Italian Verb Conjugation for Beginners: Complete Guide with Examples

Why Italian Verb Conjugation Matters

If you’ve ever taken a formal Italian class, I’m sure your teachers required you to spend a significant amount of time on verb conjugation drills:

parlo, parli, parla ho parlato, hai parlato, ha parlato parlerò, parlerai, parlerà etc.

I understand that this is not a simple or easy task, and it may frustrate some students. However, believe me when I say that once you understand why we conjugate in Italian and why it is important, it will blow your mind.

Why is Conjugation so Important in Italian?

In English, conjugating a verb is less critical because we always have subject pronouns in front (e.g., I work, you work, we work, etc.). In Italian, however, the use of subject pronouns (io, tu, lei, noi, voi, loro) is often omitted. Consequently, the only way to know who is performing the action is by changing the ending of the verb, a process known as conjugation.

For example, when an Italian speaker says “Parlo italiano,” the verb ending “-o” alone tells us that “I” am the one speaking—no need for “io” (I). Similarly, “Parli italiano?” immediately signals that “you” are the subject thanks to the “-i” ending.

Understanding Italian Verbs

What’s a Verb?

A verb is the most important part of a sentence in Italian: it describes an action, a state of being, or an occurrence. “Is” or “are” are parts of the conjugated verb “to be.” “I speak” is the verb “to speak.” “She can” is the verb “can” or “to be able.” These are just a few examples!

Italian Verb Conjugation

Italian verb conjugation follows specific patterns based on the ending of the infinitive form (-are, -ere, or -ire). While it requires practice and memorization, understanding these patterns will help you speak Italian correctly.

Unlike English, where verb forms change minimally, Italian verbs have distinct endings for each subject. This is essential because Italian often omits subject pronouns in sentences.

Conjugating Verbs: English vs. Italian

Italian verbs conjugate according to six different subjects:

Because of this consistent pattern, when conjugating a verb in Italian, you’ll have to change the verb’s ending six times (one for each subject).

If you’re wondering why this isn’t done in English, I’ll explain. In English, the use of subjects in front of the verbs is required. That’s why the verbs aren’t changed much. The subject (I, you, we, etc.) is responsible for directing the sentence. To indicate who is performing the action described by the verb, you must say “I speak” or “we speak” instead of just “speak.”

On the other hand, in Italian, it’s the verbs (and their conjugations) that determine the direction of sentences. In simple terms, the ending of a verb allows you to determine who is performing the action (I, you, she, your friends, etc.) and whether it occurs in the present, past, or future.

As a result, the use of subject pronouns in Italian (io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro) is often optional.

The verb itself expresses who is carrying out the action.

For example, the “o” ending in the present tense indicates an action carried out by the “I” or “io” in the present tense: parl-o → I speak studi-o → I study mangi-o → I eat

Or, the “-erò” or “-irò” ending in the future simple indicates an action carried out by the “I” in the future: parl-erò → I’ll speak fin-irò → I’ll finish

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How To Conjugate Italian Verbs

How do you conjugate verbs in Italian? 

To conjugate a verb in Italian, you always have to keep in mind the infinitive of the verb. We call the infinitive the base form of any verb. The base verb can be found in any dictionary. It corresponds to “to + any verb” in English.

For example:

Conjugating Italian verbs in three steps

1. To conjugate any verb in Italian, you need to add a different ending to the stem of the verb.
2. To get the stem of the verb, you need to remove the last three letters of the infinitive of regular verbs. For example, the stem of “parlare” (to speak) is parl-. We get the stem by removing the last three letters of the infinitive of the verb (parlare).
3. We can simply conjugate in various tenses by using the stem parl- and the corresponding endings for each conjugation/subject.

For example:

parl-erò → I’ll speak (future tense)

parl-o → I speak (present simple)

parl-avo → I was speaking or I used to speak (imperfect conjugation)

Regular verbs

The rules I just mentioned about conjugation apply only to regular verbs. What is a regular verb? It’s a verb whose conjugations follow standard patterns. Its conjugation is fairly simple. All you need to do is memorize the standard conjugations and use them. Typical regular verbs in Italian are: studiare, mangiare, lavorare, ballare, cominciare, terminare, etc.

Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

However, there are “irregular verbs,” and you should become familiar with this concept.

Irregular verbs are those that do not follow the same conjugation patterns as regular verbs (which, by the way, are the vast majority of verbs).

How to Conjugate Irregular Verbs in Italian

When you conjugate irregular verbs, the stem to which you must attach the conjugation patterns changes.

For example, the verb ‘dire’ (to say, to tell) is an irregular verb. The root of the verb is ‘dic-‘ and not just ‘d’. Another common irregular verb is ‘volere’ (to want). The stem of the verb is not ‘vol-‘, but ‘vogl’ or ‘vuo-‘ depending on the person. You’ll need to add the regular endings to these irregular stems.

Making a list of the most common irregular verbs and memorizing them is the best way to deal with them.

• 17 Common Italian Irregular Verbs and How to Learn Them

How to Conjugate a Verb in a Question in Italian

Tu, Lei, Voi

The verb conjugation depends on whether you are addressing someone formally or informally, or speaking to multiple people.

• “Tu” (second person singular, informal) → Used when addressing one person in an informal setting.
  • Example: Scusa, parli inglese? → “Excuse me, do you speak English?”
  • (parli = do you speak?)
• “Lei” (third person singular, formal) → Used in formal situations, when speaking to someone you don’t know well or to show respect.
  • Example: Scusi, parla inglese? → “Excuse me, Sir/Madam, do you speak English?”
  • (parla = do you speak, Sir/Madam?)
• “Voi” (second person plural) → Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of formality.
  • Example: Scusate, parlate inglese? → “Excuse me, do you (all) speak English?”
  • (parlate = do you all speak?)

Lui, Lei, Loro

• “Parla inglese?” → “Does he/she speak English?” (Lui/Lei – he/she)
• “Parlano inglese?” → “Do they speak English?” (Loro – they)

Note: Unlike English, Italian does not use auxiliary verbs like “do,” “does,” or “did” when forming questions.

Present, Past, Future in Questions

When asking a question in Italian, the verb changes depending on the tense.

Tools for Learning and Memorizing the Forms of Italian Verb Conjugations

Finally, if you’re looking for an Italian verb conjugation chart, you can use any of these tools to look up the conjugations of Italian verbs. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to master all of them; you’ll never need to.

• Reverso.net
• Verbi Italiani

What Are The Most Common Conjugations To Use as A Beginner?

While there are several tenses in Italian, you don’t need to use them all as a beginner. In everyday Italian, even most native speakers use only a few tenses/conjugations.

With the present simple (presente indicativo) and present perfect (il passato prossimo), you can be conversational, at least at a beginner level, if you master these two tenses.

Conjugation Example: Most Common Italian Tenses and Moods of the Regular Verb ‘Parlare’ (to speak).