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Italian conjugation
Italian conjugation
from Wikipedia

Italian verbs have a high degree of inflection, the majority of which follows one of three common patterns of conjugation. Italian conjugation is affected by mood, person, tense, number, aspect and occasionally gender.

The three classes of verbs (patterns of conjugation) are distinguished by the endings of the infinitive form of the verb:

  • 1st conjugation: -are (amàre "to love", parlàre "to talk, to speak");
  • 2nd conjugation: -ere (crédere "to believe", ricévere "to receive", vedére "to see");
    • -arre, -orre and -urre are considered part of the 2nd conjugation, as they are derived from Latin -ere but had lost their internal e after the suffix fused to the stem's vowel (a, o and u);
  • 3rd conjugation: -ire (dormìre "to sleep");
    • 3rd conjugation -ire with infixed -isc- (finìre "to end, to finish").[1]

Additionally, Italian has a number of verbs that do not follow predictable patterns in all conjugation classes, most markedly the present and the absolute past. Often classified together as irregular verbs, their irregularities occur to different degrees, with forms of èssere "to be", and somewhat less extremely, avére "to have", the least predictable. Others, such as andàre "to go", stare "to stay, to stand", dare "to give", fare "to do, to make", and numerous others, follow various degrees of regularity within paradigms, largely due to suppletion, historical sound change or analogical developments.[2]

The suffixes that form the infinitive are always stressed, except for -ere, which is stressed in some verbs (e.g. vedere /veˈdeːre/ "to see") and unstressed in others (e.g. prendere /ˈprɛndere/ "to take"). A few verbs have a contracted infinitive, but use their uncontracted stem in most conjugations. Fare comes from Latin facere, which can be seen in many of its forms. Similarly, dire ("to say") comes from dīcere, bere ("to drink") comes from bibere and porre ("to put") comes from pōnere.

Together with the traditional patterns of conjugation, new classes and patterns have been suggested, in order to include common verbs such as avviare, which exhibit a quite different form and stress pattern.[3]

The present

[edit]

Present (Il presente)

[edit]

The present is used for:

  • events happening in the present
  • habitual actions
  • current states of being and conditions
  • actions planned to occur in the future
amare

/aˈmaːre/

credere

/ˈkreːdere/

vedere

/veˈdeːre/

dormire

/dorˈmiːre/

finire

/fiˈniːre/

essere

/ˈɛssere/

avere

/aˈveːre/

andare

/anˈdaːre/

stare

/ˈstaːre/

dare

/ˈdaːre/

fare

/ˈfaːre/

io

/ˈiːo/

amo

/ˈaːmo/

credo

/ˈkreːdo/

vedo

/ˈveːdo/

dormo

/ˈdɔrmo/

finisco

/fiˈnisko/

sono

/ˈsoːno/

ho

/ɔ/

vado (Tuscan: vo)

/ˈvaːdo/
/vɔ/

sto

/stɔ/

do

/dɔ/

faccio (Tuscan: fo)

/ˈfattʃo/
/fɔ/

tu

/tu/

ami

/ˈaːmi/

credi

/ˈkreːdi/

vedi

/ˈveːdi/

dormi

/ˈdɔrmi/

finisci

/fiˈniʃʃi/

sei

/ˈsɛi/

hai

/ˈai/

vai

/ˈvai/

stai

/ˈstai/

dai

/ˈdai/

fai

/ˈfai/

lui / lei / Lei

/ˈlui/
/ˈlɛi/

ama

/ˈaːma/

crede

/ˈkreːde/

vede

/ˈveːde/

dorme

/ˈdɔrme/

finisce

/fiˈniʃʃe/

è

/ɛ/

ha

/a/

va

/va/

sta

/sta/

/da/

fa

/fa/

noi

/ˈnoi/

amiamo

/aˈmjaːmo/

crediamo

/kreˈdjaːmo/

vediamo

/veˈdjaːmo/

dormiamo

/dorˈmjaːmo/

finiamo

/fiˈnjaːmo/

siamo

/ˈsjaːmo/

abbiamo

/abˈbjaːmo/

andiamo

/anˈdjaːmo/

stiamo

/ˈstjaːmo/

diamo

/ˈdjaːmo/

facciamo

/fatˈtʃaːmo/

voi

/ˈvoi/

amate

/aˈmaːte/

credete

/kreˈdeːte/

vedete

/veˈdeːte/

dormite

/dorˈmiːte/

finite

/fiˈniːte/

siete

/ˈsjeːte, ˈsjɛːte/

avete

/aˈveːte/

andate

/anˈdaːte/

state

/ˈstaːte/

date

/ˈdaːte/

fate

/ˈfaːte/

loro / Loro

/ˈloːro/

amano

/ˈaːmano/

credono

/ˈkreːdono/

vedono

/ˈveːdono/

dormono

/ˈdɔrmono/

finiscono

/fiˈniskono/

sono

/ˈsoːno/

hanno

/ˈanno/

vanno

/ˈvanno/

stanno

/ˈstanno/

danno

/ˈdanno/

fanno

/ˈfanno/

  • io credo "I believe"
  • lei dorme "she sleeps"

Subject pronouns are not obligatory in Italian, and they are normally only used when they are stressed. The conjugation of the verb is normally used to show the subject.

  • credo "I believe"
  • credi "you believe" (2nd pers. sing.)
  • crede "he/she believes"

The pronoun tu (and corresponding verb forms) is used in the singular towards children, family members and close friends (cf. "thou"), whereas voi is used in the same manner in the plural (cf. "ye"). The pronouns Lei and Loro (though much more commonly just voi) are used towards older people, strangers and very important or respectable people. Note that lei and loro can also mean "she" and "they", respectively.

  • Lei va "you are going" (formal)
  • tu vai "you are going" (informal)
  • vai "you are going" (informal)
  • va "you are going" (formal)

The irregular verb essere has the same form in the first person singular and third person plural.

  • sono "I am"/"they are"

The forms vado and faccio are the standard Italian first person singular forms of the verbs andare and fare, but vo and fo are used in the Tuscan dialect.

The infix -isc- varies in pronunciation between /isk/ and /iʃʃ/, depending on the following vowel. Similar alternations are found in other verbs:

  • leggo /ˈlɛɡɡo/ "I read" vs. leggi /ˈlɛddʒi/ "you read"
  • dico /ˈdiːko/ "I say" vs. dici /ˈdiːtʃi/ "you say"
  • etc.

The past

[edit]

Present perfect (Il passato prossimo)

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The present perfect is used for single actions or events (stamattina sono andato a scuola "I went to school this morning"), or change in state (si è arrabbiato quando gliel’ho detto "he got angry when I told him that"), contrasting with the imperfect which is used for habits (andavo in bicicletta a scuola ogni mattina "I used to go to school by bike every morning"), or repeated actions, not happening at a specific time (si arrabbiava ogni volta che qualcuno glielo diceva "he got angry every time someone told him that").

The past participle

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The past participle is used to form the compound pasts (e.g. ho lavorato, avevo lavorato, ebbi lavorato, avrò lavorato). Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern, but there are many verbs with an irregular past participle.

  • verbs in -are add -ato to the stem: parlato, amato;
  • some verbs in -ere add -uto to the stem: creduto;
  • verbs in -ire add -ito to the stem: partito, finito;
  • other verbs in -ere are irregular, they mutate the stem and add -o, -so, -sto or -tto to the stem: preso /ˈpreːzo, ˈpreːso/ (from prendere), letto /ˈlɛtto/ (from leggere), rimasto (from rimanere);
  • fare and dire do exactly the same thing: fatto (from fare), detto /ˈdetto/ (from dire). Compounds from the root -durre similarly have -dotto /ˈdotto/;
  • venire has venuto and bere has bevuto;
  • stare and essere both have stato.

Verbs with avere

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All transitive verbs and most intransitive verbs form the present perfect by combining the auxiliary verb avere "to have" in the present tense with the past participle of the transitive verb.

amare
io ho amato
tu hai amato
lui / lei / Lei ha amato
noi abbiamo amato
voi avete amato
loro / Loro hanno amato

Except with an immediately preceding third person pronominal direct object, the participle always ends in -o.

  • il ragazzo che ho visto "the boy I saw"
  • l’ho visto "I saw him"
  • ho visto il ragazzo "I saw the boy"
  • la ragazza che ho visto "the girl I saw"
  • l’ho vista "I saw her"
  • ho visto la ragazza "I saw the girl"

Verbs with essere

[edit]

A small number of intransitive verbs, namely essere itself and verbs indicating motion (venire "to come", andare "to go", arrivare "to arrive", etc.) use the auxiliary verb essere instead of avere. The past participle in this agrees with gender and number of the subject.

arrivare
io sono arrivato/-a
tu sei arrivato/-a
lui / lei / Lei è arrivato/-a
noi siamo arrivati/-e
voi siete arrivati/-e
loro / Loro sono arrivati/-e

When using essere, the past participle agrees in gender and number with preceding third person direct object clitic pronouns, following the same pattern of nouns and adjectives:

  • -o masculine singular
  • -a feminine singular
  • -i masculine plural
  • -e feminine plural

Reflexive verbs always use essere, and their past participle agrees with the subject or with third person object pronouns, if these precede the verb.

  • mi sono lavato/-a "I washed myself"
  • ci siamo visti/-e "we saw each other"
  • si è lavato le gambe "he washed his legs"
  • se le è lavate, le gambe "he washed them, his legs"
  • ci siamo parlati "we talked to each other"

Imperfect (L’imperfetto)

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The Imperfect fuses past tense with imperfective aspect and is used for:

  • repeated or habitual actions in the past;
  • ongoing actions in the past and ongoing actions in the past that are eventually interrupted;
  • states of being and conditions in the past, including weather, time, age.

The difference between imperfective and perfective aspects can be illustrated clearly with the verb sapere 'to know'. The Italian imperfect expresses being in possession of knowledge in the past, while the perfective expresses the moment of acquiring the knowledge.

Imperfective: Sapevo la verità. 'I knew the truth.' Perfective: Ho saputo la verità. 'I found out the truth.'

The Imperfect is, in most cases, formed by taking the stem along with the thematic vowel and adding v + the ending of the '-are' verbs in the present tense (with -amo instead of -iamo). There are no irregular conjugations in the Imperfect except for essere, which uses the stem er- and v appears only in 1st and 2nd person plurals. Verbs with contracted infinitive forms use their full stems, e.g. dicevo (infinitive dire), facevo (infinitive fare), bevevo (infinitive bere), ponevo (infinitive porre).

amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare
io amavo

/aˈmaːvo/

credevo

/kreˈdeːvo/

dormivo

/dorˈmiːvo/

finivo

/fiˈniːvo/

ero

/ˈɛːro/

avevo

/aˈveːvo/

andavo

/anˈdaːvo/

stavo

/ˈstaːvo/

davo

/ˈdaːvo/

facevo

/faˈtʃeːvo/

tu amavi

/aˈmaːvi/

credevi

/kreˈdeːvi/

dormivi

/dorˈmiːvi/

finivi

/fiˈniːvi/

eri

/ˈɛːri/

avevi

/aˈveːvi/

andavi

/anˈdaːvi/

stavi

/ˈstaːvi/

davi

/ˈdaːvi/

facevi

/faˈtʃeːvi/

lui / lei / Lei amava

/aˈmaːva/

credeva

/kreˈdeːva/

dormiva

/dorˈmiːva/

finiva

/fiˈniːva/

era

/ˈɛːra/

aveva

/aˈveːva/

andava

/anˈdaːva/

stava

/ˈstaːva/

dava

/ˈdaːva/

faceva

/faˈtʃeːva/

noi amavamo

/amaˈvaːmo/

credevamo

/kredeˈvaːmo/

dormivamo

/dormiˈvaːmo/

finivamo

/finiˈvaːmo/

eravamo

/eraˈvaːmo/

avevamo

/aveˈvaːmo/

andavamo

/andaˈvaːmo/

stavamo

/staˈvaːmo/

davamo

/daˈvaːmo/

facevamo

/fatʃeˈvaːmo/

voi amavate

/amaˈvaːte/

credevate

/kredeˈvaːte/

dormivate

/dormiˈvaːte/

finivate

/finiˈvaːte/

eravate

/eraˈvaːte/

avevate

/aveˈvaːte/

andavate

/andaˈvaːte/

stavate

/staˈvaːte/

davate

/daˈvaːte/

facevate

/fatʃeˈvaːte/

loro / Loro amavano

/aˈmaːvano/

credevano

/kreˈdeːvano/

dormivano

/dorˈmiːvano/

finivano

/fiˈniːvano/

erano

/ˈɛːrano/

avevano

/aˈveːvano/

andavano

/anˈdaːvano/

stavano

/ˈstaːvano/

davano

/ˈdaːvano/

facevano

/faˈtʃeːvano/

  • loro parlavano "they used to speak"

Absolute past (Il passato remoto)

[edit]

The Absolute Past has a function distinct from the Present Perfect. It is used for events which are distant from the present and no longer directly affect it (e.g. telling a story), whereas the Present Perfect is used for more recent events which may have a direct impact on the present. The Absolute Past may at all times be replaced with the Present Perfect (but not vice versa). In many areas of Southern Italy, it is still used commonly in spoken language, whereas in Northern-Central Italy and Sardinia it is restricted to written language.

Like the past participle, regular verbs are very predictable, but many verbs (mainly of the second conjugation) are irregular.

  • Regular verbs are formed by taking the stem and the stressed thematic vowel and adding -i, -sti, main stress, -mmo, -ste, and -rono. Verbs in -are have in the third person singular instead of the expected :
    • amare: amai, amasti, amò, amammo, amaste, amarono
    • credere: credei, credesti, credé, credemmo, credeste, crederono
    • dormire: dormii, dormisti, dormì, dormimmo, dormiste, dormirono
  • Irregular verbs, which are almost exclusively of the second conjugation, have irregular stems to which the endings -i, -e, and -ero are added to form the first-person singular and third-person singular and plural forms, respectively, and, with the exception of venire, which takes the normal third conjugation endings, the second conjugation endings -esti, -emmo, and -este are added to the normal stem to form the second-person singular and first- and second-person plural forms, respectively (dire, bere, fare, and porre use their long stems here, as usual):
    • rompere: ruppi, rompesti, ruppe, rompemmo, rompeste, ruppero
    • vedere: vidi, vedesti, vide, vedemmo, vedeste, videro
    • dire: dissi, dicesti, disse, dicemmo, diceste, dissero
  • Some verbs in -ere that follow the regular pattern (-ei, -esti, etc.) have an alternative form in -etti which follows the irregular pattern:
    • credere: credetti (= credei), credesti, credette (= credé), credemmo, credeste, credettero (= crederono)
  • Essere is the only verb that is completely irregular in this tense.
amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare
io amai

/aˈmai/

credei or credetti

/kreˈdei/
/kreˈdɛtti/

dormii

/dorˈmiːi/

finii

/fiˈniːi/

fui

/ˈfui/

ebbi

/ˈɛbbi/

andai

/anˈdai/

stetti

/ˈstɛtti/

diedi or detti

/ˈdjɛːdi/
/ˈdɛtti/

feci

/ˈfeːtʃi/

tu amasti

/aˈmasti/

credesti

/kreˈdesti/

dormisti

/dorˈmisti/

finisti

/fiˈnisti/

fosti

/ˈfosti/

avesti

/aˈvesti/

andasti

/anˈdasti/

stesti

/ˈstesti/

desti

/ˈdesti/

facesti

/faˈtʃesti/

lui / lei / Lei amò

/aˈmɔ/

credé or credette

/kreˈde/
/kreˈdɛtte/

dormì

/dorˈmi/

finì

/fiˈni/

fu

/fu/

ebbe

/ˈɛbbe/

andò

/anˈdɔ/

stette

/ˈstɛtte/

diede or dette

/ˈdjɛːde/
/ˈdɛtte/

fece

/ˈfeːtʃe/

noi amammo

/aˈmammo/

credemmo

/kreˈdemmo/

dormimmo

/dorˈmimmo/

finimmo

/fiˈnimmo/

fummo

/ˈfummo/

avemmo

/aˈvemmo/

andammo

/anˈdammo/

stemmo

/ˈstemmo/

demmo

/ˈdemmo/

facemmo

/faˈtʃemmo/

voi amaste

/aˈmaste/

credeste

/kreˈdeste/

dormiste

/dorˈmiste/

finiste

/fiˈniste/

foste

/ˈfoste/

aveste

/aˈveste/

andaste

/anˈdaste/

steste

/ˈsteste/

deste

/ˈdeste/

faceste

/faˈtʃeste/

loro / Loro amarono

/aˈmaːrono/

crederono or credettero

/kreˈdeːrono/
/kreˈdɛttero/

dormirono

/dorˈmiːrono/

finirono

/fiˈniːrono/

furono

/ˈfuːrono/

ebbero

/ˈɛbbero/

andarono

/anˈdaːrono/

stettero

/ˈstɛttero/

diedero or dettero

/ˈdjɛːdero/
/ˈdɛttero/

fecero

/ˈfeːtʃero/

Past perfect (Il trapassato prossimo)

[edit]

Used for activities done prior to another activity (translates to constructions such as "had eaten", "had seen").

The Past Perfect is formed the same as the Present Perfect, but with the auxiliary verb in the Imperfect.

  • amare: avevo amato
  • arrivare: ero arrivato/-a

In literary language, an Absolute Perfect exists which uses the Absolute Past of the auxiliaries, and which is used for activities done prior to another activity which is described with the Absolutive Past. This form is known as trapassato remoto.

  • amare: ebbi amato
  • arrivare: fui arrivato/-a

The future

[edit]

Future (Il futuro semplice)

[edit]

The future tense is used for events that will happen in the future. It is formed by adding the forms of avere to the Infinitive (with abbiamo and avete contracted to -emo and -ete respectively). Sometimes the Infinitive undergoes some changes:

  • it always loses its final e;
  • verbs in -are end in -er, not in -ar;
  • stare, dare, fare however retain star-, dar-, far-;
  • most irregular verbs lose the vowel before the last r altogether (e.g. avr- for avere and andr- for andare). Clusters -nr- and -lr- are simplified to -rr (e.g. verr- for venire);
  • contracted infinitives are retained (e.g. porr- for porre);
  • essere has sar-.

To these, the respective suffixes , -ai, , -emo, -ete, -anno are added. Historically speaking, these are derived from the present forms of the verb avere.

amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare
io amerò

/ameˈrɔ/

crederò

/kredeˈrɔ/

dormirò

/dormiˈrɔ/

finirò

/finiˈrɔ/

sarò

/saˈrɔ/

avrò

/aˈvrɔ/

andrò

/anˈdrɔ/

starò

/staˈrɔ/

darò

/daˈrɔ/

farò

/faˈrɔ/

tu amerai

/ameˈrai/

crederai

/kredeˈrai/

dormirai

/dormiˈrai/

finirai

/finiˈrai/

sarai

/saˈrai/

avrai

/aˈvrai/

andrai

/anˈdrai/

starai

/staˈrai/

darai

/daˈrai/

farai

/faˈrai/

lui / lei / Lei amerà

/ameˈra/

crederà

/kredeˈra/

dormirà

/dormiˈra/

finirà

/finiˈra/

sarà

/saˈra/

avrà

/aˈvra/

andrà

/anˈdra/

starà

/staˈra/

darà

/daˈra/

farà

/faˈra/

noi ameremo

/ameˈreːmo/

crederemo

/kredeˈreːmo/

dormiremo

/dormiˈreːmo/

finiremo

/finiˈreːmo/

saremo

/saˈreːmo/

avremo

/aˈvreːmo/

andremo

/anˈdreːmo/

staremo

/staˈreːmo/

daremo

/daˈreːmo/

faremo

/faˈreːmo/

voi amerete

/ameˈreːte/

crederete

/kredeˈreːte/

dormirete

/dormiˈreːte/

finirete

/finiˈreːte/

sarete

/saˈreːte/

avrete

/aˈvreːte/

andrete

/an'dreːte/

starete

/staˈreːte/

darete

/daˈreːte/

farete

/faˈreːte/

loro / Loro ameranno

/ameˈranno/

crederanno

/kredeˈranno/

dormiranno

/dormiˈranno/

finiranno

/finiˈranno/

saranno

/saˈranno/

avranno

/aˈvranno/

andranno

/anˈdranno/

staranno

/staˈranno/

daranno

/daˈranno/

faranno

/faˈranno/

Future perfect (Il futuro anteriore)

[edit]

Used for events that will have happened when or before something else happens in the future.

The Future Perfect is formed the same as the Present Perfect, but with the auxiliary verb in the Future.

  • amare: avrò amato
  • arrivare: sarò arrivato/-a

The conditional

[edit]

Present conditional (Il condizionale presente)

[edit]

Used for:

  • events that are dependent upon another event occurring;
  • politely asking for something (like in English, "Could I please have a glass of water?").

The Conditional is formed by taking the root of the Future (i.e. an adapted form of the infinitive) and adding the Absolutive Past forms of avere (with ebbi, avesti, avemmo, aveste contracted to -ei, -esti, -emmo, -este resp.).

amare credere dormire
io amerei

/ameˈrɛi/

crederei

/kredeˈrɛi/

dormirei

/dormiˈrɛi/

tu ameresti

/ameˈresti/

crederesti

/kredeˈresti/

dormiresti

/dormiˈresti/

lui / lei / Lei amerebbe

/ameˈrɛbbe/

crederebbe

/kredeˈrɛbbe/

dormirebbe

/dormiˈrɛbbe/

noi ameremmo

/ameˈremmo/

crederemmo

/kredeˈremmo/

dormiremmo

/dormiˈremmo/

voi amereste

/ameˈreste/

credereste

/kredeˈreste/

dormireste

/dormiˈreste/

loro / Loro amerebbero

/ameˈrɛbbero/

crederebbero

/kredeˈrɛbbero/

dormirebbero

/dormiˈrɛbbero/

Past conditional (Il condizionale passato)

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Used:

  • for events that would, could or should have occurred;
  • as a prospective past tense, e.g. Non sapevo quando sarei arrivato. “I didn’t know when I would arrive.”

The Conditional Perfect is formed the same as the Present Perfect, but with the auxiliary verb in the Conditional.

  • amare: avrei amato
  • arrivare: sarei arrivato/-a

The subjunctive

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Present subjunctive (Il congiuntivo presente)

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Used for subordinate clauses of the present (il presente) to express possibility, opinion, desire, or doubt.

The Subjunctive is formed:

  • for regular verbs in -are, by taking the root and adding -i, -ino for all the singular forms and the third plural respectively;
  • for most other regular and semi-regular verbs, by taking the first person singular of the Present Indicative and replacing the final -o with -a, -ano for all the singular forms and the third plural respectively;
  • for a few irregular verbs, by taking the first person plural of the Present Indicative and replacing stressed -amo with unstressed -a, -ano for all the singular forms and the third plural respectively;
  • for all verbs, the first person plural is identical to the Present Indicative.
  • for all verbs, the second person plural is the first person plural with -te instead of -mo;

The Subjunctive is almost always preceded by the conjunctive word che (or compounds such as perché, affinché, etc.).

amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare
io che ami

/ˈaːmi/

che creda

/ˈkreːda/

che dorma

/ˈdɔrma/

che finisca

/fiˈniska/

che sia

/ˈsiːa/

che abbia

/ˈabbja/

che vada

/ˈvaːda/

che stia

/ˈstiːa/

che dia

/ˈdiːa/

che faccia

/ˈfattʃa/

tu
lui / lei / Lei
noi che amiamo

/aˈmjaːmo/

che crediamo

/kreˈdjaːmo/

che dormiamo

/dorˈmjaːmo/

che finiamo

/fiˈnjaːmo/

che siamo

/ˈsjaːmo/

che abbiamo

/abˈbjaːmo/

che andiamo

/anˈdjaːmo/

che stiamo

/ˈstjaːmo/

che diamo

/ˈdjaːmo/

che facciamo

/fatˈtʃaːmo/

voi che amiate

/aˈmjaːte/

che crediate

/kreˈdjaːte/

che dormiate

/dorˈmjaːte/

che finiate

/fiˈnjaːte/

che siate

/ˈsjaːte/

che abbiate

/abˈbjaːte/

che andiate

/anˈdjaːte/

che stiate

/ˈstjaːte/

che diate

/ˈdjaːte/

che facciate

/fatˈtʃaːte/

loro / Loro che amino

/ˈaːmino/

che credano

/ˈkreːdano/

che dormano

/ˈdɔrmano/

che finiscano

/fiˈniskano/

che siano

/ˈsiːano/

che abbiano

/ˈabbjano/

che vadano

/ˈvaːdano/

che stiano

/ˈstiːano/

che diano

/ˈdiːano/

che facciano

/ˈfattʃano/

Imperfect subjunctive (Il congiuntivo imperfetto)

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Used for the subordinate clauses of the Imperfect Indicative or the Conditional.

The Imperfect Subjunctive is formed:

  • for regular verbs, by taking the Infinitive and replacing -re with -ssi, -ssi, -sse, -ssimo, -ste, -ssero;
  • for contracted verbs, by taking, instead of the Infinitive, the stem plus the thematic vowel;
  • the only verbs that form this tense irregularly are essere, fare, stare, dare (these two follow the pattern of verbs in -ere rather than the one of verbs in -are).
amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare
io che amassi

/aˈmassi/

che credessi

/kreˈdessi/

che dormissi

/dorˈmissi/

che finissi

/fiˈnissi/

che fossi

/ˈfossi/

che avessi

/aˈvessi/

che andassi

/anˈdassi/

che stessi

/ˈstessi/

che dessi

/ˈdessi/

che facessi

/faˈtʃessi/

tu
lui / lei / Lei che amasse

/aˈmasse/

che credesse

/kreˈdesse/

che dormisse

/dorˈmisse/

che finisse

/fiˈnisse/

che fosse

/ˈfosse/

che avesse

/aˈvesse/

che andasse

/anˈdasse/

che stesse

/ˈstesse/

che desse

/ˈdesse/

che facesse

/faˈtʃesse/

noi che amassimo

/aˈmassimo/

che credessimo

/kreˈdessimo/

che dormissimo

/dorˈmissimo/

che finissimo

/fiˈnissimo/

che fossimo

/ˈfossimo/

che avessimo

/aˈvessimo/

che andassimo

/anˈdassimo/

che stessimo

/ˈstessimo/

che dessimo

/ˈdessimo/

che facessimo

/faˈtʃessimo/

voi che amaste

/aˈmaste/

che credeste

/kreˈdeste/

che dormiste

/dorˈmiste/

che finiste

/fiˈniste/

che foste

/ˈfoste/

che aveste

/aˈveste/

che andaste

/anˈdaste/

che steste

/ˈsteste/

che deste

/ˈdeste/

che faceste

/faˈtʃeste/

loro / Loro che amassero

/aˈmassero/

che credessero

/kreˈdessero/

che dormissero

/dorˈmissero/

che finissero

/fiˈnissero/

che fossero

/ˈfossero/

che avessero

/aˈvessero/

che andassero

/anˈdassero/

che stessero

/ˈstessero/

che dessero

/ˈdessero/

che facessero

/faˈtʃessero/

Past subjunctive (Il congiuntivo passato)

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Used for subordinate clauses of the imperfect indicative or the conditional.

The Subjunctive Perfect is formed the same as the Present Perfect, but with the auxiliary verb in the Subjunctive Present.

  • amare: che abbia amato
  • arrivare: che sia arrivato/-a

Pluperfect subjunctive (Il congiuntivo trapassato)

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The Subjunctive Pluperfect is formed the same as the Present Perfect, but with the auxiliary verb in the Subjunctive Imperfect.

  • amare: che avessi amato
  • arrivare: che fossi arrivato/-a

The imperative

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Imperative (L’imperativo)

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The imperative is used for giving commands.

The second-person singular Imperative is formed:

  • for regular verbs in -are, by taking the third person singular of the Present (e.g. parla)
  • for other regular verbs, by taking the second person singular of the Present (e.g. prendi, parti, finisci)
  • for andare, dare, fare, and stare*, by taking the second person singular of the Present, either shortened to the vowel before i or not (e.g. va’/vai for andare)
  • for dire*, by shortening the stem to di’
  • for a few irregular verbs, by taking the singular form of the Subjunctive and replacing final -a with -i (e.g. vogli for volere)

*For the verbs andare, dare, fare, stare the conjugation actually follows the natural ending of the conjugation, but the apostrophe is needed to distinguish them from the third personal singular of the Indicative Present. The same is true for dire, where the apostrophe is used for distinguish it from the preposition "di" (of).

The polite form of the singular is identical to the Present Subjunctive. Objective personal pronouns are placed before the verb, unlike other forms of the imperative which have these after the verb (e.g. Mi aiuti, per favore! "Please help me!" vs. Aiutami! "Help me!", Se ne vada via. "Please go away." vs. Vattene via! (vattene = va’ + te + ne), etc.).

The first-person plural (used for suggestion, e.g. andiamo "let's go!") is identical to the Present Indicative, but allows for pronominal suffixes (e.g. andiamocene "let's go away" vs. ce ne andiamo "we are going away").

The second-person plural is usually identical to the Present Indicative, but in a few irregular cases to the Present Subjunctive.

The polite plural is identical to the Present Subjunctive. As with the polite singular, objective personal pronouns come before the verb as opposed to after it.

amare credere dormire finire essere avere andare stare dare fare dire
(tu) ama!

/ˈaːma/

credi!

/ˈkreːdi/

dormi!

/ˈdɔrmi/

finisci!

/fiˈniʃʃi/

sii!

/ˈsiːi/

abbi!

/ˈabbi/

va’! or vai!

/va/
/ˈvai/

sta’! (or stai!)

/sta/
/ˈstai/

da’! (or dai!)

/da/
/ˈdai/

fa’! (or fai!)

/fa/
/ˈfai/

di’!

/di/

(Lei) ami!

/ˈaːmi/

creda!

/ˈkreːda/

dorma!

/ˈdɔrma/

finisca!

/fiˈniska/

sia!

/ˈsiːa/

abbia!

/ˈabbja/

vada!

/ˈvaːda/

stia!

/ˈstiːa/

dia!

/ˈdiːa/

faccia!

/ˈfattʃa/

dica!

/ˈdiːka/

(noi) amiamo!

/aˈmjaːmo/

crediamo!

/kreˈdjaːmo/

dormiamo!

/dorˈmjaːmo/

finiamo!

/fiˈnjaːmo/

siamo!

/ˈsjaːmo/

abbiamo!

/abˈbjaːmo/

andiamo!

/anˈdjaːmo/

stiamo!

/ˈstjaːmo/

diamo!

/ˈdjaːmo/

facciamo!

