The Italian language is one of the most interesting languages to learn. Verbs are the most important part of learning a language. Similarly, the Italian Language has lots of verbs. Learning Italian verbs plays an imperative role in mastering Italian. The Italian language divides verbs into the following kinds.
- Regular Verbs(Regolari Verbs)
- Essere and Avere
- Irregular Verbs(Irregolari Verbs)
- Reflective Verbs (Riflessivi Verbs)
In this article, we have covered each kind of Italian language verb. Lets Div Each of the above kinds of italian Verb in depth.
Avere And Essere
Avere Verb
Avere is a verb that refers to having or possessing something. In Italian grammar, “avere” is an important verb meaning “to have.” The verb is used to show that something has something.
It is commonly used to represent ownership, age, and physical sensations. It is an auxiliary verb used in the formation of compound tenses. Avere is one of the primary verbs to learn while beginners start learning italian. It is irregular, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns. But while you become familiar with these verbs, it will be easy to use them in everyday communication.
Check the comprehensive guide of Avere Verb:
|
|
AVERE Verb in Present Tense (Have) |
AVERE Verb in Past Tense (Had) |
Imperfect Tense Conjugation of AVERE |
AVERE Verb in Future Tense (Will Have) |
Present Conditional Conjugation of AVERE |
|
Io |
Ho (I have) |
Ho avuto (I had) |
Avevo (I had) |
Avrò (I will have) |
Avrei (I would have) |
|
Tu |
Hai (you have) |
Hai avuto (you had) |
Avevi (you had) |
Avrai (you will have) |
Avresti (you would have) |
|
Lui/Lei |
Ha (he or she has) |
Ha avuto (he or she had) |
Aveva (he or she had) |
Avrà (he or she will have) |
Avrebbe (he or she would have) |
|
Noi |
Abbiamo (we have) |
Abbiamo avuto (we had) |
Avevamo (we had) |
Avremo (we will have) |
Avremmo (we would have) |
|
Voi |
Avete (you all have) |
Avete avuto (you all had) |
Avevate (you all had) |
Avrete (you all will have) |
Avreste (you all would have) |
|
Loro |
Hanno (they have) |
Hanno avuto (they had) |
Avevano (they had) |
Avranno (they will have) |
Avrebbero (they would have) |
Essere Verb
Essere is an imperative and commonly used verb in the Italian language. It means “to be.”Essere is also an irregular form of the verb. It is essential to memorise these verbs to become a master of them.Have a glance at essere verbs:
| Essere Verb in Present Tense | Essere Verb in Past Tense | Imperfect Tense Conjugation of Essere | Essere Verb in Future Tense | Present Conditional Conjugation of AVERE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | sono (I am) | sono stato(I was) | ero (I was) | saro(I will be) | sarei(I would be) |
| Tu | sei (You are) | Sei stato (you were) | eri(you were) | sarai (you will be) | saresti (you would be) |
| Lui/Lei | è(he or she is) | è stato/è stata(he/she were) | era(he or she was) | sara’ (he or she will be) | sarebbe( (he or she would be) |
| Noi | siamo(we are) | siamo stati (we were) | eravamo(we were) | saremo (We will be) | saremmo (We would be) |
| Voi | siete(you all are) | siete stati (you all were) | eravate(you all were) | sarete (You all will be) | sareste (You all would be) |
| Loro | sono (they all) | sono stati(they were) | erano(they were) | saranno(They will be) | sarebbero (they would be) |
Regular Verbs (Regolari Verbs)
The regular verbs(Regolari Verbs) are again divided based on the suffix of the word, like -ARE,-ERE,-IRE. Below we have mentioned some examples with usage.
