speakitalian

The Italian Modal Verbs Explained for Beginners

What’s the Difference Between the Italian Modal Verbs and Other Types of Verbs?

When your teacher (or your book) is telling you “this is a modal verb,” there’s no need to panic! Saying a verb a is “modal” is just a label to remind you that, in Italian, there are three (modal) verbs that have a lot in common and are kind of different from the other verbs.

Voglio – I want

Posso – I can

Devo – I have to, I need, I must

What do they have in common? Simple. They are followed by infinitive verbs (e.g. non conjugated verbs)

An infinitive verb is a base form of any verb, the way you look it up in a dictionary.

So, we can say that modal verbs are always followed by infinitive verbs.

Voglio vivere in Italia – I want to live in Italy

Posso aprire la porta? – Can I open the window?

Devo andare – I must go or I need to go or I have to go

A common mistake made by beginner Italian learners is to use a conjugated verb after a modal verb, such as in the incorrect phrase “Voglio vado = I want I go,” which should be corrected to “Voglio andare”. The correct way to say “I want to go” in Italian, is by using the infinitive form of the verb “andare” after the modal verb “voglio.”

How to Conjugate an Volere / Potere / Dovere in the Present Tense?

The Italian modal verbs dovere, potere, and volere express necessity, possibility, and desire, respectively. They are also used to request permission, make requests, and offer assistance. Modal verbs are always followed by an infinitive and are irregular, so they need to be memorized. Since they are high-frequency verbs, it’s crucial to know their conjugations.

Conjugation of the modal verbs in the present tense

Edit
VOLERE (want, wish)	POTERE (can, may)	DOVERE (need, have to, must)
io voglio tu vuoi lui/lei vuole noi vogliamo voi volete loro vogliono	io posso tu puoi lui/lei può noi possiamo voi potete loro possono	io devo tu devi lui/lei deve noi dobbiamo voi dovete loro devono

Examples:

Voglio andare al supermercato (modal verb + infinitive + object) – I want to go to the grocery store.

Devo comprare della cioccolata (modal verb + infinitive + object) – I need to buy some chocolate.

Non posso aspettarti (modal verb + infinitive ) – I can’t wait for you.

Let’s see now how to use the Italian modal verbs in-depth…

How to Use the Verb “Dovere”

Dovere + infinitive: must, to have to, to need to

Devo andare in palestra – I must (need, have to) go to the gym.

Dovere is a common Italian verb that has three possible translations into English:

I must
I have to
I need to

English vs. Italian

In English, “I must” and “I need to” have different meanings. However, Italian does not make this distinction. To express the obligation implied by “must” in English, the only option in Italian is to pronounce “devo” more emphatically.

Devo studiare – I need to study

DEVO studiare – I must study

So, remember that there’s no formal difference between “I must,” “I need,” and “I have to” in Italian. They can all be translated with the verb dovere.

Dovere can also be used as a non-modal verb with a different meaning than its modal form. When used as a non-modal verb, “dovere” is followed by a noun instead of an infinitive verb. In this case, “dovere” means “to owe”

Dovere + noun: to owe

Ti devo 5 euro per la piazza – I owe you 5 euros for the pizza

How to Use the Verb “Potere”

Potere means “can or may” when asking for permission or being allowed (or not allowed) to do something.

Posso uscire un momento? – Can I leave for a second?

I bambini non possono guardare la tv di sera tardi – Children are not allowed to watch TV late.

English vs. Italian [sapere vs. potere]

Potere does not express the ability to do something, as it does in English.

To express the ability to do something in Italian, you should use the verb “sapere” which means “to know how to” or “to be able to”.

Examples:

Io posso parlare italiano means “I am allowed to speak Italian” or “I might be able to speak Italian”.
Io so parlare italiano means “I can speak Italian” or “I know how to speak Italian.”
Posso cantare means “I’m allowed to sing”.
So cantare means “I can sing” or “I know how to sing”.

Avoid the common mistake of using potere in these types of sentences. If you ask someone “puoi cucinare?” – you are actually requesting him or her to cook.

Puoi cucinare? – Will you cook? (I want you to cook)
Sai cucinare? – Can you cook? (Do you know how to cook?)

