What does ‘servire’ mean?
First, let’s delve into the meaning and usage of “servire” and explore how it differs from other verbs expressing necessity, such as “dovere” or “avere bisogno di.”
Servire means to need something. It should be employed with a noun (referring to an object or a person) and should never be combined with a verb (indicating an action). When you use “servire,” you convey that a particular thing or person is essential or beneficial to you to do something else.
For example,
| Mi servono quattro uova | I need four eggs |
| Ti serve il mio aiuto? | Do you need my help? |
In the sentences above, you might need four eggs to prepare a cake or help to assemble a table. The use of ‘servire’ is appropriate in these sentences because it signifies the need for one thing in relation to another.
In the sentences above, you might need four eggs to prepare a cake or help to assemble a table.
The use of ‘servire’ is appropriate in these sentences because it signifies the need for one thing in relation to another.
Servire, dovere, avere bisogno: the difference
In Italian, there are two other verbs that express ‘necessity,’ but they are not interchangeable.
- Dovere = need to do something
- Avere bisogno = urge or pressing need
Dovere is used when you need to do something, so with an action verb.
| devo studiare per l’esame | I need to study for the test |
| dobbiamo comprare dei vestiti nuovi per la bambina | We need to buy new clothes for the baby |
| ho dovuto portare il cane dal veterinario | I had to take my dog to the vet |
Avere bisogno means ‘to need something” too, but is more emphatic than servire. We say ‘ho bisogno di‘ to emphasize the need for something. Avere bisogno di emphasize a pressing need or urge. out that you really need that thing.
| ho bisogno di una vacanza al più presto | I need a vacation (it’s urgent for me) |
| ho bisogno di una pausa da questo lavoro | I need a break (it’s urgent for me) |
How to Conjugate ‘Servire’
As you might already have noticed, servire (and a few other verbs that I will list at the end of this post) does not follow a regular conjugation, and it’s used differently from its equivalent in English — I need.
Servire is conjugated with indirect pronouns and works similarly to the verb piacere.
The Italian translation for “I need” is NOT “io servo,” but mi serve or mi servono.
The literal translation of “mi serve” is “it is necessary for me”.
Servire is always conjugated in the 3rd person plural and singular. The person who needs something is denoted with an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli/le, ci, vi, gli) and not with the regular subject pronouns (io, tu, lui, etc..)
The verb ‘servire’ in the present tense
| mi serve | mi servono | I need (something) |
| ti serve | ti servono | you need (something) |
| gli serve | gli servono | he needs (something) |
| le serve | le servono | she needs (something) |
| ci serve | ci servono | we need (something) |
| vi serve | vi servono | you need (something) |
| gli serve | gli servono | they need (something) |
What’s the difference between “serve” and “servono”?
Serve is used when the thing we need is a singular entity.
- Mi serve una penna – I need a pen
- Ti serve questo documento? – do you need this file?
- Ci serve un un armadio nuovo – we need a new closet
Servono is used when the things or people need is a plural entity.
- Mi servono delle penne – I need some pens
- Ti servono questi documenti? – Do you need these files?
- Ci servono due nuovi armadi – We need two new closets
Let’s recap…
| Italian | English | Singular/Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Serve | I need a pen. | Singular |
| Serve | Do you need this file? | Singular |
| Serve | We need a new closet. | Singular |
| Servono | I need some pens. | Plural |
| Servono | Do you need these files? | Plural |
| Servono | We need two new closets. | Plural |
When you say mi serve in Italian, what you say in English is “something” is needed for me/to you/to him, etc.…
- Mi serve / mi servono = I need → it’s necessary for me
- Ti serve / ti servono = you need/ Do you need?→ it’s necessary for you, etc..
So, mi serve del pane means some bread is necessary for me or I need some break
Why do we say ‘A Maria serve…’ and not ‘Maria serve…’
When the person who needs something is denoted by a noun (and not by a pronoun), the noun must be preceded by the preposition a:
- A Maria serve un tappetino da yoga – Maria needs a yoga mat
- A Lucia non sono serviti quei documenti – Lucy didn’t need those files
Servire in the passato prossimo
Like in the present tense, servire uses a different conjugation with the passato prossimo (and the other verbs).
The Italian for ‘I needed’ is mi è servito/a or mi sono serviti/e
The passato prossimo of ‘servire’ combines three elements:
the indirect pronouns + the auxiliary essere + the past participle of servire (servito/a/i/e)
| Ti è servito il consiglio? | Was my advice useful to you? (Did you need my advice?) |
| Ti sono serviti i consigli? | Were my tips useful to you? (Did you need my tips?) |
The auxiliary and the past participles always agree in terms of gender and number with the thing that is being needed. So, if the entity being liked is a feminine noun, you will need to make sure that the participle makes the correct agreement with the subject.
Test Your Italian
Not sure what your Italian level is? I’ve created a free online Italian test to help you determine it.The conjugation of ‘servire’ with the passato prossimo
| Italian Singular | Italian Plural | English Singular | English Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi è servito/a | Mi sono serviti/e | I needed it | I needed them |
| Ti è servito/a | Ti sono serviti/e | You needed it | You needed them |
| Gli-le è servito/a | Gli-le sono serviti/e | He/She needed it | They needed them |
| Ci è servito/a | Ci sono serviti/e | We needed it | We needed them |
| Vi è servito/a | Vi sono serviti/e | You (plural) needed it | You (plural) needed them |
| Gli è servito/a | Gli sono serviti/e | They needed it | They needed them |
The conjugation of “servire” with the imperfetto
| Italian Singular | Italian Plural | English Singular | English Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi serviva | Mi servivano | I needed | We needed |
| Ti serviva | Ti servivano | You needed | You needed |
| Gli-le serviva | Gli-le servivano | He/She needed | They needed |
| Ci serviva | Ci servivano | We needed | We needed |
| Vi serviva | Vi servivano | You (plural) needed | You (plural) needed |
| Gli serviva | Gli servivano | They needed | They needed |
The conjugation of “servire” with the future simple
| Italian Singular | Italian Plural | English Singular | English Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi servirà | Mi serviranno | I will need | We will need |
| Ti servirà | Ti serviranno | You will need | You will need |
| Gli-le servirà | Gli-le serviranno | He/She will need | They will need |
| Ci servirà | Ci serviranno | We will need | We will need |
| Vi servirà | Vi serviranno | You (plural) will need | You (plural) will need |
| Gli servirà | Gli serviranno | They will need | They will need |
The conjugation of “servire” with the present conditional
| Italian Singular | Italian Plural | English Singular | English Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi servirebbe | Mi servirebbero | I would need | We would need |
| Ti servirebbe | Ti servirebbero | You would need | You would need |
| Gli-le servirebbe | Gli-le servirebbero | He/She would need | They would need |
| Ci servirebbe | Ci servirebbero | We would need | We would need |
| Vi servirebbe | Vi servirebbero | You (plural) would need | You (plural) would need |
| Gli servirebbe | Gli servirebbero | They would need | They would need |
Other verbs working similarly to servire
Servire is not the only verb using a different conjugation pattern, also known as impersonal conjugation. These above verbs, like ‘servire‘, have a different conjugation pattern that can be challenging for learners. They often use the third person singular or plural forms to express the idea that something is pleasing, missing, interesting, sufficient, happening, seeming, bothering, saddening, or making someone nervous.
| piacere | to like, to please |
| mancare | to miss |
| interessare | to be interested in |
| bastare | to be enough |
| succedere | to happen |
| sembrare | to seem |
| infastidire | to bother |
| rattristare | to sadden |
| innervosire | to make nervous |
Examples:
- Mi piace il gelato. (I like ice cream.) – Literally: “Ice cream is pleasing to me.”
- Ci mancano i tuoi consigli. (We miss your advice.) – Literally: “Your advice is missing to us.”
- Ti interessa la musica classica? (Are you interested in classical music?) – Literally: “Classical music is interesting to you?”
- Non basta il tempo. (Time is not enough.) – Literally: “Time is not enough.”
- Mi sembra un buon film. (It seems like a good movie to me.) – Literally: “It seems a good movie to me.”
