REGULAR VERBS
The conjugation of regular verbs in the present indicative tense follows a simple pattern. When conjugating we start with the infinitive form of the verb, which is the basic verb form not bound to subject or tense (ex: parlare - to go).
Italian infinitives have three endings or suffixes: ~ARE, ~ERE, and ~IRE; they are often referred to as 1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugation respectively.
To conjugate regular verbs into present indicative:
1. The infinitive ending (~ARE, ~ERE, or ~IRE) is dropped, leaving the root.
2. The appropriate present tense ending is added to the root.
In the following conjugations you will see Subject Pronouns. They are meant to help you identify the subject of each conjugation.
Remember that when speaking and writing, it is typically not necessary to use the Subject Pronoun, as the conjugation ending already indicates the subject.
io parlo = I speak BUT ALSO parlo = I speak
See examples for each conjugation below.
Italian infinitives have three endings or suffixes: ~ARE, ~ERE, and ~IRE; they are often referred to as 1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugation respectively.
To conjugate regular verbs into present indicative:
1. The infinitive ending (~ARE, ~ERE, or ~IRE) is dropped, leaving the root.
2. The appropriate present tense ending is added to the root.
In the following conjugations you will see Subject Pronouns. They are meant to help you identify the subject of each conjugation.
Remember that when speaking and writing, it is typically not necessary to use the Subject Pronoun, as the conjugation ending already indicates the subject.
io parlo = I speak BUT ALSO parlo = I speak
See examples for each conjugation below.
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Verbi Regolari in ~ARE Regular verbs ending in ~ARE |
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PARLARE - to speak/to talk (this is the infinitive)
PARL~ drop the -are ending to find the root/stem, then add the appropriate present tense ending for -ARE verbs |
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io parlo (I speak)
tu parli (you speak) lui (he speaks) lei } parla (she speaks) Lei (you [formal] speak) |
noi parliamo (we speak)
voi parlate (you all speak) loro parlano (they speak) |
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You can sing a little song to yourself to remember them: O - I - A - IAMO - ATE - ANO
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Verbi Regolari in ~ERE Regular verbs ending in ~ERE |
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PRENDERE - to take (this is the infinitive)
PREND~ drop the -ere ending to find the root/stem, then add the appropriate present tense ending for -ERE verbs |
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io prendo (I take)
tu prendi (you take) lui (he takes) lei } prende (she takes) Lei (you [formal] take) |
noi prendiamo (we take)
voi prendete (you all take) loro prendono (they take) |
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[You can sing a little song to yourself to remember them: O - I - E - IAMO - ETE - ONO]
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Verbi Regolari in ~IRE Regular verbs ending in ~IRE |
*~IRE verbs have two conjugations; the first one is shown below
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PARTIRE - to depart/to leave (this is the infinitive)
PART~ drop the -ire ending to find the root/stem, then add the appropriate present tense ending for -IRE verbs |
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io parto (I leave)
tu parti (you leave) lui (he leaves) lei } parte (she leaves) Lei (you [formal] leave) |
noi partiamo (we leave)
voi partite (you all leave) loro partono (they leave) |
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[You can sing a little song to yourself to remember them: O - I - E - IAMO - ITE - ONO]
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*The second ~IRE conjugation, below, adds 'ISC' to most forms and is a more common conjugation. It may be helpful, at first, to memorize the ~IRE verbs that don't use this conjugation (as above) and assume this one as the standard conjugation of ~IRE verbs
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CAPIRE - to understand (this is the infinitive)
CAP~ drop the -ire ending to find the root/stem, then add ISC to io, tu, lui/lei/Lei, and loro forms and then appropriate present tense ending for -IRE verbs |
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io capisco (I understand)
tu capisci (you understand) lui (he understands) lei } capisce (she understands) Lei (you [formal] understand) |
noi capiamo (we understand)
voi capite (you all understand) loro capiscono (they understand) |
IRREGULAR VERBS
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Irregular verbs, as the name suggests, do not follow the above patterns and, unfortunately for learners, must simply be memorized.
The good news is that irregular verbs (generally) remain irregular across tenses - if it's irregular in present tense, it will also be irregular in future tense, etc... |
Here are 6 common irregular verbs:
(I've highlighted some endings, so you can identify the similarities to regular verbs)
(I've highlighted some endings, so you can identify the similarities to regular verbs)
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AVERE - to have
io ho tu hai lui lei } ha Lei noi abbiamo voi avete loro hanno |
ESSERE - to be
io sono tu sei lui lei } è Lei noi siamo voi siete loro sono |
ANDARE - to go
io vado tu vai lui lei } va Lei noi andiamo voi andate loro vanno |
FARE - to do/make
io faccio tu fai lui lei } fa Lei noi facciamo voi fate loro fanno |
DIRE - to say/tell
io dico tu dici lui lei } dice Lei noi diciamo voi dite loro dicono |
STARE - to be located/remain
io sto tu stai lui lei } sta Lei noi stiamo voi state loro stanno |