Regular verbs(Regolari Verbs) with suffix -ARE
| Regular Verbs in -ARE Suffix with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Parlare (to speak) | Studiare (to study) | Ascoltare (to listen) | |
| Io(I) | parlo | studio | ascolto |
| Tu (You) | parli | studi | ascolti |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | parla | studia | ascolta |
| Noi (We) | parliamo | studiamo | ascoltiamo |
| Voi(You All) | parlate | studiate | ascoltiate |
| Loro(They) | parlano | studiano | ascoltano |
| Guardare(to watch) | Chiamare(to call) | Lavorare (to work) | |
| Io(I) | guardo | chiamo | lavoro |
| Tu (You) | guardi | chiami | lavori |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | guarda | chiama | lavora |
| Noi (We) | guardiamo | chiamiamo | lavoriamo |
| Voi(You All) | guardate | chiamate | lavorate |
| Loro(They) | guardano | chiamano | lavorano |
| Mangiare (to eat) | Arrivare(to Arrive) | Trovare(to find) | |
| Io(I) | mangio | arrivo | trovo |
| Tu (You) | mangi | arrivi | trovi |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | mangia | arriva | trova |
| Noi (We) | mangiamo | arriviamo | troviamo |
| Voi(You All) | mangiate | arrivate | trovate |
| Loro(They) | mangiano | arrivano | trovano |
| Comprare (to buy) | Pensare(to think) | Cercare(Look for) | |
| Io(I) | compro | penso | cerco |
| Tu (You) | compri | pensi | cerchi |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | compra | pensa | cerca |
| Noi (We) | compriamo | pensiamo | cerchiamo |
| Voi(You All) | comprate | pensate | cercate |
| Loro(They) | comprano | pensano | cercano |
| Tornare(to Return) | Abitare (Inhabit) | Cominciare (to start) | |
| Io(I) | torno | abito | comincio |
| Tu (You) | torni | abiti | cominci |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | torna | abita | comincia |
| Noi (We) | torniamo | abitiamo | cominciamo |
| Voi(You All) | tornate | abitate | cominciate |
| Loro(They) | tornano | abitano | cominciano |
Regular verbs(Regolari Verbs) with suffix -ERE
| Regular Verbs in -ERE Suffix with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Leggere(to read) | Scrivere (to write) | Rispondere (to answer) | |
| Io(I) | leggo | studio | ascolto |
| Tu (You) | leggi | studi | ascolti |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | legge | studia | ascolta |
| Noi (We) | leggiamo | studiamo | ascoltiamo |
| Voi(You All) | leggete | studiate | ascoltiate |
| Loro(They) | parlano | studiano | ascoltano |
Also note that sounds in Italian with the C and G letters:
Sound With Letter C
The most common mistake is pronouncing the “C” in Italian as in English. The “C” in Italian is never the “S’ sound. The pronunciation of the “C” letter in Italian is as follows:
Soft C Sound
In Italian, the soft C Sound is also known as C Dolce. It is pronounced as “ch” in “church”.When the Letter “C” is followed by “e” and “i”, then the C sound will be Soft.
- C+I (Chee)= Cinese (Chinese), Cinema (Not Sinema)
- C+E (Chay)=Cento(Hundred)
- C+IA (Chia)=Ciabatta(Slipper)
- C+IO(Cho)=Cioccolata(Chocolate)
- C+IU( Chu)=Ciuccio(Pacifier)
Hard C Sound
In italian language, Hard C is also called C Dura. It is pronounced as “k” in key. When the letter “C” is not followed by “e” and “i” then it will be the hard C sound.
- C+A=Casa(Home)
- C+O=Coltello (Knife)
- C+U=Cucina(Kitchen)
- C+L=Classe(Class)
- C+R=Croce(Cross)
- C+HI=Chiave (keys)
- C+HE=Forchetta (Fork)
Sound With Letter G
Soft G Sound
It is referred to as “G” Dolce in italian. When the letter “G” is followed by “e” and “i”, then that “G” letter sound would be the “G” soft sound. It is pronounced as “je” and “ji”.Have a look at the examples below of the soft G sound.
