Italian verb conjugation: the present tense and its verbs

Mastering the present indicative in Italian opens the door to the majority of everyday conversations. This tense allows you to express an ongoing action, a habit or even a near future.

The structure of Italian verbs

The Italian language classifies its verbs into three main groups according to their infinitive ending. This classification determines the endings to use when conjugating.

• First group: Verbs ending in -are (e.g. parlare, mangiare).
• Second group: Verbs ending in -ere (e.g. leggere, vedere).
• Third group: Verbs ending in -ire (e.g. dormire, finire).

A distinctive feature of Italian is the frequent omission of subject personal pronouns (io, tu, lui…). The verb ending is generally enough to identify who is performing the action. Pronouns are mostly used to emphasise the subject or remove ambiguity.

Regular verbs ending in -ARE (1st group)

This group contains the majority of Italian verbs. The model is stable and easy to memorise. To conjugate, remove the -are ending from the infinitive and add the specific endings: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano.

Let us take the verb lavorare (to work) as an example.

Examples in context:

• Lavoro in ufficio. (I work in the office.)
• Mangi una mela? (Are you eating an apple?)
• Aspettiamo il treno. (We are waiting for the train.)

Pay attention to verbs ending in -care (cercare) and -gare (pagare). They require adding an h before endings in -i and -iamo to preserve the hard sound [k] or [g].
Example: Tu cerchi (You look for), Noi paghiamo (We pay).

Regular verbs ending in -ERE (2nd group)

The second group covers verbs whose infinitive ends in -ere. The endings change slightly compared to the first group, particularly in the third person singular and the second persons. The endings are: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono.

Here is the model with scrivere (to write):

Other frequent verbs following this model: leggere (to read), vedere (to see), prendere (to take), mettere (to put).

Examples:

• Prendi un caffè? (Are you having a coffee?)
• Leggono il giornale. (They are reading the newspaper.)

Regular verbs ending in -IRE (3rd group)

This group has a major subtlety. It is divided into two distinct categories. The infinitive ending does not allow you to guess which category the verb belongs to; learning through practice is necessary.

The standard model (type “partire”)

These verbs are conjugated directly on the stem. The endings are: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ite, -ono.

The model with the -isc suffix (type “finire”)

Many verbs ending in -ire insert the syllable -isc- between the stem and the ending in the three singular persons and the third person plural. The “we” and “you” forms remain regular.

Model verb: Finire (to finish).

Other common verbs following this model: capire (to understand), preferire (to prefer), pulire (to clean), spedire (to send).

Examples:

• Non capisco l’italiano. (I don’t understand Italian.)
• Preferiscono la pasta. (They prefer pasta.)

The auxiliaries: Essere and Avere

The verbs to be and to have are the pillars of Italian grammar. They are irregular and are used to form compound tenses such as the passato prossimo. Memorising them perfectly is a priority.

The auxiliary To be (Essere)

The verb essere is used to introduce yourself, describe a state or a nationality.

Note that Io sono and Loro sono are identical. Context allows you to tell them apart.

The auxiliary To have (Avere)

The verb avere uses the letter h in writing for four of its forms. This h is silent in speech but distinguishes the verb from other words (such as the preposition a or the conjunction o).

Common irregular verbs

Beyond the auxiliaries, many frequently used verbs show irregularities in the present tense. They often undergo stem or ending changes. Here is a selection of the most common ones. To go further, check out our complete verb list.

Andare (To go)

• Io vado
• Tu vai
• Lui/lei va
• Noi andiamo (regular)
• Voi andate (regular)
• Loro vanno

Fare (To do / make)

• Io faccio
• Tu fai
• Lui/lei fa
• Noi facciamo
• Voi fate
• Loro fanno

Uscire (To go out)

This verb changes its stem: the “u” sound becomes “e” in the strong persons.

• Io esco
• Tu esci
• Lui/lei esce
• Noi usciamo (return of the “u”)
• Voi uscite (return of the “u”)
• Loro escono

Venire (To come)

• Io vengo
• Tu vieni
• Lui/lei viene
• Noi veniamo
• Voi venite
• Loro vengono

Modal verbs (Can, Want, Must)

These three verbs are essential as they are followed by an infinitive.

Practice exercise

Test your knowledge of the Italian present tense conjugation: