VERB CONJUGATION
Present Tense
LEVEL A1
All Italian verbs end in –are, –ere, or –ire in their infinitives. Verbs ending in -are (like mangiare, to eat) are in the 1st conjugation. Verbs ending in -ere (like vedere, to see) are in the 2nd conjugation. Verbs ending in -ire (like sentire, to hear) are in the 3rd conjugation.
The 3 verb conjugations explained
Most Italian verbs follow one of three common patterns, known as conjugations. Each verb has an invariable stem (or root) and a verb ending which identifies the person, the tense and other features.
The three conjugations are distinguished by the form that the verb takes in its infinitive form: the 1st conjugation ending in –are, the 2nd conjugation ending in –ere and the 3rd conjugation ending in –ire.
The stem (or root) of a verb is formed by dropping these endings (-are, -ere, or -ire) from the infinitive form. For example, with the verb parlare (to speak), the stem is simply parl– and conjugation adds the appropriate endings for each person, singular and plural.
Verbs of the 3rd conjugation (ending in -ire) follow two distinct patterns: the pattern of the verb dormire (to sleep) and the (more common) pattern of the verb finire (to finish), with endings in –isco.
Both patterns belong to the 3rd conjugation. Where they differ, the forms of the 3rd conjugation verb finire are shown in a different column. Otherwise they are the same as those of dormire.
present TENSE
presente
*required for GCSE
1st conjugation
2nd conjugation
3rd conjugation
like dormire
3rd conjugation
like finire
io
tu
lui
noi
voi
loro
1st conjugation
-are
parlare - to speak
parl-o
parl-i
parl-a
parl-iamo
parl-ate
parl-ano
2nd conjugation
-ere
credere - to believe
cred-o
cred-i
cred-e
cred-iamo
cred-ete
cred-ono
3rd conjugation
-ire
dormire - to sleep
dorm-o
dorm-i
dorm-e
dorm-iamo
dorm-ite
dorm-ono
3rd conjugation
-ire
finire - to finish
fin-isco
fin-isci
fin-isce
fin-iamo
fin-ite
fin-iscono
1. VERBS ENDING IN -ARE
(1st conjugation)
The present indicative of regular verbs ending in -are (1st conjugation) are formed by adding –o, –i, –a, –iamo, –ate or –ano to the stem of the verb.
The stem is obtained by dropping the –are ending from the infinitive form of the verb, as shown with the verbs parlare (to speak) with the stem parl– and guardare (to look at, to watch) with the stem guard– conjugated here.
parlare
(to speak)
io parl-o
tu parl-i
lui parl-a
noi parl-iamo
voi parl-ate
loro parl-ano
guardare
(to look at)
io guard-o
tu guard-i
lui guard-a
noi guard-iamo
voi guard-ate
loro guard-ano
List of Level A1 verbs ending in -are
- aiutare - to help
- amare - to love
- arrivare - to arrive
- ascoltare - to listen
- aspettare - to wait
- ballare - to dance
- cambiare - to change
- camminare - to walk
- cantare - to sing
- cenare - to have dinner
- cercare - to look for
- chiamare - to call
- cominciare - to start
- comprare - to buy
- cucinare - to cook
- desiderare - to desire, to wish
- disegnare - to draw
- domandare - to ask
- fumare - to smoke
- giocare - to play
- guardare - to watch
- guidare - to drive
- imparare - to learn
- incontrare - to meet
- iniziare - to begin
- insegnare - to teach
- inviare - to send
- invitare - to invite
- lasciare - to leave
- lavare - to wash
- lavorare - to work
- mandare - to send
- mangiare - to eat
- mostrare - to show
- nuotare - to swim
- pagare - to pay
- parlare - to speak
- passeggiare - to go for a walk
- pensare - to think
- portare - to carry, to wear
- pranzare - to have lunch
- raccontare - to recount, to tell
- recitare - to recite
- restare - to stay
- ricordare - to remember
- studiare - to study
- telefonare - to phone
- trovare - to find
- usare - to use
- utilizzare - to make use of
- viaggiare - to travel
- visitare - to visit
- volare - to fly
Regular verbs ending in -are requiring spelling changes
For some regular verbs, although the verbs endings are entirely regular, the spelling of the stem has to change for pronunciation purposes. These are not considered irregular verbs, since their verb endings are entirely regular, but the spelling of the verb stem itself changes in certain cases.
Verbs ending in -care or -gare
cercare
(to look for)
io cerc-o
tu cerch–i
lui cerc-a
noi cerch–iamo
voi cerc-ate
loro cerc-ano
pagare
(to pay)
io pag-o
tu pagh–i
lui pag-a
noi pagh–iamo
voi pag-ate
loro pag-ano
Verbs ending in -iare
Verbs ending in -iare behave in one of two ways, depending on whether or not the -i syllable in the first person singular (io) is stressed.
In the first group, where the -i in the 1st person singular (io) is not stressed, then the tu form will end in -i, not -ii. Verbs like cambiare (to change) or studiare (to study) have stems which end in the letter –i, but this -i is not the stressed vowel. So these stems drop the -i before any verb endings which start with the vowels -e or -i.
For example, the stem of the verb cambiare (to change) is cambi-. The verb ending for tu is -i, so the final -i on the stem cambi– is dropped. Instead of tu cambii (with double i), the stem is truncated to camb- and the correct form is tu cambi.
Likewise, the verb ending for noi is –iamo, so the final -i on the stem cambi– is dropped. Instead of noi cambiiamo (with double -ii), the stem is again truncated to camb– and the correct form is noi cambiamo.
The second and much smaller group of –iare verbs, where the -i of the stem is the accented syllable, like inviare (to send) and sciare (to ski), do not drop the -i of the stem, so the correct form of tu ends in -ii.
cambiare
(to change)
io cambi-o
tu camb-i
lui cambi-a
noi camb-iamo
voi cambi-ate
loro cambi-ano
inviare
(to send)
io invi-o
tu invi–i
lui invi-a
noi inv-iamo
voi invi-ate
loro invi-ano
studiare
(to study)
io studi-o
tu stud-i
lui studi-a
noi stud-iamo
voi studi-ate
loro studi-ano
sciare
(to ski)
io sci-o
tu sci–i
lui sci-a
noi sci-amo
voi sci-ate
loro sci-ano
Verbs ending in -ciare or -giare
Verbs like cominciare (to begin) or mangiare (to eat) have stems which end in the letter –i. So they drop the final -i before any verb endings which start with the vowels -e or -i.
For example, the stem of the verb cominciare (to start) is cominci-. The verb ending for tu is -i, so the final -i on the stem cominci– is dropped. Instead of tu comincii (with double i), the stem is truncated to cominc– and the correct form is tu cominci.
Likewise, the verb ending for noi is –iamo, so the final -i on the stem cominci– is dropped. Instead of noi cominciiamo (with double i), the stem is again truncated to cominc– and the correct form is noi cominciamo.
cominciare
(to start)
io cominci-o
tu cominc-i
lui cominci-a
noi cominc-iamo
voi cominci-ate
loro cominci-ano
mangiare
(to eat)
io mangi-o
tu mang-i
lui mangi-a
noi mang-iamo
voi mangi-ate
loro mangi-ano
QUIZ 1
2. VERBS ENDING IN -eRE
(2nd conjugation)
The present indicative of regular verbs ending in -ere (2nd conjugation) are formed by adding –o, –i, –e, –iamo, –ete or –ono to the stem of the verb.
The stem is obtained by dropping the –ere ending from the infinitive form, as shown with the verbs credere (with the stem cred-) and scrivere (stem scriv-) conjugated here.
credere
(to believe)
io cred-o
tu cred-i
lui cred-e
noi cred-iamo
voi cred-ete
loro cred-ono
scrivere
(to write)
io scriv-o
tu scriv-i
lui scriv-e
noi scriv-iamo
voi scriv-ete
loro scriv-ono
List of Level A1 regular verbs ending in -ere
- apprendere - to learn
- chiedere - to ask for
- chiudere - to close
- conoscere - to know
- correre - to run
- credere - to believe
- dipingere - to paint
- leggere - to read
- mettere - to put
- prendere - to take
- ricevere - to receive
- rispondere - to reply
- scrivere - to write
- smettere - to stop
- vedere - to see
Irregular verbs ending in -ere
In the 2nd conjugation (verbs ending in –ere) there are many irregular verbs. These will be covered lower down, since some irregular 2nd-conjugation verbs (ending in –ere) have more in common with irregular 3rd-conjugation verbs (ending in –ire) than they do with other irregular 2nd-conjugation verbs. It will be more useful to tackle both types of irregular verbs together, making it possible to group together 2nd-conjugation and 3rd-conjugation irregular verbs that share similar conjugation patterns and learn those groups of verbs together.