G+I=Ginocchio (KNEE): pronounced as ji-no-kio
G+E=Gelato(Ice-cream):pronounced as je-la-to
G+IA=Giacca(jacket): pronounced as ja-ka
G+IO=Giornale(Newspaper): pronounced as jor-na-le
G+IU=Giusto(Right): pronounced as jus-to
G+L+I=Moglie(Wife): pronounced as mo-lie
Hard G Sound
The hard G sound is called “G” Dura in italian language. When the letter G is not followed by “e” and “i ” words, then the pronunciation of the letter G will be G Duro. It is pronounced as “ga”, “go”, “gu”.Let’s see the instances of the hard G sound.
G+A=Gatto (Cat): pronounced as gat-to
G+O=Gonna(Skirt): pronounced as go-na
G+U=Guanti (Guanti): pronounced as gu-an-ti
G+L=Inglese(English): pronounced as in-gle-se
G+R=Gru(Crane): pronounced as g-ru
G+HI=Ghiaccio(Ice): pronounced as gi-a-cho
G+HE=Spaghetti : pronounced as spa-ge-ti
G+N=Lavagna:pronounced as la-va-nia
Regular verbs(Regolari Verbs) with suffix -IRE
| Regular Verbs in -IRE Suffix with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Dormire(to sleep) | Sentire (to feel) | Aprire (to open) | |
| Io(I) | dormo | sento | apro |
| Tu (You) | dormi | senti | apri |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | dorme | sente | apre |
| Noi (We) | dormiamo | sentiamo | apriamo |
| Voi(You All) | dormite | sentite | aprite |
| Loro(They) | dormono | sentono | aprono |
Regular verbs(Regolari Verbs) with -ISCO
| Capire(to understand) | Finire (to finish) | Pulire (to clean) | Preferisco(I prefer) | |
| Io(I) | capisco | finisco | pulisco | preferisco |
| Tu (You) | capisci | finisci | pulisci | preferisci |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | capisce | finisce | pulisce | preferisce |
| Noi (We) | capiamo | finiamo | puliamo | preferiamo |
| Voi(You All) | capite | finite | pulite | preferite |
| Loro(They) | capiscono | finiscono | puliscono | preferiscono |
Irregular Verbs(Irregolari Verbs)
The italian language also consists of some irregular verbs that are used daily. The most common examples of irregular verbs of italian are “Fare”, “Venire”, and “Andare”.Let’s see the table of how they use it.
| Irregular Verbs with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Fare(to do ) | Venire(to come) | Andare(to go) | |
| Io(I) | faccio | vengo | vado |
| Tu (You) | fai | vieni | vai |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | fa | viene | va |
| Noi (We) | facciamo | veniamo | andiamo |
| Voi(You All) | fate | venite | andate |
| Loro(They) | fanno | vengono | vanno |
| Irregular Verbs with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Volere(to want ) | Potere(can) | Dovere(have to) | |
| Io(I) | voglio | posso | devo |
| Tu (You) | vuoi | puoi | devi |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | vuole | puo | deve |
| Noi (We) | vogliamo | possiamo | dobbiamo |
| Voi(You All) | volete | potete | dovete |
| Loro(They) | vogliono | possono | devono |
Reflective Verbs (Riflessivi Verbs)
| Reflective Verbs with Present Tense Usage | |||
| Alzarsi(Get up ) | Mettersi(Put on) | Vestrisi(to go) | |
| Io(I) | mi alzo | mi metto | mi vesto |
| Tu (You) | ti alzi | ti metti | ti vesti |
| Lui/Lei(He/She) | si alza | si mette | si veste |
| Noi (We) | ci alziamo | ci mettiamo | ci vestiamo |
| Voi(You All) | vi alzate | vi mettete | vi vestite |
| Loro(They) | si alzano | si mettono | si vestono |
Dovere
In English Dovere stands for must, have to, need. The task or duty that has to be done, then the “dovere” verb is used.
