So, you’ve passed the intermediate level in Italian. You have all the basics and then some, but you want to go the extra mile and learn more advanced Italian words and sentences. 

Are you applying for an Advanced Italian certificate [CILS], corresponding to the C1 or C2 level? Or are you enrolled in an Italian university? Maybe you just need to write an essay, compose the perfect cover letter, or take part in more formal and complex discussions with your Italian friends and colleagues. 

According to the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (known in Italian as QCER, Quadro Comune Europeo di Riferimento delle Lingue), advanced learners of a language are able to effortlessly understand virtually everything, whether it’s written or oral. They can also use the language effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes, as well as produce well-structured and articulated text on complex topics.

Do you think you’re getting there? 

Here, we’ll present you with a great list of advanced Italian vocabulary words, including verbs, nouns, connectors, and example sentences and phrases. This list will help you sort out any complex linguistic situation for any professional environment you might find yourself in. But, if you still want more by the time you reach the end, check out our wide array of vocabulary lists with audio recordings. 

Table of Contents

1. Advanced Academic Words
2. Advanced Business Words
3. Advanced Medical Words
4. Advanced Legal Words
5. Advanced Words for Acing Italian Writing/Essays
6. Conclusion

1. Advanced Academic Words

Let’s start with some vocabulary you’ll need to feel at ease in any academic context.

Are you ready for some serious academic work?

Approccio (n.)	Bisogna avere un approccio scientifico.
Approach	You have to have a scientific approach.

Beneficio (n.)	Tutti possono trarne beneficio.
Benefit	Everyone can benefit from that.

Concettuale (adj.)	Si tratta di arte concettuale.
Conceptual	This is conceptual art.

Ruolo (n.)	Il ruolo fondamentale della storia
Role	The fundamental role of history

Astratto (adj.)	Questo è un concetto astratto.
Abstract	This is an abstract concept.

Punto di vista (n.)	Devi capire il mio punto di vista.
Point of view	You have to understand my point of view.

Parere / Opinione (n.)	Non è facile cambiare parere.
Opinion	It’s not easy to change your opinion.

Polemica (n.)	Agli italiani piace fare polemica.
Controversy	Italians like to argue.

Valutare (v.)	Bisogna valutare tutte le posizioni.
To evaluate	You have to evaluate all the positions.

Funzione (n.)	La funzione della scuola è educare.
Function / Role	School’s role is to educate.

Fascicolo (n.)	Dove hai messo il fascicolo completo?
Dossier / File	Where did you put the complete dossier?

Argomentare (v.)	Come argomenti la tua tesi?
To argue / To defend / To discuss	How do you defend your thesis?

Comportare (v.)	Che cosa comporta?
To involve / To imply	What does it imply?

Verificarsi (v.)	Questa situazione si verifica raramente.
To occur	This situation rarely occurs.

Atteggiamento (n.)	È un atteggiamento ragionevole.
Attitude	It is a reasonable attitude.

Implicare (v.)	Questa conclusione implica che la premessa era giusta.
To imply	This conclusion implies that the premise was correct.

Interpretazione (n.)	È una questione di interpretazione.
Interpretation	It is a question of interpretation.

Fattore (n.)	Il fattore più importante è l’ecologia.
Factor	The most important factor is ecology.

Definizione (n.)	Troverai la definizione sul dizionario.
Definition	You will find the definition in the dictionary.

Fonte (n.)	La fonte di questo studio è molto antica.
Source	The source of this study is very old.

For more words and phrases about school, school subjects, or even life on a school campus, make sure to refer to our free vocabulary lists!

2. Advanced Business Words

Many people travel for business reasons, and there’s no better way to conduct business than through effective communication. The business terms on this advanced Italian vocabulary list will help you avoid any misunderstandings when doing business with Italians. 

Strategia (n.)	È una buona strategia di vendita.
Strategy	It is a good sales strategy.

Controproposta (n.)	Aspetto la vostra controproposta.
Counter-proposal	I’m waiting for your counter-proposal.