QUIZ 2
3. VERBS ENDING IN -iRE
(3rd conjugation)
Verbs ending in -ire can be divided into two groups
There are two types of –ire verbs which have different conjugation patterns in the present tense. Most –ire verbs follow the pattern of finire (to finish) and are conjugated by adding –isc– between the stem and the ending in all forms except noi and voi; a smaller number of –ire verbs follow the pattern of dormire (to sleep) and do not insert –isc– in this way. The present tense endings are the same for both types.
Type A - insert -isc- between stem and ending
The first and larger group of -ire verbs are conjugated in the present indicative by adding -isc- between the stem and the ending for the io, tu, lui and loro forms (the verb endings for noi and voi do not), so that the conjugated endings become -isco, –isci, –isce, –iamo, –ite and –iscono.
The stem is obtained by dropping the –ire ending from the infinitive form, as shown with the verbs finire (to finish) with the stem fin– and capire (to understand) with the stem cap– conjugated here.
finire
(to finish)
io fin-isc–o
tu fin-isc–i
lui fin-isc–e
noi fin-iamo
voi fin-ite
loro fin-isc–ono
capire
(to understand)
io cap-isc–o
tu cap-isc–i
lui cap-isc–e
noi cap-iamo
voi cap-ite
loro cap-isc–ono
Type B - do not insert -isc-
The second and smaller group of -ire verbs are conjugated in the present indicative by adding –o, –i, –e, –iamo, –ite or –ono to the stem of the verb.
The stem is obtained by dropping the –ire ending from the infinitive form, as shown with the verbs dormire (to sleep) with the stem dorm– and aprire (to open) with the stem apr– conjugated here.
dormire
(to sleep)
io dorm-o
tu dorm-i
lui dorm-e
noi dorm-iamo
voi dorm-ite
loro dorm-ono
aprire
(to open)
io apr-o
tu apr-i
lui apr-e
noi apr-iamo
voi apr-ite
loro apr-ono
List of Level A1 regular verbs ending in -ire
- aprire - to open
- capire - to understand
- dormire - to sleep
- finire - to finish
- partire - to leave
- pulire - to clean
- sentire - to hear, to smell
QUIZ 3
4. LEvel A1 IRREGULAR VERBS
Irregular verbs ending in -are
- andare - to go
- dare - to give
- fare - to make, to do
- stare - to stay
andare
(to go)
io vado
tu vai
lui va
noi andiamo
voi andate
loro vanno
fare
(to make, to do)
io faccio
tu fai
lui fa
noi facciamo
voi fate
loro fanno
dare
(to give)
io do
tu dai
lui dà
noi diamo
voi date
loro danno
stare
(to stay)
io sto
tu stai
lui sta
noi stiamo
voi state
loro stanno
Irregular verbs ending in -ere
There are numerous 2nd conjugation verbs which are irregular in the present indicative.
- avere - to have
- bere - to drink
- cuocere - to cook
- dovere - to have to
- essere - to be
- piacere - to please
- potere - to be able to
- rimanere - to remain
- sapere - to know
- sedere - to sit
- tenere - to hold
- volere - to want
avere
(to have)
io ho
tu hai
lui ha
noi abbiamo
voi avete
loro hanno
cuocere
(to cook)
io cuocio
tu cuoci
lui cuoce
noi cuociamo
voi cuocete
loro cuociono
essere
(to be)
io sono
tu sei
lui è
noi siamo
voi siete
loro sono
potere
(to be able to)
io posso
tu puoi
lui può
noi possiamo
voi potete
loro possono
rimanere
(to remain)
io rimango
tu rimani
lui rimane
noi rimaniamo
voi rimanete
loro rimangono
tenere
(to hold)
io tengo
tu tieni
lui tiene
noi teniamo
voi tenete
loro tengono
bere
(to drink)
io bevo
tu bevi
lui beve
noi beviamo
voi bevete
loro bevono
dovere
(to have to)
io devo
tu devi
lui deve
noi dobbiamo
voi dovete
loro devono
piacere
(to please)
io piaccio
tu piaci
lui piace
noi piacciamo
voi piacete
loro piacciono
sapere
(to know)
io so
tu sai
lui sa
noi sappiamo
voi sapete
loro sanno
sedere
(to sit)
io siedo
tu siedi
lui siede
noi sediamo
voi sedete
loro siedono
volere
(to want)
io voglio
tu vuoi
lui vuole
noi vogliamo
voi volete
loro vogliono
Irregular verbs ending in -ire
There are several 3rd conjugation verbs which are irregular in the present indicative.
