Essere Conjugation: Your Complete Guide to Perfecting Italian Verbs

Elly Kim5 min
Created: Oct 7, 2024Last updated: Dec 19, 2024
Italian Verbs

Italian verbs shape how you share thoughts, feelings, and stories. Learning conjugation patterns for common verbs, like essere conjugation, will unlock new ways to express yourself using different tenses. Read our detailed guide to discover the rules behind the verb forms in Italian. We will also cover the practical applications of these rules so that you can put them to use in daily chats.

The Basics of Italian Verbs

Verbs are the core of every sentence. They let you say what happens, how it happens, and when. Italian verbs change form based on who does the action and when it occurs. This process is known as conjugation.

In English, you add “s” for third person singular or change the form for past tense. Italian verbs experience nearly the same transformations, while they tend to be more elaborate.

Verbs fall into three groups based on their infinitive endings: -are-ere, and -ire. Each group has its own set of rules.

TypeItalian Verb
-are verbsamare [aˈma.re] – to love
parlare [parˈla.re] – to speak
ascoltare [a.skolˈta.re] – to listen
-ere verbsridere [ˈri.de.re] – to laugh
perdere [ˈper.de.re] – to lose
vendere [ˈven.de.re] – to sell
-ire verbsdormire [dorˈmi.re] – to sleep
aprire [aˈpri.re] – to open
finire [fi.ˈni.re] – to finish

Italian Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense

The present tense is used to discuss what is happening now; you can use it to describe everyday actions. It lets you have essential chats and share simple facts with others. Explore the table that features vendere, dormine, and parlare conjugation.

Subject PronounParlare [parˈla.re] – to speakVendere [ˈven.de.re] – to sellDormire [dorˈmi.re] – to sleep
Io (I)parlo [ˈpar.lo]vendo [ˈven.do]dormo [ˈdor.mo]
Tu (You)parli [ˈpar.li]vendi [ˈven.di]dormi [ˈdor.mi]
Lui/Lei (He/She)parla [ˈpar.la]vende [ˈven.de]dorme [ˈdor.me]
Noi (We)parliamo [parˈlja.mo]vendiamo [venˈdja.mo]dormiamo [dorˈmja.mo]
Voi (You all)parlate [parˈla.te]vendete [venˈde.te]dormite [dorˈmi.te]
Loro (They)parlano [ˈpar.la.no]vendono [ˈven.do.no]dormono [ˈdor.mo.no]

Conjugating Italian Verbs in the Past Tense

The past tense allows you to talk about actions that happened before now. You need to combine the auxiliary verb with the past participle of the main verb to form it. Here’s Italian conjugation in the past tense.

Subject PronounParlare [parˈla.re] – to speakVendere [ˈven.de.re] – to sellDormire [dorˈmi.re] – to sleep
Io (I)ho parlato [o parˈla.to]ho venduto [o venˈdu.to]ho dormito [o dorˈmi.to]
Tu (You)hai parlato [ai parˈla.to]hai venduto [ai venˈdu.to]hai dormito [ai dorˈmi.to]
Lui/Lei (He/She)ha parlato [a parˈla.to]ha venduto [a venˈdu.to]ha dormito [a dorˈmi.to]
Noi (We)abbiamo parlato [abˈbja.mo parˈla.to]abbiamo venduto [abˈbja.mo venˈdu.to]abbiamo dormito [abˈbja.mo dorˈmi.to]
Voi (You all)avete parlato [aˈve.te parˈla.to]avete venduto [aˈve.te venˈdu.to]avete dormito [aˈve.te dorˈmi.to]
Loro (They)hanno parlato [ˈan.no parˈla.to]hanno venduto [ˈan.no venˈdu.to]hanno dormito [ˈan.no dorˈmi.to]

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Future Tense Verb Conjugation

This tense is for talking about events or actions that will happen. It’s crucial for planning and predicting. To form it, you add specific endings to the infinitive form of verbs in Italian.

Subject PronounParlare [parˈla.re] – to speakVendere [ˈven.de.re] – to sellDormire [dorˈmi.re] – to sleep
Io (I)parlerò [par.leˈro]venderò [ven.deˈro]dormirò [dor.miˈro]
Tu (You)parlerai [par.leˈrai]venderai [ven.deˈrai]dormirai [dor.miˈrai]
Lui/Lei (He/She)parlerà [par.leˈra]venderà [ven.deˈra]dormirà [dor.miˈra]
Noi (We)parleremo [par.leˈre.mo]venderemo [ven.deˈre.mo]dormiremo [dor.miˈre.mo]
Voi (You all)parlerete [par.leˈre.te]venderete [ven.deˈre.te]dormirete [dor.miˈre.te]
Loro (They)parleranno [par.leˈran.no]venderanno [ven.deˈran.no]dormiranno [dor.miˈran.no]

Conjugating Italian Verbs in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense describes actions that happened repeatedly. It’s helpful for narrating stories and setting a background in conversation.

Subject PronounParlare [parˈla.re] – to speakVendere [ˈven.de.re] – to sellDormire [dorˈmi.re] – to sleep
Io (I)parlavo [parˈla.vo]vendevo [venˈde.vo]dormivo [dorˈmi.vo]
Tu (You)parlavi [parˈla.vi]vendevi [venˈde.vi]dormivi [dorˈmi.vi]
Lui/Lei (He/She)parlava [parˈla.va]vendeva [venˈde.va]dormiva [dorˈmi.va]
Noi (We)parlavamo [par.laˈva.mo]vendevamo [ven.deˈva.mo]dormivamo [dor.miˈva.mo]
Voi (You all)parlavate [par.laˈva.te]vendevate [ven.deˈva.te]dormivate [dor.miˈva.te]
Loro (They)parlavano [parˈla.va.no]vendevano [venˈde.va.no]dormivano [dorˈmi.va.no]

Common Italian Irregular Verbs and Their Patterns

Irregular verbs are an important aspect for those learning Italian. They do not follow the standard conjugation rules. You can’t predict how they will change just by looking at their infinitive forms. 

These verbs need special attention. So, whether farevenire, or andare conjugation, you must memorize each. It means adding extra study time and practice since the patterns vary.

It’s a good practice to start with auxiliary verbs in Italian, as they appear often in daily chats and compound tenses. So, let’s look at the conjugation of essere and avere below.

Subject PronounPresentPast (Passato Prossimo)FutureImperfect
Io (I)

sono [ˈso.no]

ho [o]

sono stato/a [ˈso.no ˈsta.to/ˈsta.ta]

ho avuto [o aˈvu.to]

sarò [saˈro]

avrò [aˈvro]

ero [ˈɛ.ro]

avevo [aˈve.vo]

Tu (You)

sei [sɛi]

hai [ai]

sei stato/a [sɛi ˈsta.to/ˈsta.ta]

hai avuto [ai aˈvu.to]

sarai [saˈrai]

avrai [aˈvrai]

eri [ˈɛ.ri]

avevi [aˈve.vi]

Lui/Lei (He/She)

è [ɛ]

ha [a]

è stato/a [ɛ ˈsta.to/ˈsta.ta]

ha avuto [a aˈvu.to]

sarà [saˈra]

avrà [aˈvra]

era [ˈɛ.ra]

aveva [aˈve.va]

Noi (We)

siamo [ˈsja.mo]

abbiamo [abˈbja.mo]

siamo stati/e [ˈsja.mo ˈsta.ti/ˈsta.te]

abbiamo avuto [abˈbja.mo aˈvu.to]

saremo [saˈre.mo]

avremo [aˈvre.mo]

eravamo [e.raˈva.mo]

avevamo [a.veˈva.mo]

Voi (You all)

siete [ˈsjɛ.te]

avete [aˈve.te]

siete stati/e [ˈsjɛ.te ˈsta.ti/ˈsta.te]

avete avuto [aˈve.te aˈvu.to]

sarete [saˈre.te]

avrete [aˈvre.te]

eravate [e.raˈva.te]

avevate [a.veˈva.te]

Loro (They)

sono [ˈso.no]

hanno [ˈan.no]

sono stati/e [ˈso.no ˈsta.ti/ˈsta.te]

hanno avuto [ˈan.no aˈvu.to]

saranno [saˈran.no]

avranno [aˈvran.no]

erano [ˈɛ.ra.no]

avevano [aˈve.va.no]

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Conclusion

Correct Italian verb conjugation is crucial for everyone who wants to speak and write accurately. Regular verbs follow predictable conjugation patterns, so it’s easy to remember them. Irregular ones are more challenging; essereaverevenire, and fare conjugation in Italian require extra attention due to their changes. Focus on practicing them, and you will notice improvements.

FAQ

How do reflexive verbs differ in conjugation from regular verbs?

Reflexive verbs always use essere in compound tenses. They include reflexive pronouns that must match the subject. The past participle also changes to agree with the gender and number.

Why do auxiliary verbs matter so much in Italian?

Auxiliary verbs form the base of compound tenses. You need them for the past, future, and other tenses.

How can I remember irregular verbs in Italian?

To master the fare conjugation and other verbs in Italian, list them and work on their forms. Flashcards and spaced repetition systems help you recall conjugations.

Which online resources can help with Italian conjugation?

Conjugator.Reverso.net and ItalianVerbs help users conjugate verbs. You can access verb tables and examples with audio pronunciations.

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