Essential irregular verbs in Italian

Italian follows precise grammatical rules, but the most common verbs often deviate from them. Memorising these exceptions allows you to build correct sentences right from the start of your learning journey.

The pillars of the language: Essere and Avere

The verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) dominate the Italian language. They serve as main verbs but also as auxiliaries to form compound tenses. Their conjugation in the present indicative escapes the standard rules of verb groups.

The verb Essere (To be)

This verb defines identity, origin or a permanent characteristic. Its form changes radically depending on the person.

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example
Io	sono	Io sono italiano (I am Italian)
Tu	sei	Tu sei gentile (You are kind)
Lui / Lei	è	Lui è stanco (He is tired)
Noi	siamo	Noi siamo pronti (We are ready)
Voi	siete	Voi siete in ritardo (You are late)
Loro	sono	Loro sono qui (They are here)

The accent on è (third person singular) is mandatory. Without the accent, e means “and”. The written distinction avoids any confusion.

The verb Avere (To have)

Avere expresses possession, age or physical sensations (hunger, thirst, heat). The letter “h” is silent in Italian. It serves only to distinguish the verb from other words in writing.

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example
Io	ho	Io ho fame (I am hungry)
Tu	hai	Tu hai ragione (You are right)
Lui / Lei	ha	Lei ha vent’anni (She is twenty years old)
Noi	abbiamo	Noi abbiamo tempo (We have time)
Voi	avete	Voi avete una macchina (You have a car)
Loro	hanno	Loro hanno sonno (They are sleepy)

Note the almost non-existent sound difference between anno (year) and hanno (they have). Context clarifies the meaning.

Everyday action verbs

Three verbs come up constantly in everyday conversation: fare (to do/make), andare (to go) and venire (to come). They show marked irregularities, especially in the first person.

Fare: The all-purpose verb

Fare is used in many idiomatic expressions. It often replaces other more precise verbs. Its conjugation retains traces of the Latin facere.

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Io	faccio	I do / I make
Tu	fai	You do / You make
Lui / Lei	fa	He / She does / makes
Noi	facciamo	We do / We make
Voi	fate	You do / You make
Loro	fanno	They do / They make

Concrete example: Faccio la doccia (I have a shower). Here Italian uses “fare” (to do/make) where English uses “to have”.

Andare: The irregular movement

The verb andare mixes two different roots. The forms vado, vai, va, vanno come from a Latin root, while andiamo and andate follow the infinitive root. It is a pure movement verb. To specify departure, it is better to learn to conjugate partire, which is regular in the present but has its own nuances.

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Io	vado	I go
Tu	vai	You go
Lui / Lei	va	He / She goes
Noi	andiamo	We go
Voi	andate	You go
Loro	vanno	They go

A common mistake is to say “io ando”. This form does not exist. The correct form is always vado.

Venire: The -go irregularity

Venire introduces a frequent irregularity in Italian: the insertion of a “g” in the first person singular and the third person plural.

• Io vengo (I come)
• Tu vieni
• Lui viene
• Noi veniamo
• Voi venite
• Loro vengono (They come)

This “g” structure is found in other verbs such as tenere (tengo).

The specific case of Stare

The verb stare is often translated as “to stay” or “to be” depending on the context. It does not replace essere. It indicates a state of health, a temporary geographical position or an ongoing action (progressive form). The conjugation of stare resembles that of dare (to give).

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example
Io	sto	Sto bene (I am well)
Tu	stai	Come stai? (How are you?)
Lui / Lei	sta	Lui sta a casa (He is staying at home)
Noi	stiamo	Stiamo mangiando (We are eating)
Voi	state	State zitti (Be quiet)
Loro	stanno	Loro stanno arrivando (They are arriving)

Using stare to ask “how are you” (Come stai?) is the norm. Using essere in this context is incorrect.

Modal verbs: Potere, Volere, Dovere

These three verbs modify the meaning of the infinitive that follows them. They express possibility, will or obligation. Their irregularity is total in the singular and third person plural.

Potere (To be able to / Can)

It expresses ability or permission.

• Io posso (I can)
• Tu puoi
• Lui può
• Noi possiamo
• Voi potete
• Loro possono

Example: Posso entrare? (Can I come in?)

Volere (To want)

It expresses desire or firm will.

• Io voglio (I want)
• Tu vuoi
• Lui vuole
• Noi vogliamo
• Voi volete
• Loro vogliono

The “gli” sound in voglio and vogliamo is typical of Italian (similar to the “lli” in “million”).

Dovere (To have to / Must)

It expresses obligation or necessity.

• Io devo (I must)
• Tu devi
• Lui deve
• Noi dobbiamo
• Voi dovete
• Loro devono

Example: Devo studiare (I must study). Note the consonant change in dobbiamo (double b).

Root-changing irregularities

Some verbs change their sound or root to make pronunciation easier. These modifications often follow a historical logic.

Uscire (To go out)

This verb alternates between a strong root (esc-) and a weak root (usc-). The sound also changes: the “sc” in uscire is pronounced “sh”, while the “sc” in esco is pronounced “sk”.

• Io esco (I go out) – “sk” sound
• Tu esci – “sh” sound
• Lui esce – “sh” sound
• Noi usciamo – “sh” sound
• Voi uscite – “sh” sound
• Loro escono – “sk” sound

The root usc- only appears with noi and voi. The other persons use esc-.

Bere (To drink)

The modern infinitive is bere, but the conjugation is based on the old Latin form bevere. This is why the “v” reappears throughout.

• Io bevo
• Tu bevi
• Lui beve
• Noi beviamo
• Voi bevete
• Loro bevono

Dire (To say)

As with bere, dire is based on an old form (dicere).

• Io dico
• Tu dici
• Lui dice
• Noi diciamo
• Voi dite
• Loro dicono

Verbs ending in -go: A logical family

Many irregular verbs share a common feature: the first person singular and the third person plural end in -go or -gono. Identifying this pattern simplifies learning. Here are some frequent examples beyond venire: Tenere (To hold)

• Io tengo
• Tu tieni
• Lui tiene
• Noi teniamo
• Voi tenete
• Loro tengono

Rimanere (To stay)

• Io rimango
• Tu rimani
• Lui rimane
• Noi rimaniamo
• Voi rimanete
• Loro rimangono

Salire (To go up)

• Io salgo
• Tu sali
• Lui sale
• Noi saliamo
• Voi salite
• Loro salgono

This regularity within irregularity helps anticipate the conjugation of new verbs encountered.

The impact on other moods

Present tense irregularities often carry over to other moods, especially the imperative. If a verb is irregular in the present, there is a good chance its imperative will be too (example: Dille! for “Tell her/him!”). Likewise, the past participle, needed to form the passato prossimo, is often irregular for these verbs:

• Essere → Stato
• Fare → Fatto
• Dire → Detto
• Bere → Bevuto
• Venire → Venuto
• Rimanere → Rimasto
• Chiedere (to ask) → Chiesto

Learning the present tense and past participle simultaneously allows you to quickly master the basic narrative tenses.

Sapere: To know a fact or to know a person?

The verb sapere is the last essential verb on this list. It means “to know” (a fact, a piece of information) or “to know how to do something”. It is not used to say “to know a person” (for that, use conoscere, which is regular).

• Io so (I know)
• Tu sai
• Lui sa
• Noi sappiamo
• Voi sapete
• Loro sanno

The form so is very short and frequent. Non lo so (I don’t know) is a key phrase in conversation.

Practice exercise

Test your knowledge of Italian irregular verb conjugation: