Most Common -IRE Verbs: Regular vs. Irregular
In Italian, -ire verbs fall into two main types:
Regular -ire verbs — like “dormire” (to sleep) — follow a standard conjugation pattern. See the first chart for this pattern.
Irregular -ire verbs — like “capire” (to understand) — follow a slightly different pattern. They insert “-isc-” before the ending in all forms except “noi” and “voi.” See the second chart for this conjugation.
? Key point:
Both types use the same endings (-o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ite, -ono), but the “-isc-” verbs add an extra syllable in most forms. In the charts below, you’ll find a list of common -ire verbs divided into two groups:
Regular verbs: follow the standard pattern (like dormire, aprire, sentire).
Irregular verbs: use the “-isc-” pattern (like capire, finire, pulire).
Present Tense of ‘dormire‘ (Regular Conjugation)
| Io | dormo | I sleep or I’m sleeping |
| Tu | dormi | You sleep (singular, informal) or you’re sleeping |
| Lui/Lei | dorme | He/She sleeps or she/he’s sleeping |
| Noi | dormiamo | We sleep or we’re sleeping |
| Voi | dormite | You all sleep or you all are sleeping |
| Loro | dormono | They sleep or they’re sleeping |
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Present Tense of ‘capire‘ (Irregular Conjugation)
| Io | cap-ISC–o | I understand or I’m understanding |
| Tu | cap-ISC-i | You understand or you’re understanding |
| Lui/Lei | cap-ISC-e | He/she understands or he/she’s understanding |
| Noi | capiamo | We understand or we’re understanding |
| Voi | capite | You all understand or you’ll are understanding |
| Loro | cap-ISC-ono | They understand or they’re understanding |
List of Common Verb -IRE Verbs
| dormire | to sleep | regular verb |
| coprire | to cover | regular verb |
| restituire | to return something | irregular verb |
| seguire | to follow | regular verb |
| aprire | to open | regular verb |
| scoprire | to find out | regular verb |
| offrire | to offer | regular verb |
| partire | to leave for | regular verb |
| sentire | to hear | regular verb |
List of Common Irregular -IRE Verbs (with -ISC-)
| Italian Verb | English Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| preferire | to prefer | irregular (-isc-) |
| restituire | to return something | irregular (-isc-) |
| finire | to finish | irregular (-isc-) |
| capire | to understand | irregular (-isc-) |
| dimagrire | to lose weight | irregular (-isc-) |
| spedire | to ship | irregular (-isc-) |
✅ Note: All these verbs add “-isc-” in all forms except “noi” and “voi.”
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