| Group | Infinitive Ending | Example | Meaning | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | -ARE | Parlare | to speak | | 2nd Conjugation | -ERE | Ricevere | to receive | | 3rd Conjugation | -IRE | Dormire | to sleep |
To conjugate a regular verb, you (-are, -ere, -ire) to find the root ( parl-, ricev-, dorm- ), then add the specific endings for each subject. The Present Tense ( Il Presente Indicativo ) – The Starting Line The present tense is used for current actions, habitual actions, and even near future events ( Domani vado a Roma – Tomorrow I go to Rome). 1. -ARE Verbs (e.g., Parlare – to speak) | Subject | Ending | Conjugation | Pronunciation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Io (I) | -o | Parl o | PAHR-loh | | Tu (you, sing. informal) | -i | Parl i | PAHR-lee | | Lui/Lei (he/she/you formal) | -a | Parl a | PAHR-lah | | Noi (we) | -iamo | Parl iamo | pahr-LYAH-moh | | Voi (you, plural) | -ate | Parl ate | pahr-LAH-teh | | Loro (they) | -ano | Parl ano | PAHR-lah-noh | Key Pattern : The -are changes to -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano . 2. -ERE Verbs (e.g., Ricevere – to receive) | Subject | Ending | Conjugation | Pronunciation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Io | -o | Ricev o | ree-CHEH-voh | | Tu | -i | Ricev i | ree-CHEH-vee | | Lui/Lei | -e | Ricev e | ree-CHEH-veh | | Noi | -iamo | Ricev iamo | ree-cheh-VYAH-moh | | Voi | -ete | Ricev ete | ree-cheh-VEH-teh | | Loro | -ono | Ricev ono | ree-CHEH-voh-noh | Note : The noi form uses -iamo (same as -are verbs), and the loro form uses -ono . 3. -IRE Verbs – Two Types Most -ire verbs follow a simple pattern (like dormire – to sleep). However, a large group (like capire – to understand) inserts -isc- between the root and ending for io, tu, lui/lei, and loro . verbos en italiano conjugaciones
Conjugations may feel like a maze at first, but they are the rhythmic, logical soul of Italian. Every correct ending you use is a small victory—a step closer to thinking and feeling in the language of Dante, opera, and espresso. (Happy studying!) | Group | Infinitive Ending | Example |
: Io parlo italiano. Il mio amico preferisce dormire . Ieri siamo andati a Roma. Notice how parlo already means "I speak," how preferisce contains the -isc-, and how siamo andati uses essere with agreement for a masculine plural subject ("we"). -ARE Verbs (e
In Italian, the verb is the engine of the sentence. Unlike English, which often relies on subject pronouns (I, you, we) and auxiliary verbs (will, have, do), Italian encodes who is acting and when the action happens directly into the verb’s ending. This process is called conjugation ( coniugazione ).
To speak Italian well, you don’t just memorize words—you transform them. Italian verbs are divided into three regular conjugation groups, based on their infinitive ending (the “to” form: to speak, to receive, to sleep ).