Preventivo (n.)	Sceglieremo il miglior preventivo.
Price quotation	We will choose the best quote.

Bilancio (n.)	Il bilancio aziendale è in attivo.
Budget	The company’s budget is in the black.

Rimborso (n.)	I clienti hanno diritto ad un rimborso.
Refund	Customers are entitled to a refund.

Contabilità (n.)	La contabilità è un settore critico.
Accounting	Accounting is a critical area.

Fattura (n.)	La fattura è arrivata dopo 30 giorni.
Invoice	The invoice arrived after 30 days.

Bolla di accompagnamento (n.)	Senza bolla di accompagnamento, il prodotto non può essere spedito.
Packing slip	Without a packing slip, the product cannot be shipped.

Ricerca di mercato (n.)	Abbiamo fatto un’estesa ricerca di mercato.
Market research	We have done extensive market research.

Consumatore (n.)	Dal produttore al consumatore
Consumer	From producer to consumer

Dirigente (n.)	Il dirigente della mia azienda guadagna troppo!
Manager / Director	My company director earns too much!

Capo reparto (n.)	Il capo reparto sa sempre tutto.
Department head	The department head always knows everything.

Mercato di nicchia (n.)	Il mercato del lusso è un mercato di nicchia.
Niche market	The luxury market is a niche market.

Filiale / Succursale (n.)	Abbiamo tre filiali all’estero.
Branch	We have three branches abroad.

Inventario (n.)	Il negozio faceva l’inventario ogni anno.
Inventory	The store made an inventory every year.

Ricavi (n.)	Quest’anno i ricavi sono calati.
Revenues	Revenues have dropped this year.

Azionisti (n.)	Gli azionisti sono molto soddisfatti dei risultati.
Shareholders	The shareholders are very satisfied with the results.

Giro/Volume d’affari (n.)	Il giro d’affari di questo business è enorme.
Turnover	The turnover of this business is enormous.

Ufficio acquisti (n.)	Ho fatto domanda all’ufficio acquisti.
Purchasing department	I made a request to the purchasing department.

Estratto conto (n.)	L’estratto conto ormai è solo digitale.
Account statement	The bank statement is now only digital.

Raggiungere gli obiettivi (v.)	Quest’anno non abbiamo raggiunto gli obiettivi previsti.
To achieve goals	This year, we didn’t achieve the expected goals.

Assumere (v.)	L’azienda assumerà centinaia di giovani lavoratori.
To hire	The company will hire hundreds of young workers.

Licenziare (v.)	Purtroppo sono stato licenziato.
To dismiss / To fire	Unfortunately, I was fired.

Licenziarsi (v.)	Non ne posso più. Mi licenzio!
To quit	I have had enough. I quit!

Maternità (n.)	La maternità in Italia è obbligatoria per cinque mesi.
Maternity leave	Maternity leave in Italy is compulsory for five months.

Bancarotta (n.)	Certe volte la bancarotta è inevitabile.
Bankruptcy	Sometimes, bankruptcy is inevitable.

Marchio registrato (n.)	Ferrari è un marchio registrato.
Registered trademark	Ferrari is a registered trademark.

Stipendio (n.)	Lo stipendio è versato il 27 di ogni mese.
Salary	The salary is paid on the 27th of each month.

Busta paga (n.)	Le tasse sono detratte dalla busta paga.
Paycheck	Taxes are deducted from the paycheck.

Are the accounts correct?

→ Want to learn more vocabulary for doing business successfully? You’ll find it here!

3. Advanced Medical Words

Whether you’re planning to study medicine in Italy or you need medical attention while traveling, being able to discuss medical issues requires a somewhat advanced vocabulary. To give you a head start, we’ve compiled this list of several advanced words in Italian related to the medical field. And if you really want a full immersion experience, check out the ten (10!!!) seasons of the historic TV series Un medico in famiglia (A Doctor in the Family) from the Raiplay platform. 