How to Use the Verb “VOLERE”

Volere: to want, to wish

Voglio mangiare giapponese – I want to eat Japanese

Voglio il sushi e la tempura – I want sushi and tempura

The Modal Verbs with the Passato Prossimo

Conjugating modal verbs with the passato prossimo (and other compound tenses*) needs a special construction.

A compound tense is a verb resulting from the combination of an auxiliary verb and a past participle (e.g. past conditional, compound future, past perfect, etc..)

How to Conjugate an VOLERE / POTERE / DOVERE in Passato Prossimo?

If you have already learned the passato prossimo (the main past tense in Italian), you know that it’s a combination of an auxiliary and a past participle (e.g. ho parlato = I spoke, I’ve spoken).

But, what’s the correct auxiliary to use with modal verbs in the passato prossimo?

When using a modal verb in the past tense, the correct auxiliary to use depends on the main verb that follows the modal verb. In general, both “essere” and “avere” can be used as auxiliary verbs with modal verbs in the passato prossimo.

The auxiliary verb used depends on the main verb that follows the modal verb.

If the main verb is transitive and takes a direct object, such as “mangiare” (to eat), the auxiliary verb used will be “avere”. If the main verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object, such as “andare” (to go), the auxiliary verb used will be “essere”.

For example:

If you want to say in Italian – I wanted to eat, you need to chose the correct auxiliary of the verb “mangiare = to eat“, which is avere.

So, I wanted to eat goes to “ho voluto mangiare”

However, if you wanted to say – I wanted to go, you’d need to choose the correct auxiliary of the verb “andare = to go“, which is essere.

Sono voluta andare – I wanted to go

The same rule applies for dovere and potere, of course. For example:

Ho dovuto preparare la cena – I had to prepare the dinner.
Sono dovuta andare in aeroporto in autobus – I had to go to the airport by bus.
Non ho potuto preparare la cena – I could not prepare dinner.
Non sono potuta andare a pranzo – I could not go to the lunch.

In the above examples, “preparare” is transitive and thus uses “avere” as its auxiliary in the passato prossimo, while “andare” is intransitive and takes “essere” as its auxiliary in the passato prossimo.

Note that when the auxiliary verb preceding the modal verb is essere, the past participle of the modal verb agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

Sono dovuta andare via – I had to leave (dovuta, feminine singular).

Ci siamo alzati tardi – we got up late (alzati, masculine plural)

Non siamo potuti venire – we could not come (potuti, masculine plural)

How to Use the Modal Verbs with the Pronouns

This is more advanced topic, if you are a beginner Italian learner, you can skip it for now.

Modal verbs in Italian allow for the position of pronouns to be flexible. In Italian, a pronoun usually comes before the verb, unlike in English where it comes after. However, with modal verbs, the pronoun can come before the modal verb or after the infinitive verb that follows the modal verb. For example:

Voglio comprarlo – I want to buy it [pronoun attached onto the infinitive]

Lo voglio comprare – I want to buy it [pronoun before the modal verb]

Both structures are interchangeable and commonly used in spoken Italian.

If you don’t understand well the idea of pronouns in Italian, I encourage you to visit this page: The Italian Direct Pronouns

Let’s recap:

There are three modal verbs in Italian.

They are volere, potere, and dovere. And we call them modal verbs to remind us that they are different from the majority of other verbs in Italian, because:

they are irregular.

they are always followed by an infinitive verb.

they can use both essere and avere as auxiliaries in compound tenses, like the passato prossimo

when they come in conjunction with a pronoun, the pronoun can either precede the modal verb or be joined onto the end of the infinite that follow the modal verb.

The imperfetto of modals verbs

If this is easy for you, you might be interested in learning about the difference of usage of the modal verbs between the passato prossimo and the imperfetto.

What’s The Difference Between “Dovevo & Ho Dovuto?”

Common expressions using ESSERE and AVERE

In Italian, the verbs “essere” and “avere” are certainly amongst the most popular ones. This is why they are widely used in many common Italian idiomatic expressions like the one following.

Bear in mind that a certain number of recurring expressions use the verb avere (to have) while English would use the verb essere (to be) and vice-versa. For instance, being hungry becomes having hunger in Italian.

The rule of thumb is to memorize the most common expressions, by making a list of the oens that use “avere” and the ones that use “essere”.