/fatˈtʃaːmo/

diciamo!

/diˈtʃaːmo/

(voi) amate!

/aˈmaːte/

credete!

/kreˈdeːte/

dormite!

/dorˈmiːte/

finite!

/fiˈniːte/

siate!

/ˈsjaːte/

abbiate!

/abˈbjaːte/

andate!

/anˈdaːte/

state!

/ˈstaːte/

date!

/ˈdaːte/

fate!

/ˈfaːte/

dite!

/ˈdiːte/

(Loro) amino!

/ˈaːmino/

credano!

/ˈkreːdano/

dormano!

/ˈdɔrmano/

finiscano!

/fiˈniskano/

siano!

/ˈsiːano/

abbiano!

/ˈabbjano/

vadano!

/ˈvaːdano/

stiano!

/ˈstiːano/

diano!

/ˈdiːano/

facciano!

/ˈfattʃano/

dicano!

/ˈdiːkano/

  • credi! "believe!"
  • crediamo! "let's believe!"

Negative imperative

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The second person singular uses the infinitive instead of its usual form in the negative, while other forms remain unchanged.

amare credere dormire
(tu) non amare non credere non dormire
(Lei) non ami non creda non dorma
(noi) non amiamo non crediamo non dormiamo
(voi) non amate non credete non dormite
(Loro) non amino non credano non dormano
  • non credere! "don't believe!"

Nominal verb forms

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Italian verbs have three additional forms, known as nominal forms, because they can be used as nouns or adjectives, rather than as verbs.

  • the past participle (participio passato) has been discussed above
  • the present participle (participio presente) is used as an adjective or a noun describing someone who is busy doing something. For example, parlante means "talking" or "someone who is talking":
    • verbs in -are form the present participle by adding -ante to the stem
    • verbs in -ere and -ire form the present participle by adding -ente /ˈɛnte/ to the stem
    • fare, dire, bere, porre use their long stems to form resp. facente, dicente, bevente, ponente
    • essere has essente (though very rare)
  • the gerund (gerundio) is the adverbial form of the present participle, and has a very broad use. For example: parlando can translate to "talking / while talking / by talking / because of one's talking / through talking / …":
    • the gerund is identical to the present participle, but with final -te replaced by -do
The gerund can be used in combination with the verb stare to create continuous expressions. These are similar to English continuous expressions (e.g. I am talking) but they are used much less extensively than in English.
  • sto lavorando "I'm working"
  • stavo mangiando "I was eating"
Keep in mind that the gerund is an adverb, not an adjective, and so it does not agree in gender and number with anything. The ending is always -o:
  • la ragazza sta mangiando "The girl is eating"

Like the imperative, all nominal verb forms (including the infinitive) have their objective personal pronouns suffixed rather than placed before them.

  • mi parla > parlarmi; (parlatomi); (parlantemi); parlandomi; parlami!
  • si pone > porsi; (postosi); (ponentesi); ponendosi; poniti!
  • me lo dice > dirmelo; (dettomelo); (dicentemelo); dicendomelo; dimmelo!
  • se ne va via > andarsene via; (andatosene via); (andantesene via); andandosene via; vattene via!

Irregular verbs

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The following list includes some example conjugations for a number of verbs commonly classified as irregular, not sorted by type or degree of irregularity. Verbs derived from others (e.g. apprèndere, comprèndere, sorprèndere, ... from prèndere) and the ones which end in the same way (e.g. stèndere, rèndere, accèndere, ...; compare véndere, which is regular) are formed according to the same conjugation.
The list does not include essere, avere, andare, stare, dare and fare, that have already been conjugated throughout the article.

Abbreviations

pr. = present;
p.p. = past perfect;
p.abs. = past absolute;
impf. = imperfect;
fut. = future;
pr.sub. = present subjunctive;
impf.sub. = imperfect subjunctive;
imp. = imperative;
pr.pt. = present participle

