Grammar: Verbs - Present Tenses

Grammar: Verbs - Present Tenses

Regular Verbs

  • The Italian present tense, ‘presente’, is used to express current actions and situations, general truths, habits and routines just like the English present simple and present continuous.
  • There are three types of regular verbs in Italian: -are, -ere, and -ire verbs. Each group follows a similar pattern of endings, but with slight variations.
  • -are verbs (e.g. ‘parlare’ - to speak): io parlo, tu parli, lui/lei parla, noi parliamo, voi parlate, loro parlano.
  • -ere verbs (e.g. ‘vedere’ - to see): io vedo, tu vedi, lui/lei vede, noi vediamo, voi vedete, loro vedono.
  • -ire verbs are divided into two groups. The first behaves like -are and -ere verbs (e.g. ‘aprire’ - to open): io apro, tu apri, lui/lei apre, noi apriamo, voi aprite, loro aprono.
  • The second group of -ire verbs takes an -isc added to the root in the io, tu, lui/lei and loro forms (e.g. ‘capire’ - to understand): io capisco, tu capisci, lui/lei capisce, noi capiamo, voi capite, loro capiscono.

Irregular Verbs

  • Irregular verbs do not follow the regular conjugation patterns. There are many irregular verbs, and some very common ones that should be memorised include: essere (to be), avere (to have), andare (to go), fare (to do/make), dare (to give), stare (to stay).
  • Always remember that unlike English, Italian subjects are often implied in the verb ending, so they can be dropped.

Reflexive Verbs

  • Reflexive verbs indicate actions performed by the subject on itself. They are formed by adding reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) before the verb. For example, ‘lavarsi’ (to wash oneself): (io) mi lavo, (tu) ti lavi, (lui/lei) si lava, (noi) ci laviamo, (voi) vi lavate, (loro) si lavano.
  • Reflexive verbs often refer to daily routines or personal activities.

Using Present Tense

  • The present tense is used to talk about something happening right now, to express constants, and for general truths. It can also be used for something happening in near future.
  • Always remember to match the verb ending with the subject - it’s crucial for clear communication in Italian.
  • Experiment with different verbs and conjugation patterns to build a rich verb vocabulary. This is key to expressing a range of thoughts and ideas.