Common expressions with “avere”

avere sonno: to be sleepy
avere fame: to be hungry
avere sete: to be thirsty
avere freddo: to be cold
avere caldo: to be hot
avere 20 anni: to be 20 years old
avere fretta: to be in a hurry
avere ragione: to be right
avere torto: to be wrong
avere successo: to be successful
avere fortuna: to be lucky
avere paura di: to be afraid
avere mal di pancia: to have a stomach ache
avere mal di testa: to have a headache
aver mal di gola: to have a sore throat
avere la febbre: to have a fever

Common expressions with “essere”

essere in ritardo: to be late
essere bravo: to be good at doing something
essere buono: to be nice (food), to be good people
essere sveglio: to be awake
essere malato: to be sick
essere ammalato: to be sick
essere occupato: to be busy
essere pronto: to be ready
essere fidanzato: to be in relationship
essere sposato: to be married
essere felice: to be happy
essere triste: to be sad
essere depresso: to be depressed
essere contento: to be content
essere innamorato: to be in love

5 Italian sayings on love

1. L’amore non è bello, se non è litigarello

There is no equivalent in English, although searching, I came across a quote by Shakespeare that sums up the meaning of the Italian provarb above.

“The course of true love never runs smooth.”

When do Italians say “l’amore non è bello se non è litigarello?”

This Italian proverb pretends to ease the tension after a little quarrel by objecting that a relationship can’t always be “bella‘(or healthy) without a small fight from time to time. Of course, the hardest times make your relationship stronger. The adjective litigarello (originating from the verb litigare) is not used in any other expressions, but this one.

2. Chi s’assomiglia si piglia

Literally, those who are alike end up with each other.

The proverb originates from the Tuscany dialect and means that those who have similar features (both in their bodies and their characters) are attracted to each other.

3. Sfortunato al gioco fortunato in amore

Literally: unlucky at cards, lucky in love.

This Italian saying is often used to ease the pain of somebody who is losing while playing a game, usually playing cards.

4. Il primo amore non si scorda mai

English: You never forget your first love. The proverb explains itself.

5. Al cuore non si comanda

English: Love is blind, or you can’t rule the heart. A person who is in love might not see the faults in his/her partner the way others might see them. It sounds pretty malicious, but I have heard it a few times.

23 expressions with the verb “FARE”

Other than being an irregular verb, FARE is used in Italian in a number of many useful expressions. Let’s see some of them:

Fare i compiti: to do the homework

Fare le pulizie: to do the cleanings

Fare un biglietto: to buy a ticket

Fare una passeggiata: to go for a walk

Fare un giro: to go around

Fare una fotografia: to take a picture

Fare colazione: to eat breakfast

Fare la spesa: to buy groceries

Fare shopping: to go shopping

Fare la valigia (le valigie): to pack

Fare pace: to make peace

Fare il compleanno: to have a birthday

Fare il pieno: to tank up

Fare una domanda: to ask a question

Fare la coda/la fila: to queue

Fare soldi: to become rich

Far bene: to be good (for something)

Far male: to be painful, to ache

Fare una vacanza: to go on vacation (holiday)

Fare una prenotazione: to make a reservation

Fare un errore (o sbaglio): to make a mistake

Fare tardi: to be late

FARE is also the verb used to ask information about the weather and to answer about it. In Italian, we say CHE TEMPO FA? And we answer FA bel/cattivo tempo o FA caldo/freddo.

tempo

As I was previously mentioning, FARE does not follow the regular pattern of the second conjugation, being irregular.

Presente indicativo: io faccio, tu fai, lui fa, noi facciamo, voi fate, loro fanno

Imperfetto: io facevo…

Passato prossimo: io ho fatto…

Futuro semplice: io farò…

Condizionale semplice: io farei…

Gerundio: facendo…

Congiuntivo presente: che io faccia…

Congiuntivo imperfetto: che io facessi..

BELLO vs. BEL/QUELLO vs. QUEL

Everybody knows that quello means that and bello means beautiful or nice.

And if you have been learning Italian for a while, you may have noticed that sometimes bello and quello are used in different forms.

In fact, it is not rare that bello becomes bel or begli or bei and quello becomes quel or quegli or quei.

Many students are not sure about the difference between bel and bello in Italian, or between quel and quello. Their use is easier than you think, and I’ll explain why in the followings sections.

Bello, bel, bei, begli

What is the difference between bello and bel/begli/bei?