  • affiggere /afˈfiddʒere/ "to post (up), to stick up": pr. affiggo, affiggi, affigge, affiggiamo, affiggete, affiggono; p.p. ho affisso; impf. affiggevo; p.abs. affissi, affiggesti; fut. affiggerò; pr.sub. che affigga, che affiggiamo; impf.sub. che affiggessi; imp. affiggi!, affigga!, affiggiamo!, affiggete!; pr.pt. affiggente;
  • apparire /appaˈriːre/[4] "to appear": pr. appaio /apˈpaːjo/, appari, appare, appariamo, apparite, appaiono; p.p. sono apparso/-a; impf. apparivo; p.abs. apparvi, apparisti; fut. apparirò; pr.sub. che appaia, che appariamo; impf.sub. che apparissi; imp. appari!, appaia!, appariamo!, apparite!; pr.pt. apparente;
  • aprire /aˈpriːre/ "to open": pr. apro, apri, apre, apriamo, aprite, aprono; p.p. ho aperto /aˈpɛrto/; impf. aprivo; p.abs. aprii/apersi /aˈpɛrsi/, apristi; fut. aprirò; pr.sub. che apra, che apriamo; impf.sub. che aprissi; imp. apri!, apra!, apriamo!, aprite!; pr.pt. aprente;
  • assumere /asˈsuːmere/ "to assume": pr. assumo, assumi, assume, assumiamo, assumete, assumono; p.p. ho assunto; impf. assumevo; p.abs. assunsi, assumesti; fut. assumerò; pr.sub. che assuma, che assumiamo; impf.sub. che assumessi; imp. assumi!, assuma!, assumiamo!, assumete!; pr.pt. assumente;
  • bere /ˈbeːre/ "to drink": pr. bevo /ˈbeːvo/, bevi, beve, beviamo, bevete, bevono; p.p. ho bevuto; impf. bevevo; p.abs. bevvi /ˈbevvi/, bevesti; fut. berrò; pr.sub. che beva, che beviamo; impf.sub. che bevessi; imp. bevi!, beva!, beviamo!, bevete!; pr.pt. bevente;
  • cadere /kaˈdeːre/ "to fall (down)": pr. cado, cadi, cade, cadiamo, cadete, cadono; p.p. sono caduto/-a; impf. cadevo; p.abs. caddi, cadesti; fut. cadrò; pr.sub. che cada, che cadiamo; impf.sub. che cadessi; imp. cadi!, cada!, cadiamo!, cadete!; pr.pt. cadente;
  • chiedere /ˈkjɛːdere/ "to ask": pr. chiedo /ˈkjɛːdo/, chiedi, chiede, chiediamo, chiedete, chiedono; p.p. ho chiesto /ˈkjɛsto/; impf. chiedevo; p.abs. chiesi /ˈkjɛːzi, ˈkjɛːsi/, chiedesti; fut. chiederò; pr.sub. che chieda, che chiediamo; impf.sub. che chiedessi; imp. chiedi!, chieda!, chiediamo!, chiedete!; pr.pt. chiedente;
  • chiudere /ˈkjuːdere/[5] "to close": pr. chiudo, chiudi, chiude, chiudiamo, chiudete, chiudono; p.p. ho chiuso /ˈkjuːzo, ˈkjuːso/; impf. chiudevo; p.abs. chiusi /ˈkjuːzi, ˈkjuːsi/, chiudesti; fut. chiuderò; pr.sub. che chiuda, che chiudiamo; impf.sub. che chiudessi; imp. chiudi!, chiuda!, chiudiamo!, chiudete!; pr.pt. chiudente;
  • concedere /konˈtʃɛːdere/[6] "to grant, to allow": pr. concedo /konˈtʃɛːdo/, concedi, concede, concediamo, concedete, concedono; p.p. ho concesso /konˈtʃɛsso/; impf. concedevo; p.abs. concessi/concedei/concedetti, concedesti; fut. concederò; pr.sub. che conceda, che concediamo; impf.sub. che concedessi; imp. concedi!, conceda!, concediamo!, concedete!; pr.pt. concedente;
  • condurre /konˈdurre/ "to lead": pr. conduco, conduci, conduce, conduciamo, conducete, conducono; p.p. ho condotto /konˈdotto/; impf. conducevo; p.abs. condussi, conducesti; fut. condurrò; pr.sub. che conduca, che conduciamo; impf.sub. che conducessi; imp. conduci!, conduca!, conduciamo!, conducete!; pr.pt. conducente;
  • correre /ˈkorrere/ "to run": pr. corro /ˈkorro/, corri, corre, corriamo, correte, corrono; p.p. sono corso/-a /ˈkorso/; impf. correvo; p.abs. corsi /ˈkorsi/, corresti; fut. correrò; pr.sub. che corra, che corriamo; impf.sub. che corressi; imp. corri!, corra!, corriamo!, correte!; pr.pt. corrente;
  • crescere /ˈkreʃʃere/ "to grow (up)": pr. cresco /ˈkresko/, cresci /ˈkreʃʃi/, cresce, cresciamo, crescete, crescono; p.p. sono cresciuto/-a; impf. crescevo; p.abs. crebbi /ˈkrebbi/, crescesti; fut. crescerò; pr.sub. che cresca, che cresciamo; impf.sub. che crescessi; imp. cresci!, cresca!, cresciamo!, crescete!; pr.pt. crescente;
  • cuocere /ˈkwɔːtʃere/ "to cook": pr. cuocio /ˈkwɔːtʃo/, cuoci, cuoce, cuociamo/cociamo, cuocete/cocete, cuociono; p.p. ho cotto /ˈkɔtto/; impf. cuocevo/cocevo; p.abs. cossi /ˈkɔssi/, cuocesti/cocesti; fut. cuocerò/cocerò; pr.sub. che cuocia, che cuociamo/cociamo; impf.sub. che cuocessi/cocessi; imp. cuoci!, cuocia!, cuociamo/cociamo!, cuocete/cocete!; pr.pt. cuocente/cocente;
  • dire /ˈdiːre/ "to say": pr. dico, dici, dice, diciamo, dite, dicono; p.p. ho detto; impf. dicevo; p.abs. dissi, dicesti; fut. dirò; pr.sub. dica, diciamo; impf.sub. dicessi; imp. di'!, dica!, diciamo!, dite!; pr.pt. dicente;
  • dirigere /diˈriːdʒere/ "to direct": pr. dirigo, dirigi, dirige, dirigiamo, dirigete, dirigono; p.p. ho diretto /diˈrɛtto/; impf. dirigevo; p.abs. diressi /diˈrɛssi/, dirigesti; fut. dirigerò; pr.sub. che diriga, che dirigiamo; impf.sub. che dirigessi; imp. dirigi!, diriga!, dirigiamo!, dirigete!; pr.pt. dirigente;
  • discutere /diˈskuːtere/ "to discuss": pr. discuto, discuti, discute, discutiamo, discutete, discutono; p.p. ho discusso; impf. discutevo; p.abs. discussi, discutesti; fut. discuterò; pr.sub. che discuta, che discutiamo; impf.sub. che discutessi; imp. discuti!, discuta!, discutiamo!, discutete!; pr.pt. discutente;
  • dolere /doˈleːre/ "to ache": pr. dolgo /ˈdɔlɡo/, duoli /ˈdwɔːli/, duole, doliamo/dogliamo, dolete, dolgono; p.p. sono doluto/-a; impf. dolevo; p.abs. dolsi /ˈdɔlsi/, dolesti; fut. dorrò; pr.sub. che dolga/doglia /ˈdɔʎʎa/, che doliamo/dogliamo; impf.sub. che dolessi; imp. duoli!, dolga!, doliamo!, dolete!; pr.pt. dolente;
  • dovere /doˈveːre/ "to have to": pr. devo/debbo /ˈdeːvo, ˈdɛːvo; ˈdebbo, ˈdɛbbo/, devi, deve, dobbiamo, dovete, devono/debbono; p.p. ho dovuto;[7] impf. dovevo; p.abs. dovei/dovetti, dovesti; fut. dovrò; pr.sub. che debba, che dobbiamo; impf.sub. che dovessi; imp. devi!, debba!, dobbiamo!, dovete!; pr.pt. dovente;
  • emergere /eˈmɛrdʒere/ "to emerge": pr. emergo /eˈmɛrɡo/, emergi /eˈmɛrdʒi/, emerge, emergiamo, emergete, emergono; p.p. sono emerso/-a /eˈmɛrso/; impf. emergevo; p.abs. emersi /eˈmɛrsi/, emergesti; fut. emergerò; pr.sub. che emerga, che emergiamo; impf.sub. che emergessi; imp. emergi!, emerga!, emergiamo!, emergete!; pr.pt. emergente;
  • esigere /eˈziːdʒere/[8] "to demand": pr. esigo, esigi, esige, esigiamo, esigete, esigono; p.p. ho esatto; impf. esigevo; p.abs. esigei/esigetti, esigesti; fut. esigerò; pr.sub. che esiga, che esigiamo; impf.sub. che esigessi; imp. esigi!, esiga!, esigiamo!, esigete!; pr.pt. esigente;
  • espellere /eˈspɛllere/ "to expel": pr. espello /eˈspɛllo/, espelli, espelle, espelliamo, espellete, espellono; p.p. ho espulso; impf. espellevo; p.abs. espulsi, espellesti; fut. espellerò; pr.sub. che espella, che espelliamo; impf.sub. che espellessi; imp. espelli!, espella!, espelliamo!, espellete!; pr.pt. espellente;
  • esprimere /eˈspriːmere/ "to express": pr. esprimo, esprimi, esprime, esprimiamo, esprimete, esprimono; p.p. ho espresso /eˈsprɛsso/; impf. esprimevo; p.abs. espressi /eˈsprɛssi/, esprimesti; fut. esprimerò; pr.sub. che esprima, che esprimiamo; impf.sub. che esprimessi; imp. esprimi!, esprima!, esprimiamo!, esprimete!; pr.pt. esprimente;
  • evolvere /eˈvɔlvere/ "to evolve": pr. evolvo /eˈvɔlvo/, evolvi, evolve, evolviamo, evolvete, evolvono; p.p. sono evoluto/-a; impf. evolvevo; p.abs. evolvei/evolvetti, evolvesti; fut. evolverò; pr.sub. che evolva, che evolviamo; impf.sub. che evolvessi; imp. evolvi!, evolva!, evolviamo!, evolvete!; pr.pt. evolvente;
  • fondere /ˈfondere/ "to melt": pr. fondo /ˈfondo/, fondi, fonde, fondiamo, fondete, fondono; p.p. ho fuso /ˈfuːzo, ˈfuːso/; impf. fondevo; p.abs. fusi /ˈfuːzi, ˈfuːsi/, fondesti; fut. fonderò; pr.sub. che fonda, che fondiamo; impf.sub. che fondessi; imp. fondi!, fonda!, fondiamo!, fondete!; pr.pt. fondente;
  • godere /ɡoˈdeːre/ "to enjoy": pr. godo /ˈɡɔːdo/, godi, gode, godiamo, godete, godono; p.p. ho goduto; impf. godevo; p.abs. godei/godetti, godesti; fut. godrò; pr.sub. che goda, che godiamo; impf.sub. che godessi; imp. godi!, goda!, godiamo!, godete!; pr.pt. godente;
  • leggere /ˈlɛddʒere/ "to read": pr. leggo /ˈlɛɡɡo/, leggi /ˈlɛddʒi/, legge, leggiamo, leggete, leggono; p.p. ho letto /ˈlɛtto/; impf. leggevo; p.abs. lessi /ˈlɛssi/, leggesti; fut. leggerò; pr.sub. che legga, che leggiamo; impf.sub. che leggessi; imp. leggi!, legga!, leggiamo!, leggete!; pr.pt. leggente;
  • mettere /ˈmettere/ "to put, to set": pr. metto /ˈmetto/, metti, mette, mettiamo, mettete, mettono; p.p. ho messo /ˈmesso/; impf. mettevo; p.abs. misi /ˈmiːzi, ˈmiːsi/, mettesti; fut. metterò; pr.sub. che metta, che mettiamo; impf.sub. che mettessi; imp. metti!, metta!, mettiamo!, mettete!; pr.pt. mettente;
  • morire /moˈriːre/ "to die": pr. muoio /ˈmwɔːjo/, muori /ˈmwɔːri/, muore, moriamo, morite, muoiono; p.p. sono morto/-a /ˈmɔrto/; impf. morivo; p.abs. morii, moristi; fut. morirò/morrò; pr.sub. che muoia, che moriamo; impf.sub. che morissi; imp. muori!, muoia!, moriamo!, morite!; pr.pt. morente;
  • muovere /ˈmwɔːvere/ "to move sth": pr. muovo /ˈmwɔːvo/, muovi, muove, muoviamo/moviamo, muovete/movete, muovono; p.p. ho mosso /ˈmɔsso/; impf. muovevo/movevo; p.abs. mossi /ˈmɔssi/, muovesti/movesti; fut. muoverò/moverò; pr.sub. che muova, che muoviamo/moviamo; impf.sub. che muovessi/movessi; imp. muovi!, muova!, muoviamo/moviamo!, muovete/movete!; pr.pt. muovente/movente;
  • nascere /ˈnaʃʃere/ "to be born": pr. nasco, nasci, nasce, nasciamo, nascete, nascono; p.p. sono nato/-a; impf. nascevo; p.abs. nacqui /ˈnakkwi/, nascesti; fut. nascerò; pr.sub. che nasca, che nasciamo; impf.sub. che nascessi; imp. nasci!, nasca!, nasciamo!, nascete!; pr.pt. nascente;
  • nascondere /naˈskondere/ "to hide": pr. nascondo /naˈskondo/, nascondi, nasconde, nascondiamo, nascondete, nascondono; p.p. ho nascosto /naˈskosto/; impf. nascondevo; p.abs. nascosi /naˈskoːzi, naˈskoːsi/, nascondesti; fut. nasconderò; pr.sub. che nasconda, che nascondiamo; impf.sub. che nascondessi; imp. nascondi!, nasconda!, nascondiamo!, nascondete!; pr.pt. nascondente;
  • nuocere /ˈnwɔːtʃere/ "to harm": pr. nuoccio/noccio /ˈnwɔttʃo; ˈnɔttʃo/, nuoci /ˈnwɔːtʃi/, nuoce, nuociamo/nociamo, nuocete/nocete, nuocciono/nocciono; p.p. ho nuociuto/nociuto; impf. nuocevo/nocevo; p.abs. nocqui /ˈnɔkkwi/, nuocesti/nocesti; fut. nuocerò/nocerò; pr.sub. che nuoccia/noccia, che nuociamo/nociamo; impf.sub. che nuocessi/nocessi; imp. nuoci!, nuoccia/noccia!, nociamo/nuociamo!, nuocete/nocete!; pr.pt. nuocente/nocente;
  • offrire /ofˈfriːre/ "to offer": pr. offro /ˈɔffro/, offri, offre, offriamo, offrite, offrono; p.p. ho offerto /ofˈfɛrto/; impf. offrivo; p.abs. offrii/offersi /ofˈfɛrsi/, offristi; fut. offrirò; pr.sub. che offra, che offriamo; impf.sub. che offrissi; imp. offri!, offra!, offriamo!, offrite!; pr.pt. offerente;
  • parere /paˈreːre/ "to seem": pr. paio /ˈpaːjo/, pari, pare, paiamo, parete, paiono; p.p. sono parso/-a; impf. parevo; p.abs. parvi, paresti; fut. parrò; pr.sub. che paia, che paiamo; impf.sub. che paressi; no imp.; pr.pt. parvente;
  • piacere /pjaˈtʃeːre/ "to be liked": pr. piaccio, piaci, piace, piacciamo, piacete, piacciono; p.p. sono piaciuto/-a; impf. piacevo; p.abs. piacqui /ˈpjakkwi/, piacesti; fut. piacerò; pr.sub. che piaccia, che piacciamo; impf.sub. che piacessi; imp. piaci!, piaccia!, piacciamo!, piacete!; pr.pt. piacente;
  • piangere /ˈpjandʒere/[9] "to weep, to cry": pr. piango, piangi, piange, piangiamo, piangete, piangono; p.p. ho pianto; impf. piangevo; p.abs. piansi, piangesti; fut. piangerò; pr.sub. che pianga, che piangiamo; impf.sub. che piangessi; imp. piangi!, pianga!, piangiamo!, piangete!; pr.pt. piangente;
  • porgere /ˈpɔrdʒere/[10] "to extend, to hand": pr. porgo /ˈpɔrɡo/, porgi /ˈpɔrdʒi/, porge, porgiamo, porgete, porgono; p.p. ho porto /ˈpɔrto/; impf. porgevo; p.abs. porsi /ˈpɔrsi/, porgesti; fut. porgerò; pr.sub. che porga, che porgiamo; impf.sub. che porgessi; imp. porgi!, porga!, porgiamo!, porgete!; pr.pt. porgente;
  • porre /ˈporre/ "to put": pr. pongo /ˈpoŋɡo/, poni /ˈpoːni/, pone, poniamo, ponete, pongono; p.p. ho posto /ˈposto/; impf. ponevo; p.abs. posi /ˈpoːzi, ˈpoːsi/, ponesti; fut. porrò; pr.sub. che ponga, che poniamo; impf.sub. che ponessi; imp. poni!, ponga!, poniamo!, ponete!; pr.pt. ponente;
  • potere /poˈteːre/ "to be able (to)": pr. posso /ˈpɔsso/, puoi /ˈpwɔi/, può, possiamo, potete, possono; p.p. ho potuto;[7] impf. potevo; p.abs. potei, potesti; fut. potrò; pr.sub. che possa, che possiamo; impf.sub. che potessi; imp. possi!, possa!, possiamo!, possiate!; pr.pt. potente;
  • prendere /ˈprɛndere/[11] "to take": pr. prendo /ˈprɛndo/, prendi, prende, prendiamo, prendete, prendono; p.p. ho preso /ˈpreːzo, ˈpreːso/; impf. prendevo; p.abs. presi, prendesti; fut. prenderò; pr.sub. che prenda, che prendiamo; impf.sub. che prendessi; imp. prendi!, prenda!, prendiamo!, prendete!; pr.pt. prendente;
  • redimere /reˈdiːmere/ "to redeem": pr. redimo, redimi, redime, redimiamo, redimete, redimono; p.p. ho redento /reˈdɛnto/; impf. redimevo; p.abs. redensi /reˈdɛnsi/, redimesti; fut. redimerò; pr.sub. che redima, che redimiamo; impf.sub. che redimessi; imp. redimi!, redima!, redimiamo!, redimete!; pr.pt. redimente;
  • rimanere /rimaˈneːre/ "to stay, to remain": pr. rimango, rimani, rimane, rimaniamo, rimanete, rimangono; p.p. sono rimasto/-a; impf. rimanevo; p.abs. rimasi, rimanesti; fut. rimarrò; pr.sub. che rimanga, che rimaniamo; impf.sub. che rimanessi; imp. rimani!, rimanga!, rimaniamo, rimanete!; pr.pt. rimanente;
  • risolvere /riˈsɔlvere/ "to solve": pr. risolvo /riˈsɔlvo/, risolvi, risolve, risolviamo, risolvete, risolvono; p.p. ho risolto /riˈsɔlto/; impf. risolvevo; p.abs. risolsi /riˈsɔlsi/, risolvesti; fut. risolverò; pr.sub. che risolva, che risolviamo; impf.sub. che risolvessi; imp. risolvi!, risolva!, risolviamo!, risolvete!; pr.pt. risolvente;
  • rompere /ˈrompere/ "to break (down)": pr. rompo /ˈrompo/, rompi, rompe, rompiamo, rompete, rompono; p.p. ho rotto /ˈrotto/; impf. rompevo; p.abs. ruppi, rompesti; fut. romperò; pr.sub. che rompa, che rompiamo; impf.sub. che rompessi; imp. rompi!, rompa!, rompiamo!, rompete!; pr.pt. rompente;
  • salire /saˈliːre/ "to go up": pr. salgo, sali, sale, saliamo, salite, salgono; p.p. sono salito/-a; impf. salivo; p.abs. salii, salisti; fut. salirò; pr.sub. che salga, che saliamo; impf.sub. che salissi; imp. sali!, salga!, saliamo!, salite!; pr.pt. salente;
  • sapere /saˈpeːre/ "to know": pr. so /sɔ/, sai, sa, sappiamo, sapete, sanno; p.p. ho saputo; impf. sapevo; p.abs. seppi /ˈseppi/, sapesti; fut. saprò; pr.sub. che sappia, che sappiamo; impf.sub. che sapessi; imp. sappi!, sappia!, sappiamo!, sappiate!; pr.pt. sapente;
  • scindere /ˈʃindere/ "to divide, to sunder": pr. scindo, scindi, scinde, scindiamo, scindete, scindono; p.p. ho scisso; impf. scindevo; p.abs. scissi, scindesti; fut. scinderò; pr.sub. che scinda, che scindiamo; impf.sub. che scindessi; imp. scindi!, scinda!, scindiamo!, scindete!; pr.pt. scindente;
  • scrivere /ˈskriːvere/ "to write": pr. scrivo, scrivi, scrive, scriviamo, scrivete, scrivono; p.p. ho scritto; impf. scrivevo; p.abs. scrissi, scrivesti; fut. scriverò; pr.sub. che scriva, che scriviamo; impf.sub. che scrivessi; imp. scrivi!, scriva!, scriviamo!, scrivete!; pr.pt. scrivente;
  • scuotere /ˈskwɔːtere/ "to shake": pr. scuoto /ˈskwɔːto/, scuoti, scuote, scuotiamo/scotiamo, scuotete/scotete, scuotono; p.p. ho scosso /ˈskɔsso/; impf. scuotevo/scotevo; p.abs. scossi /ˈskɔssi/, scuotesti/scotesti; fut. scuoterò/scoterò; pr.sub. che scuota, che scuotiamo/scotiamo; impf.sub. che scuotessi/scotessi; imp. scuoti!, scuota!, scuotiamo/scotiamo!, scuotete/scotete!; pr.pt. scuotente/scotente;
  • sedere /seˈdeːre/ "to sit": pr. siedo /ˈsjɛːdo/, siedi, siede, sediamo, sedete, siedono; p.p. sono seduto/-a; impf. sedevo; p.abs. sedei/sedetti, sedesti; fut. siederò/sederò; pr.sub. che sieda, che sediamo; impf.sub. che sedessi; imp. siedi!, sieda!, sediamo!, sedete!; pr.pt. sedente;
  • sorgere /ˈsordʒere/ "to rise": pr. sorgo /ˈsorɡo/, sorgi /ˈsordʒi/, sorge, sorgiamo, sorgete, sorgono; p.p. sono sorto/-a /ˈsorto/; impf. sorgevo; p.abs. sorsi /ˈsorsi/, sorgesti; fut. sorgerò; pr.sub. che sorga, che sorgiamo; impf.sub. che sorgessi; imp. sorgi!, sorga!, sorgiamo!, sorgete!; pr.pt. sorgente;
  • spegnere /ˈspeɲɲere, ˈspɛɲɲere/ "to turn off, to switch off": pr. spengo /ˈspeŋɡo, ˈspɛŋɡo/, spegni /ˈspeɲɲi, ˈspɛɲɲi/, spegne, spegniamo, spegnete, spengono; p.p. ho spento /ˈspento, ˈspɛnto/; impf. spegnevo; p.abs. spensi /ˈspensi, ˈspɛnsi/, spegnesti; fut. spegnerò; pr.sub. che spenga, che spegniamo; impf.sub. che spegnessi; imp. spegni!, spenga!, spegniamo!, spegnete!; pr.pt. spegnente;
  • svellere /ˈzvɛllere/ "to eradicate": pr. svello/svelgo /ˈzvɛllo; ˈzvɛlɡo/, svelli, svelle, svelliamo, svellete, svellono/svelgono; p.p. ho svelto /ˈzvɛlto/; impf. svellevo; p.abs. svelsi /ˈzvɛlsi/, svellesti; fut. svellerò; pr.sub. che svella/svelga, che svelliamo; impf.sub. che svellessi; imp. svelli!, svella/svelga!, svelliamo!, svellete!; pr.pt. svellente;
  • tenere /teˈneːre/ "to hold, to keep": pr. tengo /ˈtɛŋɡo/, tieni /ˈtjɛːni/, tiene, teniamo, tenete, tengono; p.p. ho tenuto; impf. tenevo; p.abs. tenni /ˈtenni/, tenesti; fut. terrò; pr.sub. che tenga, che teniamo; impf.sub. che tenessi; imp. tieni!, tenga!, teniamo!, tenete!; pr.pt. tenente;
  • togliere /ˈtɔʎʎere/ "to remove": pr. tolgo /ˈtɔlɡo/, togli /ˈtɔʎʎi/, toglie, togliamo, togliete, tolgono; p.p. ho tolto /ˈtɔlto/; impf. toglievo; p.abs. tolsi /ˈtɔlsi/, togliesti; fut. toglierò; pr.sub. che tolga, che togliamo; impf.sub. che togliessi; imp. togli!, tolga!, togliamo!, togliete!; pr.pt. togliente;
  • trarre /ˈtrarre/ "to draw, to pull": pr. traggo, trai, trae, traiamo, traete, traggono; p.p. ho tratto; impf. traevo; p.abs. trassi, traesti; fut. trarrò; pr.sub. che tragga, che traiamo; impf.sub. che traessi; imp. trai!, tragga!, traiamo!, traete!; pr.pt. traente;
  • udire /uˈdiːre/ "to hear": pr. odo /ˈɔːdo/, odi, ode, udiamo, udite, odono; p.p. ho udito; impf. udivo; p.abs. udii, udisti; fut. udrò/udirò; pr.sub. che oda, che udiamo; impf.sub. che udissi; imp. odi!, oda!, udiamo!, udite!; pr.pt. udente;
  • uscire /uʃˈʃiːre/ "to go out": pr. esco /ˈɛsko/, esci /ˈɛʃʃi/, esce, usciamo, uscite, escono; p.p. sono uscito/-a; impf. uscivo; p.abs. uscii, uscisti; fut. uscirò; pr.sub. che esca, che usciamo; impf.sub. che uscissi; imp. esci!, esca!, usciamo!, uscite!; pr.pt. uscente;
  • valere /vaˈleːre/ "to be worth": pr. valgo, vali, vale, valiamo, valete, valgono; p.p. sono valso/-a; impf. valevo; p.abs. valsi, valesti; fut. varrò; pr.sub. che valga, che valiamo; impf.sub. che valessi; imp. vali!, valga!, valiamo!, valete!; pr.pt. valente;
  • vedere /veˈdeːre/ "to see": pr. vedo /ˈveːdo/, vedi, vede, vediamo, vedete, vedono; p.p. ho visto; impf. vedevo; p.abs. vidi, vedesti; fut. vedrò; pr.sub. che veda, che vediamo; impf.sub. che vedessi; imp. vedi!, veda!, vediamo!, vedete!; pr.pt. vedente;
  • venire /veˈniːre/ "to come": pr. vengo /ˈvɛŋɡo/, vieni /ˈvjɛːni/, viene, veniamo, venite, vengono; p.p. sono venuto/-a; impf. venivo; p.abs. venni /ˈvenni/, venisti; fut. verrò; pr.sub. che venga, che veniamo; impf.sub. che venisse; imp. vieni!, venga!, veniamo!, venite!; pr.pt. venente;
  • vivere /ˈviːvere/ "to live": pr. vivo, vivi, vive, viviamo, vivete, vivono; p.p. sono vissuto/-a, ho vissuto; impf. vivevo; p.abs. vissi, vivesti; fut. vivrò; pr.sub. che viva, che viviamo; impf.sub. che vivessi; imp. vivi!, viva!, viviamo!, vivete!; pr.pt. vivente;
  • volere /voˈleːre/ "to want (to)": pr. voglio /ˈvɔʎʎo/, vuoi /ˈvwɔi/, vuole, vogliamo, volete, vogliono; p.p. ho voluto;[7] impf. volevo; p.abs. volli /ˈvɔlli/, volesti; fut. vorrò; pr.sub. che voglia, che vogliamo; impf.sub. che volessi; imp. vogli!, voglia!, vogliamo!, vogliate!; pr.pt. volente;
  • volgere /ˈvɔldʒere/ "to turn, to change": pr. volgo /ˈvɔlɡo/, volgi /ˈvɔldʒi/, volge, volgiamo, volgete, volgono; p.p. ho volto, sono volto/-a /ˈvɔlto/; impf. volgevo; p.abs. volsi /ˈvɔlsi/, volgesti; fut. volgerò; pr.sub. che volga, che volgiamo; impf.sub. che volgessi; imp. volgi!, volga!, volgiamo!, volgete!; pr.pt. volgente;
  • see all the other Italian irregular verbs in English Wiktionary and in Italian Wikipedia.

Notes

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Bibliography

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from Grokipedia
Italian conjugation refers to the systematic of s to indicate grammatical categories such as tense, mood, , and number, allowing them to agree with the subject in a sentence. Italian s are primarily divided into three conjugation classes based on the endings of their forms: the first conjugation ending in -are (e.g., parlare, "to speak"), the second in -ere (e.g., scrivere, "to write"), and the third in -ire (e.g., dormire, ""), with some -ire verbs inserting -isc- before certain endings. This classification determines the base pattern of endings added to the stem, though subject pronouns like io ("I") or noi ("we") are often omitted because the conjugated endings uniquely identify the subject. A key feature of Italian conjugation is the distinction between , where regular verbs follow predictable patterns within their class across tenses and moods, while irregular verbs—such as avere ("to have") and essere ("to be")—deviate through stem changes or unique forms and must be memorized due to their high frequency. Italian employs seven moods to convey different attitudes or uses: four finite moods (indicative for facts and statements, subjunctive for doubt or , conditional for hypotheticals, and imperative for commands) and three non-finite moods ( as the base form, for ongoing actions, and for compound tenses or adjectival use). Tenses in Italian conjugation are formed either synthetically (single word, e.g., present indicative parlo, "I speak") or analytically (using auxiliaries avere or essere plus the past participle, as in the compound past tense passato prossimo: ho parlato, "I spoke"). The indicative mood includes simple tenses like the present, , and future, as well as compound forms for completed actions; the subjunctive and conditional similarly have present and past variants to express nuance in subordinate clauses or . Reflexive verbs, which use pronouns like mi ("myself") and conjugate with essere in compound tenses, add further complexity, often indicating reciprocal or intensive actions. Overall, mastering Italian conjugation is essential for accurate expression, as it integrates tightly with sentence structure and syntax.

Fundamentals of Italian Verbs

Verb Classes

Italian verbs are classified into three primary conjugation classes according to the ending of their form: the first class ends in -are, the second in -ere, and the third in -ire. This system organizes the majority of regular verbs, each following distinct but predictable patterns for adding endings to the stem in various tenses and moods. The stem for each class is derived by removing the ending (-are, -ere, or -ire), after which endings specific to , number, tense, and mood are appended; for instance, in the present indicative, the endings differ systematically across classes to reflect these categories. This tripartite structure traces its roots to the four conjugation classes of , where phonological reductions and during the transition to simplified the system. Specifically, Latin's first conjugation (-āre) directly evolved into Italian -are (e.g., Latin amāre to Italian amare, "to love"); the second (-ēre) and third (-ere) merged into -ere due to vowel weakening and paradigm blending (e.g., Latin vidēre to vedere, "to see"); and the fourth (-īre) became -ire (e.g., Latin audīre to udire or sentīre to sentire, "to hear" or "to feel"). The etymological suffixes reflect this heritage: -are derives from Latin -āre, -ere from the fused -ēre/-ere, and -ire from -īre. Representative examples of regular verbs from each class illustrate these patterns, including their form, present indicative conjugation (io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro), and past participle. Note that some -ire verbs insert -isc- before certain endings in the present indicative (e.g., finire), while others do not; the past participle follows class-specific endings (-ato for -are, -uto for -ere, -ito for -ire).
ClassInfinitivePresent IndicativePast Participle
First (-are)amare (to love)amo, ami, ama, amiamo, amate, amanoamato
Second (-ere)credere (to believe)credo, credi, crede, crediamo, credete, credonocreduto
Third (-ire)finire (to finish)finisco, finisci, finisce, finiamo, finite, finisconofinito

Auxiliary Verbs and Past Participles

In , compound verb tenses are formed using an —either avere (to have) or essere (to be)—conjugated in the appropriate tense, followed by the of the main verb. These are essential for tenses such as the passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo, and futuro anteriore, where the choice of auxiliary determines the structure and agreement of the . Avere is the default auxiliary for most verbs, particularly transitive ones that take a direct object, while essere is used with a smaller set of intransitive verbs involving motion, state changes, or reflexives. The present indicative conjugations of these auxiliaries, commonly used in the passato prossimo, are as follows:
AvereEssere
hosono
tuhaisei
lui/leihaè
noiabbiamosiamo
voiavetesiete
lorohannosono
For the trapassato prossimo, the imperfect indicative forms of the auxiliaries are employed:
PronounAvereEssere
avevoero
tuavevieri
lui/leiavevaera
noiavevamoeravamo
avevateeravate
loroavevanoerano
In the futuro anteriore, the future simple forms are used:
PronounAvereEssere
ioavròsarò
tuavraisarai
lui/leiavràsarà
noiavremosaremo
voiavretesarete
loroavrannosaranno
The selection of avere or essere follows specific rules based on the main verb's semantics and transitivity. Avere is used with transitive verbs (e.g., mangiare to eat, scrivere to write) and most intransitive verbs not involving motion or state change. For instance, Lui ha mangiato la pizza (He ate the pizza) employs avere because mangiare is transitive. In contrast, essere is required for verbs of motion (e.g., andare to go, venire to come), change of state (e.g., nascere to be born, morire to die), position (e.g., stare to stay, rimanere to remain), and all reflexive verbs (e.g., lavarsi to wash oneself). An example is Lei è andata in Italia (She went to Italy), where andare indicates motion. The past participle is derived from the by removing the final -are, -ere, or -ire and adding specific endings: -ato for first-conjugation verbs (-are, e.g., parlare becomes parlato), -uto for second-conjugation verbs (-ere, e.g., credere becomes creduto), and -ito for third-conjugation verbs (-ire, e.g., dormire becomes dormito). When avere is the auxiliary, the past participle remains invariable and does not agree in or number with the subject. However, with essere, the past participle must agree in and number with the subject: masculine singular adds no ending (e.g., andato), feminine singular adds -a (e.g., andata), masculine adds -i (e.g., andati), and feminine adds -e (e.g., andate). For example, Io sono andato (I went, masculine speaker) contrasts with Io sono andata (I went, feminine speaker). This agreement rule applies similarly in other compound tenses using essere.

Indicative Mood

Present Indicative

The present indicative tense in Italian is used to describe actions that are currently occurring, habitual activities, general truths, states of being, or events in the near future. It is the most commonly employed tense for everyday communication and applies to all three regular classes: those ending in -are, -ere, and -ire. To form the present indicative, the ending is removed to reveal the stem, to which specific endings are added based on the . For -are verbs, the endings are -o for io, -i for tu, -a for lui/lei, -iamo for noi, -ate for voi, and -ano for loro. The verb amare (to love) provides a standard example:
Subject PronounConjugation
ioamo
tuami
lui/leiama
noiamiamo
voiamate
loroamano
For -ere verbs, the endings are -o for io, -i for tu, -e for lui/lei, -iamo for noi, -ete for voi, and -ono for loro. The verb temere (to fear) illustrates this pattern:
Subject PronounConjugation
iotemo
tutemi
lui/leiteme
noitemiamo
voitemete
lorotemono
-ire verbs follow two patterns: one without and one with the -isc- in certain forms. The basic endings are -o for , -i for tu, -e for /, -iamo for noi, -ite for , and -ono for loro; the -isc- variant adds -isco for , -isci for tu, -isce for /, and -iscono for loro. The verb partire (to leave or depart), which lacks the -isc- , conjugates as follows:
Subject PronounConjugation
parto
tuparti
/parte
noipartiamo
partite
loropartono
Some -ire verbs exhibit stem changes, such as the alternation from e to ie in the stem, combined with the -isc- in applicable forms. For instance, preferire (to prefer) changes to preferisco for io, preferisci for tu, preferisce for /lei, preferiamo for noi, preferite for , and preferiscono for loro. In usage, the present indicative conveys habits, as in "Leggo spesso " (I often read the ); ongoing states, like "Ora leggo " (I am reading the now); or near-future intentions, such as "Domani vado a Roma" (Tomorrow I go to ). These applications highlight its versatility in expressing immediacy and regularity without additional auxiliary verbs.

Imperfect Indicative

The imperfect indicative (imperfetto indicativo) in Italian is a simple past tense used primarily to describe ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past, providing context or continuity without specifying completion. Unlike the present indicative, which focuses on current or general habits, the imperfect indicative evokes incomplete or repeated past situations, such as states of being, weather, time, or emotions. It is formed regularly across all three verb classes without stem changes, making it one of the more straightforward tenses for learners. To conjugate regular verbs in the imperfect indicative, drop the infinitive endings (-are, -ere, or -ire) and add the characteristic (-a- for first conjugation, -e- for second, -i- for third) followed by -v- and the personal endings: -o (io), -i (tu), -a (//lei formale), -amo (noi), -ate (), -ano (loro). These endings are uniform in structure across conjugations, with no alterations to the stem for regular verbs. The following tables illustrate the conjugation for representative regular verbs: parlare (to speak, first conjugation), leggere (to read, second conjugation), and dormire (to sleep, third conjugation).
PronounParlare (-are)Leggere (-ere)Dormire (-ire)
parlavoleggevodormivo
tuparlavileggevidormivi
lui/lei/lei formaleparlavaleggevadormiva
noiparlavamoleggevamodormivamo
parlavateleggevatedormivate
loroparlavanoleggevanodormivano
This tense is commonly employed for three main purposes: describing ongoing or progressive actions in the past, expressing habitual or repeated actions, and setting scenes with descriptions or conditions. For ongoing actions, especially those interrupted by a completed event (often in the passato remoto or prossimo), the provides the background; for example, Pioveva quando arrivai (It was raining when I arrived), where pioveva describes the continuous rain interrupted by the arrival. Similarly, Stavo cucinando quando hai chiamato illustrates an interrupted cooking action. For habitual past actions, the imperfect conveys routines or customs without a specific endpoint, such as Andavamo al mare ogni estate (We used to go to the sea every summer) or Da bambino passavo l’estate con i miei nonni (As a child, I spent the summers with my grandparents). Descriptions of past states, like age, weather, or feelings, also rely on this tense: Era troppo caldo (It was too hot) or Ogni domenica andavamo al mercato (Every Sunday we went to the market, habitual). As noted in grammatical analysis, "The imperfect... is used to recount (1) repeated (habitual) actions, (2) progressive (ongoing) actions and (3) descriptions, conditions or states of being."

Passato Prossimo

The passato prossimo is a compound tense in the indicative mood, primarily used to describe actions completed in the , whether recent or more distant, with relevance to the present. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verbs avere or essere in the present indicative and adding the past participle of the main verb. As detailed in the fundamentals of Italian verbs, the choice of auxiliary depends on the verb type: avere for most transitive and many intransitive s, and essere for verbs of motion, state change, or reflexives. The past participle for regular verbs is derived by removing the infinitive ending (-are, -ere, -ire) and adding -ato, -uto, or -ito, respectively (e.g., parlareparlato, scriverescritto, dormiredormito). Conjugation examples for regular verbs illustrate the structure. For parlare (to speak, using avere):
PronounConjugation
ioho parlato
tuhai parlato
lui/leiha parlato
noiabbiamo parlato
voiavete parlato
lorohanno parlato
For andare (to go, using essere):
PronounConjugation (masc./fem.)
iosono andato/a
tusei andato/a
lui/leiè andato/a
noisiamo andati/e
voisiete andati/e
lorosono andati/e
These forms apply to completed actions, such as Ho mangiato una pizza (I ate a pizza) or Sono partito ieri (I left yesterday). In usage, the passato prossimo is the most common past tense in spoken Italian and informal writing, expressing recent or completed events with present implications, such as Ieri ho visto un film (Yesterday I saw a movie). It often conveys experiences or actions finished but still relevant, like Ho visitato Roma tre volte (I have visited Rome three times). Agreement rules for the past vary by auxiliary. With avere, the typically remains invariable (e.g., Ho parlato, Abbiamo parlato), except in cases involving preceding direct object pronouns, where it agrees in and number with the pronoun (e.g., Le ho viste for feminine plural objects). With essere, the always agrees in and number with the subject (e.g., La ragazza è arrivata for feminine singular, I ragazzi sono arrivati for masculine ). This agreement ensures grammatical harmony, as shown in the andare table above.

Passato Remoto

The passato remoto, also known as the remote past or tense in the indicative mood, is a synthetic tense in Italian used primarily to express completed actions that occurred in the distant past, often in historical, literary, or narrative contexts. Unlike the passato prossimo, which is more common in everyday spoken Italian for recent past events, the passato remoto conveys a sense of finality and remoteness, making it essential for , biographies, and formal historical accounts. For instance, it is frequently employed in sentences like "Cristoforo scoprì l'America nel 1492," highlighting events far removed from the present. This tense is formed by conjugating the stem with specific endings that vary according to the three main conjugation classes: -are, -ere, and -ire. For regular s in the first conjugation (-are), the endings are -ai for the first person singular, -asti for the second, -ò for the third, -ammo for the first plural, -aste for the second plural, and -arono for the third plural. These endings are applied directly to the stem, which is obtained by removing the -are ending. For -ire s, the pattern is -ii, -isti, -ì, -immo, -iste, -irono. For -ere s, there are two common patterns: -ei, -esti, -é, -emmo, -este, -erono or -etti, -esti, -ette, -emmo, -este, -ettero, depending on the (the latter is more frequent for many common -ere s). Stem changes can occur in certain s, particularly in the -ire class (e.g., dormire becomes dormii in the first person singular), but these are generally predictable and less frequent than in other tenses. To illustrate, the following tables show the full conjugation of three regular verbs: parlare (to speak, -are), credere (to believe, -ere), and finire (to finish, -ire). These examples demonstrate the standard patterns without irregularities, which are covered separately in discussions of irregular verbs.

Parlare (-are)

PersonSingularPlural
1stparlaiparlammo
2ndparlastiparlaste
3rdparlòparlarono

Credere (-ere)

PersonSingularPlural
1stcredetticredemmo
2ndcredesticredeste
3rdcredettecredettero

Finire (-ire)

PersonSingularPlural
1stfiniifinimmo
2ndfinistifiniste
3rdfinìfinirono
In usage, the passato remoto is predominant in written Italian, especially in novels, historical texts, and recounting past events, where it provides a flow distinct from the ongoing or recent past described by the tense. Regionally, it retains vitality in spoken Italian in and islands like and , where it serves as a conversational equivalent to the passato prossimo in northern dialects. This regional variation underscores the tense's role in marking chronological distance, as in literary examples from authors like , who used it extensively in .

Trapassato Prossimo

The trapassato prossimo, also known as the Italian past perfect indicative, is a compound tense used to describe an action that was completed before another action or event in the past. It establishes a sequence of past events, emphasizing anteriority, and is analogous to the English "had done" construction. This tense is formed by combining the indicative of the auxiliary s avere or essere with the past of the main , following the same auxiliary selection rules as the passato prossimo (transitive verbs and most intransitives use avere, while verbs of motion, state, or change typically use essere). With essere, the past participle agrees in and number with the subject; with avere, it agrees with a direct object if one is present. The imperfect conjugations of the auxiliaries are as follows: Avere in the imperfect indicative:
PersonConjugation
avevo
Tuavevi
Lui/leiaveva
Noiavevamo
avevate
Loroavevano
Essere in the imperfect indicative:
PersonConjugation
ero
Tueri
Lui/leiera
Noieravamo
eravate
Loroerano
For example, the verb mangiare (to eat, using avere) conjugates as avevo mangiato (I had eaten), avevi mangiato (you had eaten), and so on. Similarly, andare (to go, using essere) becomes ero andato/a (I had gone, m./f.), eri andato/a (you had gone, m./f.), reflecting subject agreement. Another example is Avevo studiato l’italiano prima di partire (I had studied Italian before leaving). In usage, the trapassato prossimo often appears in narratives to indicate the order of past events, particularly after conjunctions like dopo che (after), prima che (before), appena (as soon as), or adverbs such as già (already) and non…ancora (not yet). It pairs with tenses like the or passato remoto to show precedence, as in Dopo che avevo mangiato, uscii (After I had eaten, I went out), where the eating precedes the leaving. A further is Quando è nato mio fratello, avevo già cominciato la scuola elementare (When my brother was born, I had already started elementary school), highlighting an action completed prior to the reference past event. This tense is less common in spoken Italian than the passato prossimo but is essential for precise temporal sequencing in written contexts.

Futuro Semplice

The futuro semplice, or simple , in Italian is a synthetic tense used primarily to express actions or states that will occur in the , as well as for making predictions, hypotheses, or polite statements about intentions. It is formed by taking the infinitive stem of the —obtained by removing the final -e—and adding specific endings that incorporate an -r- element, resulting in no major stem changes for regular verbs across the three conjugation classes (-are, -ere, -ire). This tense contrasts with the present indicative, which speakers often use colloquially as an alternative for near- events. To conjugate regular verbs in the futuro semplice, the stem is derived from the infinitive without its final -e, and the following endings are added: -erò (io), -erai (tu), -erà (lui/lei), -eremo (noi), -erete (voi), -eranno (loro) for -are and -ere verbs, with -irò, -irai, -irà, -iremo, -irete, -iranno for -ire verbs to preserve the characteristic -i- sound. For -are verbs, the stem ends in -a-, which combines with the -r- to form -er- in the endings (e.g., amare becomes amer- before adding -ò for io: amerò). The -ere class follows a similar pattern without alteration (e.g., vendere → vender-), while -ire verbs retain their -i- in the stem and adjust the endings accordingly (e.g., finire → finir- + ò = finirò). The following table illustrates the conjugation of representative regular verbs from each class:
Pronome-are (amare, "to love")-ere (vedere, "to see")-ire (dormire, "to sleep")
ioameròvedròdormirò
tuameraivedraidormirai
lui/leiameràvedràdormirà
noiameremovedremodormiremo
voiameretevedretedormirete
loroamerannovedrannodormiranno
These patterns apply uniformly to all regular verbs, ensuring predictability in formation. In usage, the futuro semplice conveys definitive future events, such as "Domani pioverà" (It will rain tomorrow), highlighting predictions based on expectation. It also expresses promises or intentions, as in "Ti aiuterò con i compiti" (I will help you with your homework), underscoring commitment to future action. Additionally, the tense serves for polite requests or suppositions, like "Potrebbe piovere?" in hypothetical contexts, though it more commonly appears in formal or written predictions about present situations, such as "Saranno le dieci" (It must be ten o'clock). Overall, its application emphasizes futurity and probability without requiring auxiliary verbs, distinguishing it as a core indicative form for temporal projection.

Futuro Anteriore

The futuro anteriore, or indicative, is a compound tense in Italian that expresses an action completed before a specific point or another action in the future. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verbs avere or essere in the futuro semplice (simple future) and adding the past participle of the main . The choice of auxiliary follows the same rules as in the passato prossimo: avere is used for transitive verbs and most intransitive verbs, while essere is required for verbs of motion, change of state, reflexive verbs, and certain intransitives, with the past participle agreeing in and number with the subject when essere is used. The conjugation of the auxiliaries in the futuro semplice provides the base for the tense: Avere (future tense):
PersonConjugation
ioavrò
tuavrai
lui/lei/Leiavrà
noiavremo
voiavrete
loroavranno
Essere (future tense):
PersonConjugation
iosarò
tusarai
lui/lei/Leisarà
noisaremo
voisarete
lorosaranno
For example, with the transitive verb finire (to finish), using avere: avrò finito (I will have finished), avrai finito (you will have finished), avrà finito (he/she/it will have finished), avremo finito (we will have finished), avrete finito (you all will have finished), avranno finito (they will have finished). With the motion verb arrivare (to arrive), using essere: sarò arrivato/a (I will have arrived), sarai arrivato/a (you will have arrived), sarà arrivato/a (he/she/it will have arrived), saremo arrivati/e (we will have arrived), sarete arrivati/e (you all will have arrived), saranno arrivati/e (they will have arrived). This tense is primarily used to indicate future anteriority, such as an action completed by a certain time or before another event often introduced by conjunctions like quando (when), non appena (as soon as), or prima che (before). For instance, Avrò finito prima di mezzanotte means "I will have finished before midnight," expressing completion by a deadline. Another example is Sarò arrivato quando tu partirai, "I will have arrived when you leave," highlighting sequence in the . It also conveys assumptions or probabilities about past events from a perspective, as in Quando avrai mangiato, andremo al cinema ("When you have eaten, we will go to the cinema") or Avrà piovuto durante la notte ("It must have rained during the night"). The tense originated in through the grammaticalization of analytic constructions and serves to mark perfective aspects in contexts in modern Italian.

Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente) in Italian is a verb mood used primarily to express , , , necessity, or possibility, often in subordinate clauses introduced by "che" following certain verbs or expressions in the main clause. It conveys subjectivity and is essential for formal or nuanced communication, distinguishing it from the indicative mood's factual statements. Unlike the present indicative, which serves as its stem base, the subjunctive alters endings to reflect uncertainty or hypothetical elements in present or future contexts. To form the present subjunctive of regular verbs, take the stem from the third-person of the present indicative (dropping the -ono ending) and add specific subjunctive endings, which vary by conjugation class. For -are verbs, the endings are -i (io, tu, /), -iamo (noi), -iate (), and -ino (loro); for -ere and most -ire verbs, they are -a (io, tu, /), -iamo (noi), -iate (), and -ano (loro). Some -ire verbs insert -isc- before the endings in the io, tu, /, and loro forms (e.g., capire becomes capisca). Special orthographic adjustments apply: -care and -gare verbs add h before i-endings to preserve (e.g., pagare: paghi), while -ciare and -giare verbs drop the i in the stem for noi and (e.g., mangiare: mangiamo). The following table illustrates the conjugation of representative regular verbs:
PronounParlare (-are)Credere (-ere)Dormire (-ire)Capire (-ire with -isc-)
parlicredadormacapisca
tuparlicredadormacapisca
lui/leiparlicredadormacapisca
noiparliamocrediamodormiamocapiamo
parliatecrediatedormiatecapiate
loroparlinocredanodormanocapiscano
These patterns ensure consistency across persons, with singular forms identical in many cases. Usage of the present subjunctive is triggered by specific verbs expressing (e.g., dubitare che, non credere che), emotion (e.g., essere felice che, temere che), or necessity (e.g., volere che, essere necessario che), as well as impersonal expressions like è possibile che or è importante che. It also appears after conjunctions such as affinché (so that), prima che (before), purché (provided that), and sebbene (although), which introduce purpose, condition, or concession. In formal contexts, it functions in main clauses as a polite command or wish, such as Venga subito (Come immediately). Examples include: "Spero che tu arrivi in tempo" (I hope you arrive on time) or "È necessario che studino" (It is necessary that they study).

Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto) in Italian expresses hypothetical or uncertain actions situated in the past or present from a past perspective, often conveying doubt, wishes, or conditions contrary to fact. It is formed by taking the stem of the verb—typically derived from the third person singular of the passato remoto for regular verbs or directly from the minus the final -re—and adding specific endings that vary by conjugation class. These endings are uniform across persons for the first two singular forms and follow a pattern emphasizing the subjunctive mood's subjective nature. For regular verbs, the stems are straightforward: for -are verbs, use the infinitive stem (e.g., parl- from ); for -ere and -ire verbs, similarly (e.g., vend- from vendere, part- from partire). The endings are -assi/-asse/-assimo/-aste/-assero for -are verbs, -essi/-esse/-essimo/-este/-essero for -ere verbs, and -issi/-isse/-issimo/-iste/-issero for -ire verbs. Below is a conjugation table for representative regular verbs across all persons:
PersonParlare (-are)Vendere (-ere)Partire (-ire)
parlassivendessipartissi
tuparlassivendessipartissi
lui/leiparlassevendessepartisse
noiparlassimovendessimopartissimo
parlastevendestepartiste
loroparlasserovendesseropartissero
These forms maintain consistent stems drawn from the infinitive or passato remoto, ensuring predictability for learners. The subjunctive is commonly used in subordinate clauses following main verbs in the tenses (such as the indicative or passato prossimo) to express opinions, emotions, or doubts about events, as in "Pensavo che arrivasse tardi" (I thought he/she would arrive late). It also appears in hypothetical if-clauses (periodo ipotetico) for unreal or unlikely conditions, paired with the , for example, "Se venissi domani, potremmo uscire" (If you came tomorrow, we could go out). This tense prevails in formal and literary contexts, where it adds nuance to narratives or polite hypotheticals, distinguishing it from more casual indicative usages. Unlike the present subjunctive, which addresses contemporary uncertainties, the subjunctive shifts focus to -oriented scenarios.

Congiuntivo Passato

The congiuntivo passato, also known as the subjunctive, is a compound tense in Italian used to express , , opinion, or regarding a completed action in the past within subordinate clauses. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verbs avere (to have) or essere (to be) in the present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente) followed by the past of the main . The choice of auxiliary verb follows the same rules as in other compound tenses: avere is used for most transitive verbs and some intransitive ones, while essere is required for reflexive verbs, verbs of motion, and certain intransitive verbs indicating a change of state (e.g., andare, venire, rimanere). When essere is the auxiliary, the past participle agrees in and number with the subject; with avere, there is generally no agreement, though direct object pronouns can trigger it in some cases. For example, che io abbia finito (that I have finished, using avere with no agreement) or che lei sia partita (that she has left, using essere with feminine agreement on partita). This tense is typically employed in dependent clauses introduced by conjunctions or expressions that convey subjectivity, such as penso che (I think that), dubito che (I doubt that), sono contento che (I'm glad that), or benché (although), where the main clause is in the present tense but the action in the subordinate clause is anterior to it. It establishes temporal anteriority for past events under hypothetical or emotional scrutiny, as in Dubito che abbia detto la verità (I doubt that he has told the truth) or Spero che siano arrivati in tempo (I hope they have arrived on time).

Congiuntivo Trapassato

The congiuntivo trapassato, also known as the pluperfect subjunctive, expresses actions or states that were completed before another past event in hypothetical, doubtful, or subordinate contexts within the . It is formed by combining the subjunctive of the auxiliary verbs avere (for transitive verbs and most intransitives) or essere (for verbs of motion, change of state, and reflexives) with the past of the main . Unlike the congiuntivo passato, which uses the present subjunctive of the auxiliary to indicate completion relative to the present, the trapassato employs the subjunctive auxiliary to situate the action further in the past relative to another subjunctive event. The conjugation follows the imperfect subjunctive paradigms of avere and essere, adjusted for and number agreement where required (e.g., with essere, the past agrees with the subject). Below are the full conjugations for the themselves, as they form the basis for compound tenses.

Auxiliary avere (io/tu/lui/lei/noi/voi/loro)

FormConjugation
Ioavessi
Tuavessi
Lui/leiavesse
Noiavessimo
Voiaveste
Loroavessero

Auxiliary essere (io/tu/lui/lei/noi/voi/loro)

FormConjugation
Iofossi
Tufossi
Lui/leifosse
Noifossimo
Voifoste
Lorofossero
For example, the verb mangiare (to eat, using avere) conjugates as che io avessi mangiato, che tu avessi mangiato, che lui/lei avesse mangiato, che noi avessimo mangiato, che voi aveste mangiato, che loro avessero mangiato. Similarly, andare (to go, using essere) yields che io fossi andato/a, che tu fossi andato/a, che lui fosse andato, che lei fosse andata, che noi fossimo andati/e, che voi foste andati/e, che loro fossero andati/e (with agreement for and number). This tense is primarily used in subordinate clauses introduced by che following verbs expressing doubt, emotion, or opinion in the past (e.g., dubitare che, temere che), or in hypothetical if-clauses (se) to convey unreal past conditions and their consequences. In the latter, it pairs with the conditional perfect in the main clause: Se avessi saputo la verità, avrei detto tutto (If I had known the truth, I would have told everything). Other contexts include wishes or regrets (Avrei voluto che fossi arrivato prima, I would have wanted you to have arrived earlier) and reported speech about prior past events (Non credevo che avessero già finito, I didn't think they had already finished).

Conditional Mood

Present Conditional

The present conditional (condizionale presente) in Italian is a simple tense formed by taking the infinitive stem and adding specific endings, expressing hypothetical actions, polite requests, wishes, or future events viewed from the past. It shares the same stems as the futuro semplice, with endings that distinguish it morphologically. For regular verbs, the stem is formed from the by dropping the final -e (changing the final -a to -e for -are verbs), then adding the endings -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. The endings are uniform across conjugations, but the stem incorporates the verb's . For instance, in the first conjugation (-are verbs like parlare), the stem is parler-; in the second (-ere like prendere), prender-; and in the third (-ire like dormire), dormir-. Verbs ending in -care or -gare insert an -h before the endings to preserve (e.g., pagherei from pagare), while certain verbs like bere or volere add a double -r (e.g., berrei, vorrei). The following table illustrates the conjugation for representative regular verbs in each class:
Person-are (parlare)-ere (prendere)-ire (dormire)
parlereiprendereidormirei
tuparlerestiprenderestidormiresti
lui/lei/Lui/Loroparlerebbeprenderebbedormirebbe
noiparleremmoprenderemmodormiremmo
voiparleresteprenderestedormireste
loroparlerebberoprenderebberodormirebbero
This tense is commonly used to convey in requests or statements, softening direct imperatives; for example, Vorrei un caffè, per favore ("I would like a , please") instead of a blunt . It also expresses wishes or desires, as in Come vorrei viaggiare di più! ("How I would like to travel more!"). In hypothetical contexts, it denotes possible or unreal conditions tied to the present or future, such as Se piovesse, resterei a casa ("If it rained, I would stay home"). Additionally, it appears in to report future actions from a past perspective, like Disse che verrebbe domani ("He said he would come tomorrow").

Past Conditional

The past conditional, known as condizionale passato in Italian, is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that would have occurred in the past, often conveying regrets, speculation, or outcomes in conditional scenarios. It is formed by combining the present conditional of the auxiliary s avere (to have) or essere (to be) with the past of the main . Transitive verbs and most intransitive verbs use avere as the auxiliary, while verbs of motion, state, or change typically use essere, requiring the past participle to agree in and number with the subject. For example, avrei mangiato means "I would have eaten" (using avere), and sarei partito means "I would have left" (using essere, masculine singular). The present conditional forms of the auxiliaries are as follows: Avere (present conditional):
PersonConjugation
ioavrei
tuavresti
lui/lei/Leiavrebbe
noiavremmo
voiavreste
loro/Loroavrebbero
Essere (present conditional):
PersonConjugation
iosarei
tusaresti
lui/lei/Leisarebbe
noisaremmo
voisareste
loro/Lorosarebbero
These forms are then paired with the past participle to create the full tense. In usage, the past conditional often expresses regrets about missed opportunities or actions one wishes had been taken, such as avrei dovuto studiare ("I should have studied"). It also appears in third-type conditional sentences to describe unreal past conditions and their hypothetical results, for instance, Se avessi preso l’autobus, sarei arrivato in tempo ("If I had taken the bus, I would have arrived on time"). Additionally, it can indicate future actions viewed from a past perspective or report unconfirmed past events, like Si dice che avrebbe vinto il premio ("They say he would have won the prize").

Imperative Mood

Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Italian is used to issue direct commands, instructions, or suggestions, primarily in the second person singular (tu for informal), second person plural ( for informal plural), first person plural (noi for inclusive suggestions like "let's"), and formal second person singular (). It draws briefly from the present indicative for informal tu, noi, and forms and from the present subjunctive for the formal form. For regular verbs, the affirmative imperative is formed by modifying the verb stem according to the conjugation class (-are, -ere, or -ire). In the -are class, the tu form ends in -a (e.g., parla from parlare, "speak!"), the noi form uses -iamo (parliamo, "let's speak!"), the form uses -ate (parlate, "speak!"), and the form uses -i (parli, "speak!" formal). The following tables illustrate the endings for regular verbs in each class: Regular -are verbs (e.g., amare, "to love")
PersonEndingExample
tu-aama
noi-iamoamiamo
-ateamate
-iami
Regular -ere verbs (e.g., credere, "to believe")
PersonEndingExample
tu-icredi
noi-iamocrediamo
-etecredete
-acreda
Regular -ire verbs (e.g., finire, "to finish"; note: -isc- verbs like finire follow the same pattern but include -isc- in tu, Lei, and Loro forms)
PersonEndingExample
tu-iscifinisci
noi-iamofiniamo
voi-itefinite
Lei-iscafinisca
These forms apply across regular verbs, with the infinitive stem serving as the base (e.g., mang- from mangiare yields mangia for tu, "eat!"). In usage, the tu and forms convey informal commands (e.g., Mangia la mela!, "Eat the apple!" or Mangiate le mele!, "Eat the apples!"), while the noi form suggests group actions (e.g., Mangiamo insieme!, "Let's eat together!"). The form is employed for polite or formal directives (e.g., Venga qui!, "Come here!" from venire). Exclamatory intonation or an typically signals the . Object pronouns (direct or indirect, such as mi "me," lo "it," le "to her") are attached to the end of the in tu, noi, and forms, forming a single word with a , and the final of the often changes to -i for euphony (e.g., dammelo from dare, "give it to me!"; lavatelo, "wash it!" from lavare). For the form, pronouns precede the (e.g., Me dia!, "Give it to me!" from dare). This placement ensures clarity in spoken commands, such as Chiamami subito! ("Call me right away!" from chiamare).

Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Italian is formed by placing the adverb non before the appropriate verb form, serving to express prohibitions or negative commands. For the informal second-person singular (tu), the structure uses non followed by the infinitive, as in non parlare! ("don't speak!"). For the formal second-person singular (Lei), non precedes the present subjunctive in the third-person singular, such as non parli! ("don't speak!"). The first-person plural (noi) and second-person plural (voi) employ non with their respective present indicative forms, which coincide with the subjunctive for many regular verbs, for example non parliamo! ("let's not speak!") and non parlate! ("don't speak!"). Examples illustrate these distinctions across persons, highlighting the formal-informal divide. In the informal tu form with the verb mangiare ("to eat"), one says non mangiare! ("don't eat!"), while the formal Lei equivalent is non mangi! ("don't eat!"). For noi, non mangiamo! conveys "let's not eat!"; for voi, non mangiate! means "don't eat!" (plural informal). The third-person plural (loro), though rare in modern usage, follows the subjunctive as non mangino! ("don't eat!"). These forms maintain regularity for -are verbs but adapt for -ere and -ire classes, such as non vedere! (tu) versus non veda! (Lei). This construction is primarily used for prohibitions, warnings, or emphatic negative instructions in spoken and written Italian, such as non fumare! ("don't smoke!") on signs or non lo faccia! ("don't do it!") in polite formal address. Unlike the affirmative imperative, where object pronouns typically attach to the end of the verb for tu, noi, and voi (e.g., parlami! "speak to me!"), the negative imperative alters placement: for tu, pronouns attach to the infinitive after dropping the final -e (e.g., non parlarmi! "don't speak to me!"); for Lei, pronouns precede the verb (e.g., non mi parli! "don't speak to me!"); and for noi and voi, pronouns may precede or follow but often attach at the end (e.g., non parlatemi! or non mi parlate!). This pronoun positioning ensures clarity and adheres to syntactic rules distinct from affirmative commands.

Non-Finite Forms

Infinitive

The infinitive is the base, unconjugated form of an Italian , lacking any indication of , number, tense, or mood. It typically ends in -are for first-conjugation verbs (e.g., amare, to love), -ere for second-conjugation verbs (e.g., credere, to believe), or -ire for third-conjugation verbs (e.g., finire, to finish), with these endings serving to classify verbs into the three main conjugation groups. Unlike forms, the does not inflect for subject agreement and functions primarily as a non-finite or complement. Historically, many Italian infinitives derive from Latin through phonetic contractions and simplifications in . For instance, the verb (to do, make) evolved from Latin facere via , where the final syllables were shortened, a process common in the transition to . Similarly, bere (to drink) contracted from the Vulgar Latin form bevere, which itself stemmed from bibere; the longer form bevere is preserved in some Italian dialects, particularly southern ones. These contractions reflect broader phonological reductions in the development of Italian from Latin, particularly affecting second-conjugation verbs. The serves multiple syntactic roles in Italian sentences. It commonly follows modal verbs such as volere (to want), potere (to be able), dovere (to have to), and sapere (to know how), forming compound constructions without an intervening preposition, as in Voglio mangiare (I want to eat). It also appears after other conjugated verbs with prepositions like di, a, da, or per, for example, Ho deciso di partire (I decided to leave). Additionally, the can function as a , serving as the subject or object of a sentence, often preceded by the definite article il, such as Bere è importante per la salute (Drinking is important for health). In these nominal uses, it takes masculine singular agreement for adjectives or determiners.

Gerund

The (gerundio) in Italian is a non-finite form that expresses ongoing or simultaneous actions, often functioning adverbially to indicate manner, time, cause, or relative to the main . Unlike forms, it does not inflect for , number, or tense on its own, and its subject is typically coreferential with that of the main unless explicitly specified otherwise.

Present Gerund Formation

The present is formed by taking the stem and adding the endings -ando for first-conjugation verbs (-are) and -endo for second- and third-conjugation verbs (-ere and -ire). This form remains invariable, showing no agreement in or number. The following table illustrates the formation for representative regular verbs across the three conjugations:
ConjugationStemPresent
First (-are)parlareparl-parlando
Second (-ere)temeretem-temendo
Third (-ire)finirefin-finendo
For example, in "Parlando con lei, ho capito tutto" (Speaking with her, I understood everything), the "parlando" describes an action simultaneous with the main .

Usage of the Present Gerund

The present gerund primarily denotes actions occurring at the same time as the main verb, often introduced by commas in written Italian to set off the adverbial phrase. It can express simultaneity, as in "Leggendo il giornale, bevo il caffè" (While reading the newspaper, I drink coffee), where both actions unfold concurrently. It also serves adverbial roles, such as indicating cause ("Essendo stanco, mi sono fermato" – Being tired, I stopped) or manner ("Ha risposto ridendo" – He answered laughing). Additionally, it frequently appears after conjunctions like mentre to highlight temporal overlap, as in "Mentre andavo al mercato, ho incontrato un amico" (While going to the market, I met a friend), though mentre can also pair with finite imperfect forms for similar effect. When the gerund's subject differs from the main clause's, it must be explicitly stated and positioned after the gerund for clarity, as in "Essendo tu responsabile, decidi tu" (Since you are responsible, you decide), a construction typical of formal registers.

Past Gerund Formation and Usage

The past gerund (gerundio composto) expresses an action completed before the main and is formed using the present gerund of the auxiliary avere (avendo) or essere (essendo) followed by the past participle of the main . The choice of auxiliary follows the same rules as in compound tenses: avere for s and most intransitives, essere for verbs of motion or state change, with the participle agreeing in and number with the subject when essere is used. Examples include "Avendo comprato il pane, sono tornato a casa" (Having bought the , I returned ) for a and "Essendo arrivata presto, ha aspettato" (Having arrived early, she waited) for an intransitive with agreement (arrivata agrees with the feminine subject). This form emphasizes anteriority, as in "Avendo letto il libro, ne ho discusso" (Having read the book, I discussed it), where the reading precedes the discussion. Unlike the present gerund, it conveys a sequence of events rather than simultaneity.

Participles

In , the present participle, known as participio presente, is formed by adding the -ante to the stem of verbs ending in -are and -ente to the stems of verbs ending in -ere or -ire. For example, from parlare (to speak), the present participle is parlante (speaking), and from prendere (to take), it is prendente (taking). This form primarily functions as an , modifying a to describe an ongoing action or state, and it agrees in and number with the noun it qualifies, following standard adjectival patterns. A common use appears in phrases like persona parlante (speaking person), where parlante describes the individual's characteristic activity. The past participle, or participio passato, serves a similar adjectival , indicating a completed action or resulting state, and is formed by replacing the endings with -ato for -are verbs, -uto for -ere verbs, and -ito for -ire verbs (with many irregularities in specific verbs). When used adjectivally, it agrees in and number with the modified , much like a regular ; for instance, casa mangiata dai topi (house eaten by mice) employs mangiata to describe the house's condition, adjusting the feminine singular ending to match casa. This agreement ensures concordance, as in libro letto (book read, masculine singular) versus lettera letta (letter read, feminine singular). Such uses often convey passive implications or permanent attributes, distinguishing them from verbal contexts. Italian also features a rare future participle, or participio futuro, which has largely fallen out of use and survives primarily as a relic in fossilized expressions or derived nouns, such as nascituro (about to be born) or venturo (, as in l'anno venturo, the coming year). This form, once more productive in Latin, is declining in modern Italian and is confined to literary or archaic registers, with no standard productive endings applied today.

Irregular Verbs

Regular Patterns in Irregular Verbs

While many Italian verbs follow the standard conjugation patterns of the three main classes (-are, -ere, -ire), a subset of irregular verbs exhibits predictable deviations known as semi-regular or patterned irregularities, which allow learners to anticipate forms based on shared morphological rules.Albright (2002) These patterns primarily affect the stem in certain tenses and moods, often arising from historical phonological processes inherited from Latin. One common pattern involves stem changes through vowel alternations, particularly in -ere verbs, where the vowel shifts between forms to reflect stress or historical diphthongization.Albright (2002) For instance, the potere ("to be able") alternates between an o-stem in the present indicative (posso, "I can") and an e-stem in other forms like the (potevo, "I could").Chitoran & Hualde (2007) This e/o alternation traces back to Latin posse, where stressed syllables developed mobile diphthongs like [wo] from mid-low s, which later simplified in unstressed positions, creating the alternating stems observed in modern Italian.Chitoran & Hualde (2007) Another frequent anomaly occurs in some -ire verbs, where the -isc- is inserted into the stem for present indicative and subjunctive forms of the first three persons singular and third person plural, deviating from the pure -ire endings.Albright (2002) This insertion, seen in about two-thirds of -ire verbs, maintains regularity elsewhere and stems from Latin second-conjugation influences on third-conjugation forms, preserving prosodic templates.Davis & Napoli (1990) An example is finire ("to finish"), which conjugates as finisco ("I finish"), finisci ("you finish"), finisce ("he/she finishes"), and finiscono ("they finish") in the present indicative, while reverting to the base stem in other tenses. These patterns are exemplified in semi-irregular verbs like preferire ("to prefer"), which follows the -isc- insertion in the but aligns with standard -ire forms otherwise.Albright (2002) The present indicative conjugation is:
PersonConjugation
iopreferisco
tupreferisci
lui/leipreferisce
noipreferiamo
voipreferite
loropreferiscono
In contrast, dormire ("") represents -ire verbs without -isc- insertion, maintaining a consistent stem across most forms, including the gerund ("sleeping"), formed by adding -endo to the infinitive stem as in regular -ire verbs.Albright (2002) Such distinctions highlight how Latin-derived phonological rules, like vowel leveling in unstressed syllables, produced these reliable subpatterns in Italian irregularity.Chitoran & Hualde (2007)

Fully Irregular Verbs

Fully irregular verbs in Italian deviate significantly from standard conjugation patterns across multiple tenses and moods, often incorporating suppletive forms derived from Latin roots or historical changes. These verbs form the core of the language's auxiliary and modal systems, with essere (to be) and avere (to have) serving as auxiliaries for forming compound tenses, while others like andare (to go), fare (to do/make), dire (to say), and venire (to come) exhibit unique stem changes and endings. Modal verbs such as potere (to be able), volere (to want), and dovere (to have to) also display fully irregular patterns, particularly in the present indicative and subjunctive. These irregularities are essential for accurate expression, as they appear frequently in everyday and formal Italian. A notable feature is the use of suppletive forms, where different roots replace expected ones; for example, the past historic of essere uses fui (from Latin fui), not a form derived from ess-. Contractions occur in informal speech or fixed expressions, such as do' for in some dialects, though standard Italian maintains full forms. As auxiliaries, essere is used with intransitive motion or state-change verbs (e.g., Sono andato – I went), while avere pairs with transitives (e.g., Ho mangiato – I ate). Modals like potere combine with infinitives to express possibility (e.g., Posso venire? – Can I come?). Below are complete conjugation tables for the key fully irregular verbs, covering indicative, subjunctive, conditional, imperative, and non-finite forms. These are based on standard modern Italian usage.

