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Conjugating Regular Verbs
To conjugate regular verbs, take off the last three letters (-are, -ere, or -ire) and add these endings to the stem:
Regular Verb Endings
| -are |
-ere |
1st -ire |
2nd -ire |
| -o |
-iamo |
-o |
-iamo |
-o |
-iamo |
-isco |
-iamo |
| -i |
-ate |
-i |
-ete |
-i |
-ite |
-isci |
-ite |
| -a |
-ano |
-e |
-ono |
-e |
-ono |
-isce |
-iscono |
Regular Verbs
| -are |
1st -ire |
| parlare |
to speak |
dormire |
to sleep |
| cantare |
to sing |
partire |
to leave |
| arrivare |
to arrive |
sentire |
to hear |
| abitare |
to live |
aprire |
to open |
| amare |
to love |
offrire |
to offer |
| ascoltare |
to listen (to) |
servire |
to serve |
| cominciare |
to begin |
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| domandare |
to ask |
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| giocare |
to play (a game/sport) |
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| guardare |
to look (at)/watch |
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| imparare |
to learn |
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| insegnare |
to teach |
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| lavorare |
to work |
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| mangiare |
to eat |
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| pensare |
to think |
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| studiare |
to study |
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| -ere |
2nd -ire |
| scrivere |
to write |
finire |
to finish |
| vedere |
to see |
capire |
to understand |
| credere |
to believe |
preferire |
to prefer |
| conoscere |
to know/be acquainted with |
colpire |
to hit |
| leggere |
to read |
costruire |
to build |
| mettere |
to put |
pulire |
to clean |
| perdere |
to lose |
sparire |
to disappear |
| prendere |
to take |
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| rispondere |
to answer |
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| scendere |
to go down/get off |
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| vendere |
to sell |
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| vivere |
to live |
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Sample Regular Verb
| Parlare-to speak |
| parlo |
parliamo |
| parli |
parlate |
| parla |
parlano |
Note: The present tense and the preposition da may be used to describe an action which began in the past and is still continuing in the present. The present perfect tense is used in English to convey this same concept.
Da quanto tempo Lei studia l'italiano? How long have you been studying Italian?
Studio l'italiano da due anni. I've been studying Italian for two years.
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs express actions performed by the subject on the subject. These verbs are conjugated like regular verbs, but a reflexive pronoun precedes the verb form. This pronoun always agrees with the subject. In the infinitive form, reflexive verbs have -si attached to them with the final e dropped. Lavare is to wash, therefore lavarsi is to wash oneself. (Note that some verbs are reflexive in Italian, but not in English.)
Reflexive Pronouns
| mi |
ci |
| ti |
vi |
| si |
si |
Io mi lavo. I wash myself.
Noi ci alziamo presto. We get up early.
The plural reflexive pronouns (ci, vi, si) can also be used with non-reflexive verbs to indicate a reciprocal action. These verbs are called reciprocal verbs.
Ci scriviamo ogni settimana. We write to each other every week.
Vi vedete spesso? Do you see each other often?
Irregularities in Regular Verbs
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before the -i and -iamo endings to keep the hard sound. Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare do not repeat the i in front of the -i ending.
| cercare - to look for |
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cominciare - to start |
| cerco |
cerchiamo |
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comincio |
cominciamo |
| cerchi |
cercate |
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cominci |
cominciate |
| cerca |
cercano |
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comincia |
cominciano |
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Italian - Conjugating Regular Verbs, Reflexive Verbs, Irregularities in Regular Verbs
