This article should specify the language of its non-English content, using ((lang)), ((transliteration)) for transliterated languages, and ((IPA)) for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriate ISO 639 code. Wikipedia's multilingual support templates may also be used. See why. (May 2022)

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:

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 essere "to be", and somewhat less extremely, avere "to have", the least predictable. Others, such as andare "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

Present (Il presente)

The present is used for:

amare

/aˈmaːre/

credere

/ˈkreːdere/

dormire

/dorˈmiːre/

finire

/fiˈniːre/

essere

/ˈɛssere/

avere

/aˈveːre/

andare

/anˈdaːre/

stare

/ˈstaːre/

dare

/ˈdaːre/

fare

/ˈfaːre/

io

/ˈiːo/

amo

/ˈaːmo/

credo

/ˈkreːdo/

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/

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/

dorme

/ˈdɔrme/

finisce

/fiˈniʃʃe/

è

/ɛ/

ha

/a/

va

/va/

sta

/sta/

/da/

fa

/fa/

noi

/ˈnoi/

amiamo

/aˈmjaːmo/

crediamo

/kreˈdjaːmo/

dormiamo

/dorˈmjaːmo/

finiamo

/fiˈnjaːmo/

siamo

/ˈsjaːmo/

abbiamo

/abˈbjaːmo/

andiamo

/anˈdjaːmo/

stiamo

/ˈstjaːmo/

diamo

/ˈdjaːmo/

facciamo

/fatˈtʃaːmo/

voi

/ˈvoi/

amate

/aˈmaːte/

credete

/kreˈdeːte/

dormite

/dorˈmiːte/

finite

/fiˈniːte/

siete

/ˈsjeːte, ˈsjɛːte/

avete

/aˈveːte/

andate

/anˈdaːte/

state

/ˈstaːte/

date

/ˈdaːte/

fate

/ˈfaːte/

loro / Loro

/ˈloːro/

amano

/ˈaːmano/

credono

/ˈkreːdono/

dormono

/ˈdɔrmono/

finiscono

/fiˈniskono/

sono

/ˈsoːno/

hanno

/ˈanno/

vanno

/ˈvanno/

stanno

/ˈstanno/

danno

/ˈdanno/

fanno

/ˈfanno/

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.

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.

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

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:

The past

Present perfect (Il passato prossimo)

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

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 with avere

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.

Verbs with essere

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:

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

Imperfect (L’imperfetto)

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

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/

Absolute past (Il passato remoto)

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.

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)

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.

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.

The future

Future (Il futuro semplice)

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:

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)

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.

The conditional

Conditional (Il condizionale presente)

Used for:

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)

Used:

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

The subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Il congiuntivo presente)

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

The Subjunctive is formed:

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)

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

The Imperfect Subjunctive is formed:

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)

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.

Pluperfect subjunctive (Il congiuntivo trapassato)

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

The imperative

Imperative (L’imperativo)

The imperative is used for giving commands.

The second-person singular Imperative is formed:

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
(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/

(Lei) ami!

/ˈaːmi/

creda!

/ˈkreːda/

dorma!

/ˈdɔrma/

finisca!

/fiˈniska/

sia!

/ˈsiːa/

abbia!

/ˈabbja/

vada!

/ˈvaːda/

stia!

/ˈstiːa/

dia!

/ˈdiːa/

faccia!

/ˈfattʃa/

(noi) amiamo!

/aˈmjaːmo/

crediamo!

/kreˈdjaːmo/

dormiamo!

/dorˈmjaːmo/

finiamo!

/fiˈnjaːmo/

siamo!

/ˈsjaːmo/

abbiamo!

/abˈbjaːmo/

andiamo!

/anˈdjaːmo/

stiamo!

/ˈstjaːmo/

diamo!

/ˈdjaːmo/

facciamo!

/fatˈ tʃaːmo/

(voi) amate!

/aˈmaːte/

credete!

/kreˈdeːte/

dormite!

/dorˈmiːte/

finite!

/fiˈniːte/

siate!

/ˈsjaːte/

abbiate!

/abˈbjaːte/

andate!

/anˈdaːte/

state!

/ˈstaːte/

date!

/ˈdaːte/

fate!

/ˈfaːte/

(Loro) amino!

/ˈaːmino/

credano!

/ˈkreːdano/

dormano!

/ˈdɔrmano/

finiscano!

/fiˈniskano/

siano!

/ˈsiːano/

abbiano!

/ˈabbjano/

vadano!

/ˈvaːdano/

stiano!

/ˈstiːano/

diano!

/ˈdiːano/

facciano!

/ˈfattʃano/

Negative imperative

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

Nominal verb forms

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

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.

Irregular verbs

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

Notes

  1. ^ Such verbs with the -isc infix correspond to English Romance-origin verbs that end in "-ish", such as "finish", "punish", "accomplish", "extinguish", and so on.
  2. ^ Aski, Janice M. 1995. Verbal Suppletion: An Analysis of Italian, French, and Spanish to go. Linguistics 33.403-32.
  3. ^ thebigbook-2ed, pp. 113-120
  4. ^ The only verb that does not follow this pattern is sparire "to disappear", which is regular with infixed -isc-.
  5. ^ This conjugation is also followed by suadere /su.aˈdeːre/ (poetical term for "persuade") and the verbs derived from it.
  6. ^ The verb cedere "to yield, to surrender" and all the other ones derived from it are regular instead.
  7. ^ a b c These verbs always use the auxiliary verb avere to form the perfect tenses when on their own; however, when used as modals, they take essere or avere following the verb they refer to (if the auxiliary verb is essere, the past participle agrees with the subject): non sono potuto/-a venire "I wasn't able to come"; ho voluto parlare "I wanted to speak".
  8. ^ Same conjugation used for redigere "to draw up".
  9. ^ This conjugation is also followed by vincere /ˈvintʃere/ "to win" (with consonant change from -g- to -c-) and the verbs derived from it.
  10. ^ This conjugation is also followed by torcere /ˈtɔrtʃere/ "to twist, to wring" (with consonant change from -g- to -c-) and the verbs derived from it.
  11. ^ The only two verbs that do not follow this pattern are fendere /ˈfɛndere/ "to cleave, to split" and pendere /ˈpɛndere/ "to hang", which are regular; note that scendere /ˈʃɛndere, ˈʃendere/ "to go down" is irregular (along with the verbs derived from it), while vendere /ˈvendere/ "to sell" follows the regular pattern (along with the verbs derived from it).

Bibliography