Conjugation of the verb essere (to be) in Italian: uses and rules

The verb essere (to be) constitutes one of the most important verbs in the Italian language. Mastering it is essential for constructing numerous everyday sentences and expressions.

Conjugating the verb essere in the present indicative

The verb essere has a completely irregular conjugation in the present tense. None of the forms resemble the infinitive, which requires learning by heart.

Personal pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Io	sono	I am
Tu	sei	you are
Lui/Lei	è	he/she is
Noi	siamo	we are
Voi	siete	you are (plural)
Loro	sono	they are

The forms sono (I am/they are) are distinguished only by context or the presence of a personal pronoun. This particularity requires special attention when learning. Concrete examples: – Io sono italiana = I am Italian (female) – Tu sei molto gentile = You are very kind – Marco è a Roma = Marco is in Rome – Noi siamo studenti = We are students

Main uses of the verb essere

Expressing identity and characteristics

The verb essere is used to indicate identity, nationality, profession or characteristics of a person or object. Examples of identity: – Sono Giulia = I am Giulia – Lei è francese = She is French – Siamo medici = We are doctors Examples of characteristics: – Il libro è interessante = The book is interesting – La casa è grande = The house is big – I bambini sono felici = The children are happy

Indicating location

Essere is used to locate a person or object in space, often accompanied by prepositions a (at/to), in (in), da (at/from), su (on). Examples of location: – Maria è a scuola = Maria is at school – Il gatto è sul tavolo = The cat is on the table – Siamo in vacanza = We are on holiday – Sono da mia nonna = I am at my grandmother’s

Expressing time and date

In Italian, essere is used to indicate time and dates, unlike English which uses “to be” for age as well. Temporal examples: – Sono le otto = It’s eight o’clock – È lunedì = It’s Monday – Oggi è il 15 maggio = Today is 15th May – Marco ha venti anni = Marco is twenty years old (note: “avere” for age)

Essere as an auxiliary in compound tenses

The verb essere plays a fundamental role as an auxiliary for forming compound tenses of numerous Italian verbs.

Verbs of movement

Verbs expressing movement generally use essere as an auxiliary in the past participle. Common verbs with essere: – andare (to go) → sono andato/a – venire (to come) → sono venuto/a – partire (to leave) → sono partito/a – arrivare (to arrive) → sono arrivato/a – uscire (to go out) → sono uscito/a – entrare (to enter) → sono entrato/a Examples in past participle: – Ieri sono andato al cinema = Yesterday I went to the cinema – Maria è arrivata in ritardo = Maria arrived late – Siamo partiti stamattina = We left this morning

Agreement of the past participle

With the auxiliary essere, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject. Agreement rules: – Masculine singular: è andato – Feminine singular: è andata – Masculine plural: sono andati – Feminine plural: sono andate This agreement rule clearly distinguishes Italian from English and requires particular vigilance.

Conjugating essere in other tenses

The imperfect (imperfetto)

In the imperfect, essere maintains its irregular character with specific forms to memorise.

Pronoun	Imperfect	Translation
Io	ero	I was
Tu	eri	you were
Lui/Lei	era	he/she was
Noi	eravamo	we were
Voi	eravate	you were (plural)
Loro	erano	they were

Examples in the imperfect: – Quando ero piccolo, abitavo a Milano = When I was little, I lived in Milan – I nostri nonni erano molto severi = Our grandparents were very strict

The simple future (futuro semplice)

In the future, essere becomes sar- followed by regular future endings. Future conjugation: – Io sarò = I will be – Tu sarai = you will be – Lui/Lei sarà = he/she will be – Noi saremo = we will be – Voi sarete = you will be (plural) – Loro saranno = they will be Examples in the future: – Domani sarò in ufficio = Tomorrow I’ll be at the office – Il tempo sarà bello = The weather will be nice

Idiomatic expressions with essere

C’è and ci sono (there is/there are)

The expression “there is/there are” translates as c’è (singular) or ci sono (plural), constructed with essere. Usage of c’è/ci sono: – C’è un problema = There is a problem – Ci sono molte persone = There are many people – Non c’è nessuno = There is nobody – Ci sono dei fiori nel giardino = There are flowers in the garden

Essere di (to be from)

This construction indicates geographical origin or provenance. Examples with “essere di”: – Sono di Napoli = I am from Naples – Questo vino è del Piemonte = This wine is from Piedmont – Di dove sei? = Where are you from?

Other common expressions

The verb essere forms numerous essential idiomatic expressions. Frequent expressions: – Essere d’accordo = to agree – Essere in grado di = to be able to – Essere a dieta = to be on a diet – Essere di corsa = to be in a hurry – Essere nei guai = to be in trouble – Essere fuori di sé = to be beside oneself

Essere in the subjunctive (congiuntivo)

The subjunctive of essere also presents irregular forms important for expressing opinion and doubt. Present subjunctive: – che io sia = that I be – che tu sia = that you be – che lui/lei sia = that he/she be – che noi siamo = that we be – che voi siate = that you be (plural) – che loro siano = that they be Examples in the subjunctive: – Penso che sia una buona idea = I think it’s a good idea – È possibile che siano già partiti = It’s possible they’ve already left

Practical exercise

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