Verbs

Italian Verbs

Regular Verbs

Italian regular verbs are divided into three conjugations, defined by their infinitive endings: ‘-are’, ‘-ere’, and ‘-ire’.
For regular verbs, the endings for the present, past, future and conditional tenses are the same across all verbs in each conjugation.
Usage: ‘parlare’ (to speak), ‘prendere’ (to take), ‘capire’ (to understand).

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the standard conjugation patterns.
Most commonly used Italian verbs are irregular such as: ‘essere’ (to be), ‘avere’ (to have), ‘andare’ (to go).
Irregular verbs need to be memorised. It’s essential to practice frequently to get familiar with their various forms.

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs indicate that the action is being performed by the subject onto itself.
They are conjugated with reflexive pronouns that agree in number and person with the subject.
Usage: ‘mi lavo’ (I wash myself), ‘si guarda allo specchio’ (he looks at himself in the mirror).

Modal verbs are used to express necessity, possibility, or ability.
The most common Italian modal verbs are ‘potere’ (can, to be able to), ‘dovere’ (must, to have to), and ‘volere’ (want, to want to).
Modal verbs are usually followed by an infinitive.

Verb Tenses

Italian verbs are conjugated in various tenses to indicate when an action takes place.
The basic tenses are: present (presente), past (passato), imperfect (imperfetto), future (futuro).
Each tense is used in specific contexts and carries its own conjugation rules.

Auxiliary Verbs

In Italian, the two auxiliary verbs are ‘essere’ (to be) and ‘avere’ (to have).
They are used in compound tenses to form the past participle.
The choice of auxiliary depends on the verb itself, whether the verb is transitive or reflexive, and sometimes the specific meaning.

Remember to practice using these verb structures, make sure to remember the conjugation rules, and use them consistently in written and spoken Italian.