When bello is positioned before a noun, it changes its ending in the same way as the definite articles (il, l’, gli, i).

In other words, the root of the adjective (be-) merges with the definite articles that would precede the noun, and so it results in the following variations:

Bel libro – nice book
Bell’albero – beautiful tree
Begli alberi – beautiful trees
Bei libri – nice books
Bella donna – beautiful woman
Belle donne – beautiful women

If the adjective bello follows the noun or the verb essere, it doesn’t follow the above rule, but it will simply change its ending just as a regular adjective does.

Questa casa è bella – this house is beautiful
Queste case sono belle – these houses are beautiful
Questo uomo è bello – this guy is handsom
Questi uomini sono belli – these guys are handsome

Quello, quel, quei, quegli

When does quello change its form and become quello/quel/ quei/quegli?

The rule for bello applies to quello too.

If quello is positioned before a noun (and so it is used as an adjective), its spelling changes by merging its root with the definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le) that would normally precede the noun, as in the following examples.

Quel libro – that book
Quell’albero – that tree
Quegli alberi – those trees
Quei libri – those books
Quella donna – that woman
Quelle donne – those women

The above varieties are possible only when quello is used as an adjective.

If quello is used as a pronoun instead of an adjective, the changes only reflect gender and the number of people in the group.

Quello è il mio gatto – That one is my cat
Quelle sono le mie amiche – those are my girlfriends

Buono, buon

What is the difference between buon and buono?

The same rule for bello and quello applies to the adjective buono.

Buono changes its endings by following the pattern of the indefinite adjective (uno, una, un, un’), when preceding a noun.

un buon amico – a good friend
una buon’amica – a good girl-friend

How to express positive emotions in Italian

Italians have a reputation for being emotional and sentimental, and this is entirely right. No need to say, we like to express positive and (negative) emotions with friends and family, and we do it often.

Have you ever wondered what the most common ways to say in “well done” or” was happy about..” or “cool‘” are?

Keep reading this article to find it out!

RIMANERE + ADJECTIVE

By using the present perfect of rimanere followed by an adjective you will mean you were happy/excited/ satisfied with something

Sono rimasto soddisfatto della lezione di ieri
Lucia è rimasta molto contenta del regalo che hai ricevuto
L’insegnante rimane contento del mio livello di italiano durante ogni lezione

Don’t forget, most adjectives expressing feelings are followed by the preposition di and the verb infinitive

Essere /rimanere felice di + infinito
Essere /rimanere contento di+ infinito
Essere /rimanere soddisfatto di + infinito
Essere /rimanere scioccato di + infinito
Essere /rimanere sorpreso di + infinito
Avere paura di + infinito

POSITIVE EXCLAMATIONS

Exclamations are the most everyday ways to express positive emotions.

Many joyous Italian exclamations result from the combination of che with adjectives.

Che bello! – How beautiful!
Che buono! – How good!
Che dolce! – How sweet!
Che piacere! – How nice!
Che bel film! – What an excellent movie!
Che bella donna! – What a beautiful woman!
Che giornata fantastica! –What a fantastic day!

There are also many other exclamations used in day to day Italian that take the shape of simple adjectives.

Bravissimo! – Well done!
Ottimo! – Excellent!
Bello! – Beautiful!
Figo! – Cool! (very informal)
Eccezionale! – Outstanding!

Another way to express satisfaction or happiness in Italian is using the expression fare piacere a qualcuno (literally: making pleasure for someone)

Mi fa molto piacere che tu sia arrivato
Mi fa piacere che tu abba superato l’esame

Remember that the subjunctive must follow the expression “mi fa piacere the.”

Fare piacere is an impersonal expression; so it has to be conjugated in the same way you would conjugate the verb piacere:

Mi fa piacere – mi ha fatto piacere

Tti fa piacere – ti ha fatto piacere

Gli fa piacere – gli ha fatto piacere

Ci fa piacere – ci ha fatto piacere

Vi fa piacere – vi ha fatto piacere

Gli fa piacere – gli ha fatto piacere

SHOWING APPROVAL IN ITALIAN

Expressing positive emotions can take the shape of showing approval. The most common ways to show support or approval in Italian are:

Va bene! – All right!
D’accordo! – Agreed!
Giusto! – Correct!
Certo! – Of course!
Esatto! – Precisely!