Rule for the Dovere Italian Verb :
|
Dovere(must) |
|
|
Io |
devo |
|
Tu |
devi |
|
Lui/Lei |
dove |
|
Noi |
dobbiamo |
|
Voi |
dovete |
|
Loro |
devono |
When the dovere verb is used in sentences, the other verbs remain the same and do not change from person to person. For instance:
|
Dovere al presente+verbo infinito(-are/ere/-ire) {Must in the present + infinitive verb (-are/ere/-ire)} |
|
|
Devo lavorare ✔ |
Devo lavoro ✘ |
|
Dovete cambiare ✔ |
Dovere lavoro ✘ |
|
Devi comprare ✔ |
Dovere lavorare ✘ |
|
Dovete cambiate ✘ |
|
|
Devi compri ✘ |
|
Have a glance at the dovere verb sentences:
- Ma il 12 aprile devi lavorare. (But on April 12th, you have to work.)
- Dobbiamo cambiare autobus a Roma,giusto? (We have to change buses in Rome, right?)
- Luca non pagano,ma devi comprare il biglietto di ritorno. (Luca, you don’t pay, but you have to buy the return ticket.)
- Restiamo fino a metà ottobre o devi fare qualcosa?(Are we staying until mid-October, or do you have to do something?)
Volere
In English, Volere stands for want . In italian sentences where you have to show a wish, then the “volere” verb is used.
|
Volere (to want) |
|
|
Io |
voglio |
|
Tu |
vuoi |
|
Lui/Lei |
vuole |
|
Noi |
vogliamo |
|
Voi |
volete |
|
Loro |
vogliono |
As the rules apply to the “dovere” verb. Similar rules are for the Volere verb. Other verbs are not changed, while the “volere” verb is used in sentences. For instance:
|
Volere al presente+verbo infinito(-are/ere/-ire) {Want in the present + infinitive verb (-are/ere/-ire)} |
|
|
Voglio lavorare ✔ |
Voglio lavoro ✘ |
|
Volete cambiare ✔ |
Volere lavoro ✘ |
|
Vuoi comprare ✔ |
Volere lavorare ✘ |
|
Volete cambiate ✘ |
|
|
Vuoi compri ✘ |
|
To clearly understand the “volere” verb, look at the examples :
- Voglio dormire perché sono stanco.(I want to sleep because I’m tired.)
- Io voglio andare. (I want to go.)
- Tu vuoi mangiare?(Do you want to eat?)
- Voi volete mangiare la mela? (Do you want to eat the apple?)
- Loro vogliono andare a casa. (They want to go home.)
Potere
The verb Potere stands for can or may in english.
|
Potere (can/may) |
|
|
Io |
posso |
|
Tu |
puoi |
|
Lui/Lei |
puo |
|
Noi |
possiamo |
|
Voi |
potete |
|
Loro |
possono |
While using the verb “Potere”, other verbs in italian sentences do not change. Check the rule mentioned below :
|
Potere al presente+verbo infinito(-are/ere/-ire) {Can/May in the present + infinitive verb (-are/ere/-ire)} |
|
|
Posso lavorare ✔ |
Posso lavoro ✘ |
|
Potete cambiare ✔ |
Potere lavoro ✘ |
|
Puoi comprare ✔ |
Potere lavorare ✘ |
|
Potete cambiate ✘ |
|
|
Puoi compri ✘ |
|
Have a look at the “potere” verb for clarifying all the doubts:
- Io posso andare? (Can I go?)
- Tu puoi mangiare.(You can eat.)
- Io posso mangiare la mela? (Can I eat the apple?)
- Tu puoi parlare.(You can speak)
- Lui puo venire.(He can come.)
- Loro possono lavorare. (They can work.)
Aggettivi Possessivi
|
Aggettivi Possessivi |
||||
|
Maschile Singloare |
Femminile Singolare |
Maschile Plurale |
Femminile Plurale |
|
|
Io |
mio |
mia |
miei |
mie |
|
Tu |
tuo |
tua |
tuoi |
tue |
|
Lui/Lei |
suo |
sua |
suoi |
sue |
|
Noi |
nostro |
nostra |
nostri |
nostre |
|
Voi |
vostro |
vostra |
vostri |
vostre |
|
Loro |
loro |
loro |
loro |
loro |
To clearly understand aggesttivi possessivi, read the examples below:
- Mia sorella vive in francese ,invece mio fratello vive in Italia.
- Il tuo letto è grande.
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