.
You have -are, -ere, and -ire verbs.
Each group of verbs conjugates slightly differently. Make sure you know the alphabet in Italian in case you need to ask how any conjugations are spelled.
Italian -are Verbs
The first type of regular verbs are the -are verbs. Take the pronoun and the verb up to the point of its ending.
In this instance, we've used the verb "parlare" (to speak). For each conjugation, take the root or stem of the verb. This is basically the verb without its ending. Remove the -are from the verb, and you will get the stem.
For our example, the verb becomes “parl”. From there, you can add the ending as shown in this table:
| Pronoun | Ending | Parlare |
|---|---|---|
| io (I) | -o | parlo |
| tu (you) | -i | parli |
| lui/lei (he/she) | -a | parla |
| noi (we) | -iamo | parliamo |
| voi (you all) | -ate | parlate |
| loro (they) | -ano | parlano |
Italian -ere Verbs
The second type of Italian conjugation is the -ere verbs. In this instance, we've used the verb "prendere" (to take).
Like with the -are verbs, take the -ere off the end of the verb and add the endings as shown in this table.
| Pronoun | Ending | Prendere |
|---|---|---|
| io (I) | -o | prendo |
| tu (you) | -i | prendi |
| lui/lei (he/she) | -e | prende |
| noi (we) | -iamo | prendiamo |
| voi (you all) | -ete | prendete |
| loro (they) | -ono | prendono |
Italian -ire Verbs
The -ire verbs are slightly different as there are two ways to conjugate them. Some -ire verbs follow a regular pattern and conjugate, as shown here with the verb "dormire", which means to sleep.
As usual, remove the -ire and add the endings from this table.
| Pronoun | Ending | Dormire |
|---|---|---|
| io (I) | -o | dormo |
| tu (you) | -i | dormi |
| lui/lei (he/she) | -e | dorme |
| noi (we) | -iamo | dormiamo |
| voi (you all) | -ite | dormite |
| loro (they) | -ono | dormono |
There are also the -ire verbs that follow a slightly different pattern. These -ire verbs use the -isc- pattern, with some endings somewhat different from the more regular -ire verbs with similar conjugations to -are and -ere verbs.
In this example, we've used the verb “capire” (to understand).
| Pronoun | Ending | Capire |
|---|---|---|
| io (I) | -isco | capisco |
| tu (you) | -isci | capisci |
| lui/lei (he/she) | -isce | capisce |
| noi (we) | -iamo | capiamo |
| voi (you all) | -ite | capite |
| loro (they) | -iscono | capiscono |
The Common Italian Verbs You Should Know
Every Italian learner is different, so while we've put together a list of valuable verbs to get you started, as you begin to learn, you can always look up verbs and have a pretty good idea of how they'll conjugate.
Plenty of conjugation dictionaries exist, both in print format and online.
Andare – To go
The verb "andare", which means "to go", is irregular and conjugates in the present as so:
- io vado
- tu vai
- lui/lei va
- noi andiamo
- voi andate
- loro vanno
Avere – To have
The Italian verb "avere" means "to have" and is one of the most important verbs you can learn. It's another irregular verb, so you have to learn its conjugations.
- io ho
- tu hai
- lui/lei ha
- noi abbiamo
- voi avete
- loro hanno
Bere – To drink
Eating and drinking are some of the best things to do in Italy. With this verb, you can also talk about it.
Here are the conjugations for this -ere verb.
- io bevo
- tu bevi
- lui/lei beve
- noi beviamo
- voi bevete
- loro bevono
Capire – To understand
We've already seen “capire” in our example of -ire verbs that use the -isc- form. Here it is again:
- io capisco
- tu capisci
- lui/lei capisce
- noi capiamo
- voi capite
- loro capiscono
Chiedere – To ask
The verb “chiedere” means “to ask” and is a commonly used Italian verb. Of course it's irregular!
- io chiedo
- tu chiedi
- lui/lei chiede
- noi chiediamo
- voi chiedete
- loro chiedono
Conoscere – To know
The verb “conoscere” means “to know” in the sense of familiarity. As in knowing a person, a place, etc. It's a bit different to “sapere”. You could use it to talk about people and family members in Italian.
- io conosco
- tu conosci
- lui/lei conosce
- noi conosciamo
- voi conoscete
- loro conoscono
Dire – To say
This verb is very commonly used, so learning how to conjugate it is worthwhile because it's irregular, after all.
- io dico
- tu dici
- lui/lei dice
- noi diciamo
- voi dite
- loro dicono
Essere – To be
In almost any language, the verb “to be” is one of the most important. In Italian, it's no different.
- io sono
- tu sei
- lui/lei è
- noi siamo
- voi siete
- loro sono
Fare – To do
The verb "fare" in Italian means "to do", but it's also used in the sense of "to make". Like all of the most important verbs in Italian, it's also irregular.
- io faccio
- tu fai
- lui/lei fa
- noi facciamo
- voi fate
- loro fanno
Sapere – To know
The Italian verb "sapere" means "to know" and is irregular. You use "sapere" to describe a knowledge of facts and information.
Here's how it conjugates:
- io so
- tu sai
- lui/lei sa
- noi sappiamo
- voi sapete
- loro sanno
Trovare – To Find
Trovare is a regular -are verb. You can conjugate it like the others.
- io trovo
- tu trovi
- lui/lei trovanoi troviamo
- voi trovate
- loro trovano
Usare – To use
The verb “usare” is another regular -are verb. Here's how to conjugate one of the most commonly used verbs in Italian.
- io uso
- tu usi
- lui/lei usa
- noi usiamo
- voi usate
- loro usano
Vedere – To see
The irregular Italian verb “vedere” means “to see”. Here's how you conjugate it in the present tense:
- io vedo
- tu vedi
- lui/lei vede
- noi vediamo
- voi vedete
- loro vedono
Venire – To come
The verb "venire" means "to come" and is another useful irregular verb. Here are its conjugations in the present tense:
- io vengo
- tu vieni
- lui/lei viene
- noi veniamo
- voi venite
- loro vengono
If you're planning a trip to Italy, it could help to understand days and months in Italian.
Volere – To Want
This is one of the most commonly used verbs in Italian, and it's helpful when asking for things.
- io voglio
- tu vuoi
- lui/lei vuole
- noi vogliamo
- voi volete
- loro vogliono
Where to Next? The Italian Tenses You Should Learn
Once you've familiarised yourself with these common verbs and know how to conjugate them in the present indicative (presente indicativo) or simply the present, it's time to look at the other tenses in Italian.
There's no set way to learn each of the tenses in Italian, but it does help to focus on the most commonly used tenses first before moving on to tenses that are either rarely used or more complicated to form.
After you've mastered the present indicative, we recommend learning the present perfect tense (passato prossimo). In English, this looks like "I have spoken" and is used for recently completed actions.
From there, you can look to the imperfect tense (imperfetto). This is used to refer to ongoing actions in the past, which are often interrupted by a completed action in the past. It is good for recounting stories and events. Learning Italian words for colours could help you tell better stories in Italian.
Finally, you can use the future simple tense (futuro semplice) to describe actions that will happen in the future.
Get Help with Your Italian from a Private Tutor
One of the best ways to move your Italian forward is with the help of a dedicated private tutor. With a tutor, you can learn precisely what you want in a way that works for you.
Search for "Italian" on the Superprof website today and browse potential Italian tutors to help you with your new language.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