Analisi del sangue (n.)	Domani devo fare le analisi del sangue.
Blood test	I have a blood test tomorrow.

Anticorpi (n.)	Gli anticorpi combattono le malattie.
Antibodies	Antibodies fight diseases.

Chirurgia (n.)	La chirurgia plastica è molto invasiva.
Surgery	Plastic surgery is very invasive.

Diagnosi precoce (n.)	Una diagnosi precoce diminuisce i rischi.
Early diagnosis	Early diagnosis decreases the risks.

Dosaggio (n.)	È necessario controllare il dosaggio delle medicine.
Dosage	It is necessary to control the dosage of the medicines.

Ecografia (n.)	Dall’ecografia si vede se il bambino è sano.
Ultrasound	The ultrasound shows if the baby is healthy.

Raggi X (n.)	Ho fatto i raggi X perché avevo un braccio rotto.
X-ray	I did the X-rays because I had a broken arm.

Prurito (n.)	Se hai prurito, ti gratti.
Itch	If you itch, you scratch.

Emorragia (n.)	Siamo riusciti ad arrestare l’emorragia.
Bleeding	We managed to stop the bleeding.

Ricetta (n.)	Il medico prescrive le ricette.
Prescription	The doctor gives prescriptions.

Sistema immunitario (n.)	Il mio sistema immunitario è debole.
Immune system	My immune system is weak.

Gesso (n.)	Per quanto tempo devi tenere il gesso?
Plaster	How long do you have to keep the plaster on?

Frattura (n.)	Per fortuna non è una frattura esposta.
Fracture	Thankfully, it’s not an open fracture.

Pressione arteriosa (n.)	È bene controllare regolarmente la pressione arteriosa.
Blood pressure	It’s good to check your blood pressure regularly.

Contagio (n.)	Chi sta diffondendo il contagio?
Infection	Who is spreading the infection?

Cura (n.)	A volte la cura sta nella prevenzione.
Cure	Sometimes the cure lies in prevention.

Tirocinio (n.)	Quella dottoressa ha fatto il tirocinio all’ospedale San Paolo.
Internship	That doctor did her internship at the San Paolo Hospital.

Cancerogeno (adj.)	Questo materiale è cancerogeno.
Carcinogenic	This material is carcinogenic.

Does it look okay to you?

→ Check out our vocabulary list to practice talking about medicines and medical treatments.

4. Advanced Legal Words

Are you a fan of detective and crime stories? If so, you might love to watch the entire series of Il commissario Montalbano (Detective Montalbano), set in wonderful Sicily. You’ll need to study and practice a few advanced legal words first, but these words could be useful in many other situations as well. You never know…

Procuratore (n.)	Ti presento il procuratore della Repubblica.
Attorney / Prosecutor	This is the public prosecutor.

Avvocato (n.)	Alcuni avvocati non hanno una buona fama.
Lawyer	Some lawyers don’t have a good reputation.

Querela (n.)	Ho ricevuto una querela per quello che ho detto.
Lawsuit	I got a lawsuit for what I said.

Essere passibile di (v.)	Il tuo comportamento è passibile di una sanzione pesante.
To be liable to	Your behavior is liable for a heavy penalty.

Fare appello / ricorso (v.)	Gli avvocati hanno fatto appello immediatamente.
To appeal	The lawyers appealed immediately.

Verdetto (n.)	Il giudice ha annunciato il verdetto.
Verdict	The judge announced the verdict.

Tribunale (n.)	Ci vedremo in tribunale!
Court	We will see you in court!

Arresti domiciliari (n.)	Il politico è stato messo agli arresti domiciliari.
House arrest	The politician was placed under house arrest.

Abrogare (v.)	È necessario abrogare questa legge ingiusta.
To repeal	It is necessary to repeal this unjust law.

Arresto (n.)	L’arresto è stato spettacolare.
Arrest / Capture	The capture was spectacular.