Essere (to be)

Essere is highly suppletive, with forms like sono (present) and fui (past historic) showing no relation to the infinitive stem. It functions as the auxiliary for reflexive, reciprocal, and many intransitive verbs.

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentesonoseièsiamosietesono
Imperfettoeroerieraeravamoeravateerano
Passato remotofuifostifufummofostefurono
Futuro semplicesaròsaraisaràsaremosaretesaranno
Passato prossimosono stato/asei stato/aè stato/asiamo stati/esiete stati/esono stati/e
Trapassato prossimoero stato/aeri stato/aera stato/aeravamo stati/eeravate stati/eerano stati/e
Trapassato remotofui stato/afosti stato/afu stato/afummo stati/efoste stati/efurono stati/e
Futuro anterioresarò stato/asarai stato/asarà stato/asaremo stati/esarete stati/esaranno stati/e

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentesiasiasiasiamosiatesiano
Imperfettofossifossifossefossimofostefossero
Passatosia stato/asia stato/asia stato/asiamo stati/esiate stati/esiano stati/e
Trapassatofossi stato/afossi stato/afosse stato/afossimo stati/efoste stati/efossero stati/e

Conditional Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentesareisarestisarebbesaremmosarestesarebbero
Passatosarei stato/asaresti stato/asarebbe stato/asaremmo stati/esareste stati/esarebbero stati/e

Imperative Mood

FormAffirmativeNegative
tusiinon essere
Leisianon sia
noisiamonon siamo
voisiatenon siate
Lorosianonon siano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente: essere
  • Infinito passato: essere stato/a
  • Participio presente: essente
  • Participio passato: stato/a/i/e
  • Gerundio presente: essendo
  • Gerundio passato: essendo stato/a
Example: Se fossi ricco, sarei felice (If I were rich, I would be happy).

Avere (to have)

Avere serves primarily as the auxiliary for transitive verbs in compound tenses and shows irregularities like ho (present) and ebbi (past historic).

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentehohaihaabbiamoavetehanno
Imperfettoavevoaveviavevaavevamoavevateavevano
Passato remotoebbiavestiebbeavemmoavesteebbero
Futuro sempliceavròavraiavràavremoavreteavranno
Passato prossimoho avutohai avutoha avutoabbiamo avutoavete avutohanno avuto
Trapassato prossimoavevo avutoavevi avutoaveva avutoavevamo avutoavevate avutoavevano avuto
Trapassato remotoebbi avutoavesti avutoebbe avutoavemmo avutoaveste avutoebbero avuto
Futuro anterioreavrò avutoavrai avutoavrà avutoavremo avutoavrete avutoavranno avuto

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presenteabbiaabbiaabbiaabbiamoabbiateabbiano
Imperfettoavessiavessiavesseavessimoavesteavessero
Passatoabbia avutoabbia avutoabbia avutoabbiamo avutoabbiate avutoabbiano avuto
Trapassatoavessi avutoavessi avutoavesse avutoavessimo avutoaveste avutoavessero avuto

Conditional Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presenteavreiavrestiavrebbeavremmoavresteavrebbero
Passatoavrei avutoavresti avutoavrebbe avutoavremmo avutoavreste avutoavrebbero avuto

Imperative Mood

FormAffirmativeNegative
tuabbinon avere
Leiabbianon abbia
noiabbiamonon abbiamo
voiabbiatenon abbiate
Loroabbianonon abbiano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente: avere
  • Infinito passato: avere avuto
  • Participio presente: avente
  • Participio passato: avuto
  • Gerundio presente: avendo
  • Gerundio passato: avendo avuto
Example: Ho avuto un'idea (I had an idea).

Andare (to go)

Andare features a unique present stem v- and suppletive past forms like andai.

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentevadovaivaandiamoandatevanno
Imperfettoandavoandaviandavaandavamoandavateandavano
Passato remotoandaiandastiandòandammoandasteandarono
Futuro sempliceandròandraiandràandremoandreteandranno
Passato prossimosono andato/asei andato/aè andato/asiamo andati/esiete andati/esono andati/e
Trapassato prossimoero andato/aeri andato/aera andato/aeravamo andati/eeravate andati/eerano andati/e
Trapassato remotofui andato/afosti andato/afu andato/afummo andati/efoste andati/efurono andati/e
Futuro anterioresarò andato/asarai andato/asarà andato/asaremo andati/esarete andati/esaranno andati/e

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentevadavadavadaandiamoandiatevadano
Imperfettoandassiandassiandasseandassimoandasteandassero
Passatosia andato/asia andato/asia andato/asiamo andati/esiate andati/esiano andati/e
Trapassatoandassi andato/aandassi andato/aandasse andato/aandassimo andati/eandaste andati/eandassero andati/e

Conditional Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presenteandreiandrestiandrebbeandremmoandresteandrebbero
Passatosarei andato/asaresti andato/asarebbe andato/asaremmo andati/esareste andati/esarebbero andati/e

Imperative Mood

FormAffirmativeNegative
tuva' / vainon andare
Leivadanon vada
noiandiamonon andiamo
voiandatenon andate
Lorovadanonon vadano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente: andare
  • Infinito passato: essere andato/a
  • Participio presente: andante
  • Participio passato: andato/a/i/e
  • Gerundio presente: andando
  • Gerundio passato: essendo andato/a
Example: Vado al mercato ogni sabato (I go to the market every Saturday).

Fare (to do/make)

Fare has widespread irregularities, including feci in the past historic, and is often used in idiomatic expressions like fare la doccia (to take a shower).

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentefacciofaifafacciamofatefanno
Imperfettofacevofacevifacevafacevamofacevatefacevano
Passato remotofecifacestifecefacemmofacestefecero
Futuro semplicefaròfaraifaràfaremofaretefaranno
Passato prossimoho fattohai fattoha fattoabbiamo fattoavete fattohanno fatto
Trapassato prossimoavevo fattoavevi fattoaveva fattoavevamo fattoavevate fattoavevano fatto
Trapassato remotoebbi fattoavesti fattoebbe fattoavemmo fattoaveste fattoebbero fatto
Futuro anterioreavrò fattoavrai fattoavrà fattoavremo fattoavrete fattoavranno fatto

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentefacciafacciafacciafacciamofacciatefacciano
Imperfettofacessifacessifacessefacessimofacestefacessero
Passatoabbia fattoabbia fattoabbia fattoabbiamo fattoabbiate fattoabbiano fatto
Trapassatofacessi fattofacessi fattofacesse fattofacessimo fattofaceste fattofacessero fatto

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentefareifarestifarebbefaremmofarestefarebbero
Passatoavrei fattoavresti fattoavrebbe fattoavremmo fattoavreste fattoavrebbero fatto

FormAffirmativeNegative
tufainon fare
Leifaccianon faccia
noifacciamonon facciamo
voifatenon fate
Lorofaccianonon facciano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente:
  • Infinito passato: avere fatto
  • Participio presente: facente
  • Participio passato: fatto
  • Gerundio presente: facendo
  • Gerundio passato: avendo fatto
Example: Faccio i compiti ora (I'm doing my now).

Dire (to say)

Dire uses stems like dic- and dis- , with suppletive dissi in the past historic.

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentedicodicidicediciamoditedicono
Imperfettodicevodicevidicevadicevamodicevatedicevano
Passato remotodissidicestidissedicemmodicestedissero
Futuro semplicediròdiraidiràdiremodiretediranno
Passato prossimoho dettohai dettoha dettoabbiamo dettoavete dettohanno detto
Trapassato prossimoavevo dettoavevi dettoaveva dettoavevamo dettoavevate dettoavevano detto
Trapassato remotoebbi dettoavesti dettoebbe dettoavemmo dettoaveste dettoebbero detto
Futuro anterioreavrò dettoavrai dettoavrà dettoavremo dettoavrete dettoavranno detto

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentedicadicadicadiciamodiciatedicano
Imperfettodicessidicessidicessedicessimodicestedicessero
Passatoabbia dettoabbia dettoabbia dettoabbiamo dettoabbiate dettoabbiano detto
Trapassatodicessi dettodicessi dettodicesse dettodicessimo dettodiceste dettodicessero detto

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentedireidirestidirebbediremmodirestedirebbero
Passatoavrei dettoavresti dettoavrebbe dettoavremmo dettoavreste dettoavrebbero detto

Imperative Mood

FormAffirmativeNegative
tudi' / dicinon dire
Leidicanon dica
noidiciamonon diciamo
voiditenon dite
Lorodicanonon dicano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente: dire
  • Infinito passato: avere detto
  • Participio presente: dicente
  • Participio passato: detto
  • Gerundio presente: dicendo
  • Gerundio passato: avendo detto
Example: Dico la verità (I say the truth).

Venire (to come)

Venire shares irregularities with andare, using v- stem in present and ven- elsewhere, with vengo as a unique form.

Indicative Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentevengovienivieneveniamovenitevengono
Imperfettovenivovenivivenivavenivamovenivatevenivano
Passato remotovennivenistivennevenimmovenistevennero
Futuro sempliceverròverraiverràverremoverreteverranno
Passato prossimosono venuto/asei venuto/aè venuto/asiamo venuti/esiete venuti/esono venuti/e
Trapassato prossimoero venuto/aeri venuto/aera venuto/aeravamo venuti/eeravate venuti/eerano venuti/e
Trapassato remotofui venuto/afosti venuto/afu venuto/afummo venuti/efoste venuti/efurono venuti/e
Futuro anterioresarò venuto/asarai venuto/asarà venuto/asaremo venuti/esarete venuti/esaranno venuti/e

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presentevengavengavengaveniamoveniatevengano
Imperfettovenissivenissivenissevenissimovenistevenissero
Passatosia venuto/asia venuto/asia venuto/asiamo venuti/esiate venuti/esiano venuti/e
Trapassatovenissi venuto/avenissi venuto/avenisse venuto/avenissimo venuti/eveniste venuti/evenissero venuti/e

Conditional Mood

Tenseiotului/leinoivoiloro
Presenteverreiverrestiverrebbeverremmoverresteverrebbero
Passatosarei venuto/asaresti venuto/asarebbe venuto/asaremmo venuti/esareste venuti/esarebbero venuti/e

Imperative Mood

FormAffirmativeNegative
tuvieninon venire
Leivenganon venga
noiveniamonon veniamo
voivenitenon venite
Lorovenganonon vengano

Non-Finite Forms

  • Infinito presente: venire
  • Infinito passato: essere venuto/a
  • Participio presente: veniente
  • Participio passato: venuto/a/i/e
  • Gerundio presente: venendo
  • Gerundio passato: essendo venuto/a
Example: Vengo da Roma (I come from Rome). For modal verbs like potere, volere, and dovere, conjugations follow similar irregular patterns, primarily in the present and imperfect, and they precede infinitives in constructions (e.g., Voglio mangiare – I want to eat). Their full tables mirror the structure above but with stems posso/pot-, voglio/vol-, and devo/dov- respectively.

Special Verb Types

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs in Italian are those in which the subject performs an action upon itself, requiring the use of a that corresponds to the subject. These verbs typically end in -arsi, -ersi, or -irsi in their infinitive form, such as lavarsi (to wash oneself) or alzarsi (to get up). The reflexive pronouns are mi (myself), ti (yourself), si (himself/herself/itself/themselves), ci (ourselves), and vi (yourselves), placed directly before the conjugated verb in simple tenses.
Subject PronounReflexive Pronoun
iomi
tuti
lui/lei/Leisi
noici
voivi
loro/Lorosi
Conjugation of reflexive verbs follows the standard patterns for -are, -ere, and -ire verbs, with the attached before the verb form. For example, the present indicative of lavarsi is: mi lavo (I wash myself), ti lavi (you wash yourself), si lava (he/she washes himself/herself), ci laviamo (we wash ourselves), vi lavate (you all wash yourselves), si lavano (they wash themselves). In compound tenses, reflexive verbs use the essere (to be) rather than avere (to have), as is standard for intransitive verbs involving motion or change of state. The past participle of reflexive verbs agrees in gender and number with the subject when using essere. For instance, Mi sono lavato (I [masculine] washed myself) becomes Mi sono lavata (I [feminine] washed myself), and Ci siamo divertiti (we [masculine plural] enjoyed ourselves) adjusts to Ci siamo divertite for feminine plural subjects. This agreement rule ensures the participle reflects the subject's characteristics, distinguishing reflexive constructions from non-reflexive ones. Reflexive verbs serve various functions beyond literal self-action. True reflexives describe direct actions on oneself, such as pensarsi (to think of oneself) or vestirsi (to dress oneself). Reciprocal reflexives, used only in forms, indicate mutual actions between subjects, like parlarsi (to speak to each other) in Ci parliamo ogni giorno (We speak to each other every day). Idiomatic reflexives often convey changes of state or have non-literal meanings, such as andarsene (to leave) or innamorarsi (to fall in love). These usages highlight the versatility of reflexive constructions in expressing personal or interactive experiences.

Pronominal Verbs

Pronominal verbs in Italian, known as verbi pronominali, are verbs that incorporate one or more pronominal particles—such as si, ci, ne, or la—to form idiomatic expressions with meanings distinct from the base verb, often lacking a direct non-pronominal equivalent. Unlike true reflexive verbs, which denote an action performed by the subject on itself (as covered in the section on reflexive verbs), pronominal verbs do not necessarily imply self-directed action; instead, the pronoun alters the 's semantics to convey nuances like inchoative states, reciprocals, or intransitive uses based on idiomatic convention rather than literal reflexivity. Common examples include accorgersi ("to realize" or "to notice"), as in Mi sono accorto dell'errore ("I realized the mistake"), where si creates a transitive-like without self-reference, and pentirsi ("to repent" or "to "), as in Si è pentito della sua decisione ("He repented of his decision"), often combined with ne for emphasis, e.g., Te ne pentirai! ("You'll it!"). Other frequent pronominal verbs are vergognarsi ("to be ashamed"), stancarsi ("to get tired"), farcela ("to manage" or "to make it"), and andarsene ("to leave"), which illustrate how particles like ci or ne refine meaning—farcela, for instance, uses double particles to express success in a task. These verbs typically appear in forms ending in -si or with attached particles, and lists of such verbs often highlight their role in everyday idiomatic speech. Conjugation of pronominal verbs follows regular patterns by adding the appropriate (s) to the stem, with the pronouns preceding the verb in finite forms except in infinitives and imperatives where they attach to the end. For example, accorgersi conjugates in the present indicative as mi accorgo, ti accorgi, si accorge, etc., and in compound tenses like the passato prossimo, it uses essere as the auxiliary—Mi sono accorto ("I realized")—regardless of whether the base would normally take avere, reflecting their inherent . Similarly, pentirsi forms Mi pento in the present and Mi sono pentito in the past, with agreement of the past participle for gender and number when applicable. Historically, many pronominal verbs trace their origins to Latin passive or deponent constructions, where reflexive pronouns evolved from accusative markers to express middle voice or spontaneous events, adapting in to form the idiomatic Romance patterns seen in modern Italian. This evolution allowed for expressive intransitive forms, such as Latin accorgere se influencing accorgersi, emphasizing perceptual or emotional realizations without an explicit agent.

References

  1. https://mangolanguages.com/resources/learn/[grammar](/page/Grammar)/italian/what-is-the-imperative-and-how-does-it-work-in-italian
  2. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bere
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