SHOWING RELIEF IN ITALIAN

Last but not least, let’s see how to express relief in Italian:

Meno male! – Thank goodness!
Per fortuna! – Luckily!
Grazie a Dio! – Thank God!

Meno male is Italy’s most common verbal sigh of relief. This phrase is used when you want to explain that you have prevented a possible situation, like in the following examples:

Meno male che ho preso l’autobus delle 11, sennò avrei perso l’aereo.
Meno male che Lucia è arrivata in orario per l’appuntamento con il capo.

Both Grazie a Dio and per fortuna are used with the same meaning. However, meno male is the expression you are most likely to hear in your Italian conversations.

Giorno and Giornata: the Difference Explained

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GIORNO” AND “GIORNATA“

Today I thought about writing about of the most frequent questions I got from students of Italian.

“Is there any difference between GIORNO and GIORNATA?” Yes, there is. And it is not a tiny one. Let’s explore the Italian language…

GIORNATA

Giornata is used when referring to the approximate duration of the day from morning to evening or when speaking about the weather or characteristics of day.

Che bella giornata oggi! – What a beautiful day~~Ho passato un bel giorno!~~
Una giornata soleggiata – A sunny day ~~Un giorno soleggiato~~
Ho passato una bella giornata – I had a beautiful day~~Ho passato un bel giorno.~~
Ho avuto una giornata pienissima – I had a busy day – ~~Ho avuto un giorno pienissimo~~

As you see from the above sentences, giornata is often matched with by a specification or an adjective.

we could also say that when the word “day” comes with an adjective, the correct translation in Italian would be giornata.

Giornata is also used when referring to a special celebration or commemoration, often with a social or political aim such as

Giornata della musica – The day of Music
Giornata delle lingue moderne nel mondo – The day of languages
Giornata della donna – Women’s Day

Giornata is also the amount of hours worked in a day, thus it is used to say something about the working day.

Che giornata faticosa a lavoro! – What a busy day at work!
Questa giornata non finisce più! – This is a never ending day!

Of course, there are several idiomatic expressions including giornata

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNATA

Fare le cose in giornata – doing something by the end of the day
È a una giornata di macchina – it’s a day by car
Giornata lavorativa – working day

GIORNO

Giorno is used when referring to the astronomical days, indicating the 24 h period.

Giorno is more generic and is used when referring to several days or a duration of time

Vado in vacanza per 10 giorni – I go on vacation for 10 days
Ho preso 3 giorni di ferie – I took 3 days off

As you can see no sign of adjectives or specification to the noun, otherwise we would use giornata.

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNO

Ogni giorno/settimana/mese/anno – every day/week/month/year
Da un giorno all’altro – from one day to the next
Tutto il giorno – all day long
Uno di questi giorni – one of these days

Compunds verbs: auxiliary Essere o Avere?

Tenses are normally divided into simple and compound ones, the letter result from the union of the past participle and the conjugated form of the verb essere (to be) or avere (to have). Many students have come to be with doubts concerning the use of the one or the other auxiliary.

Although it might sound confusing whether to opt for the first or second option, all you need to know can be summed up in a few rules that you need to remember whenever you need to conjugate a compound verb in Italian.

The verbs that take the auxiliary avere are the transitive verbs that take a direct object, for example:

Ho fatto una torta stasera. I have made a cake tonight.

Ho pulito la casa. I have cleaned the house.

Ho guidato l’auto. I have driven the care.

The verbs that take the auxiliary essere are the intransitive verbs such as the verbs of movement (andare, salire, scendere, tornare, arrivare), the reflexive verbs (arrabiarsi, lavarsi, vestirsi), the pronominal verbs (accorgersi, vergognarsi) and the impersonal verbs (succedere).

Sono salito sull’areo senza valigie. I got on the plane without any luggage.

Mi sono arrabbiato con i miei oggi. I got mad at my parents today.

Mi sono accorto troppo tardi di aver perso il portafogli. I realized too late that I had lost my wallet.

Cosa é successo? What happened?

There are some verbs that can take both ESSERE and AVERE.

They are the verbs that describe the weather conditions (piovere, grandinare, nevicare) or the verbs, vivere, volare e scivolare.

The Italian modal verbs, aka verbi servili, take the auxiliary AVERE when they are simple tenses, while in the compound tenses followed by an infinitive, they takes the auxiliary of the infinitive.