- dire - to say
- morire - to die
- uscire - to go out
- venire - to come
dire
(to say)
io dico
tu dici
lui dice
noi diciamo
voi dite
loro dicono
uscire
(to go out)
io esco
tu esci
lui esce
noi usciamo
voi uscite
loro escono
morire
(to die)
io muoio
tu muori
lui muore
noi moriamo
voi morite
loro muoiono
venire
(to come)
io vengo
tu vieni
lui viene
noi veniamo
voi venite
loro vengono
QUIZ 4
5. Level A1 Reflexive Verbs
A transitive verb is used with a direct object (I close the door).
A reflexive verb (verbo riflessivo) is a type of transitive verb whose subject (the person or thing doing the verb) is the same person or thing as the object of the verb. That is to say, the subject does the verb to itself – the subject and the object of the verb are the same person or thing.
Reflexive verbs are more common in Italian than in English and their infinitives always end in –si.
Reflexive verbs use the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) before the verb.
- chiamarsi - to be called
- sentirsi - to feel
- svegliarsi - to wake up
- alzarsi - to get up, to stand up
- sedersi - to sit down
- lavarsi - to wash oneself
- vestirsi - to get dressed
- svestirsi - to undress
- divertirsi - to have fun
- scusarsi - to apologize
- annoiarsi - to get bored
- arrabbiarsi - to get angry
- addormentarsi - to go to sleep
- esercitarsi - to exercise, to train
- riposarsi - to rest
chiamarsi
(to be called)
io mi chiamo
tu ti chiami
lui si chiama
noi ci chiamiamo
voi vi chiamate
loro si chiamano
svegliarsi
(to wake up)
io mi sveglio
tu ti svegli
lui si sveglia
noi ci svegliamo
voi vi svegliate
loro si svegliano
sedersi
(to sit down)
io mi siedo
tu ti siedi
lui si siede
noi ci sediamo
voi vi sedete
loro si siedono
sentirsi
(to feel)
io mi sento
tu ti senti
lui si sente
noi ci sentiamo
voi vi sentite
loro si sentono
alzarsi
(to get up)
io mi alzo
tu ti alzi
lui si alza
noi ci alziamo
voi vi alzate
loro si alzano
lavarsi
(to wash oneself)
io mi lavo
tu ti lavi
lui si lava
noi ci laviamo
voi vi lavate
loro si lavano
More reflexive conjugations
vestirsi
(to get dressed)
io mi vesto
tu ti vesti
lui si veste
noi ci vestiamo
voi vi vestite
loro si vestono
scusarsi
(to apologize)
io mi scuso
tu ti scusi
lui si scusa
noi ci scusiamo
voi vi scusate
loro si scusano
addormentarsi
(to go to sleep)
io mi addormento
tu ti addormenti
lui si addormenta
noi ci addormentiamo
voi vi addormentate
loro si addormentano
svestirsi
(to undress)
io mi svesto
tu ti svesti
lui si sveste
noi ci svestiamo
voi vi svestite
loro si svestono
annoiarsi
(to get bored)
io mi annoio
tu ti annoi
lui si annoia
noi ci annoiamo
voi vi annoiate
loro si annoiano
esercitarsi
(to exercise)
io mi esercito
tu ti eserciti
lui si esercita
noi ci esercitiamo
voi vi esercitate
loro si esercitano
divertirsi
(to have fun)
io mi diverto
tu ti diverti
lui si diverte
noi ci divertiamo
voi vi divertite
loro si divertono
arrabbiarsi
(to get angry)
io mi arrabbio
tu ti arrabbi
lui si arrabbia
noi ci arrabbiamo
voi vi arrabbiate
loro si arrabbiano
riposarsi
(to rest)
io mi riposo
tu ti riposi
lui si riposa
noi ci riposiamo
voi vi riposate
loro si riposano