Calunnia (n.)	Quello che dici è solo una calunnia.
Slander	What you say is just slander.

Reato (n.)	È un reato molto grave.
Crime	It is a very serious crime.

Diffamare (v.)	È molto facile diffamare su internet.
To defame	It is very easy to defame (someone) on the internet.

Indagine (n.)	Hai visto l’ultima indagine del commissario Montalbano?
Investigation	Have you seen the latest investigation by Detective Montalbano?

Multa (n.)	Se superi il limite di velocità, ricevi una multa.
Fine	If you exceed the speed limit, you will be fined.

Precedenti penali (n.)	Hai dei precedenti penali?
Criminal records	Do you have any criminal records?

Sentenza (n.)	Questa è una sentenza storica.
Ruling	This is a historic ruling.

Testimone (n.)	Il testimone apparirà in tribunale.
Witness	The witness will appear in court.

Patteggiare (v.)	I miei avvocati mi hanno convinta a patteggiare.
To settle / To negotiate	My lawyers convinced me to negotiate.

Udienza (n.)	Quando è fissata l’udienza?
Court hearing	When is the hearing scheduled?

Verbale (n.)	Il carabiniere ha fatto il verbale dell’accaduto.
Minutes	The carabiniere took the minutes of the incident.

I love detective stories!

5. Advanced Words for Acing Italian Writing/Essays

Writing essays, whether for language certification or a student thesis, is definitely an art! But you’ll do well as long as you choose your vocabulary carefully, selecting less common words to deliver key concepts in the best possible way.

Here is a selection of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions that will immediately increase your score on an essay or paper. 

1 – Alternative Verbs

Sometimes, the trick is to substitute a common verb with a more sophisticated one that has the same meaning. Here are some examples. Note that the first word is the common version, while the second one is the more advanced Italian verb. 

Avere	Possedere	Il mio amico possiede una bella casa.
To have	To own	My friend owns a nice house.

Dire	Affermare	Come puoi affermare una cosa del genere?
To say	To claim	How can you say such a thing?

Dare	Consegnare	Hai consegnato la tesi al professore?
To give	To deliver	Did you deliver the thesis to the professor?

Scrivere	Redigere	Devo redigere il mio curriculum.
To write	To redact	I have to redact my resume.

Comprare	Acquistare	Il mio sogno è acquistare tutto!
To buy	To acquire	My dream is to buy everything!

Volere	Desiderare	Desidero un bicchiere d’acqua, per favore.
To want	To wish	I would like a glass of water, please.

Piacere	Apprezzare	Apprezzo il vino di qualità.
To like	To appreciate	I appreciate quality wine.

Iniziare	Intraprendere	Ho intrapreso una nuova avventura.
To start	To undertake / To embark	I have embarked on a new adventure.

2 – Conjunctions

Affinché	Bisogna controllare le grandi aziende affinché non inquinino.
So that	Big companies must be controlled so that they do not pollute.

Nonostante	Nonostante il freddo, abbiamo fatto il bagno.
Despite	Despite the cold, we went swimming.

A meno che	Stasera ci sarà il concerto, a meno che non si metta a piovere.
Unless	There will be a concert tonight unless it starts raining.

Piuttosto che	Piuttosto che guardare questo film, vado a dormire.
Rather than	Rather than watching this movie, I’m going to sleep.

Non appena	Non appena arrivo ti telefono.
As soon as	As soon as I arrive, I will call you.

Comunque	Comunque è meglio di niente.
In any case	In any case, it is better than nothing.

Poiché	Non siamo usciti, poiché c’era il coprifuoco.
As	We did not go out, as there was a curfew.

Benché	Benché sia simpatico, non lo inviterò alla mia festa.
Although	Although he is nice, I will not invite him to my party.

3 – Adverbs

Decisamente	Questo è decisamente un bell’articolo!
Definitely	This is definitely a good article!

Frequentemente	Mi succede frequentemente di sbagliare.
Frequently	It happens frequently to me to make mistakes. / I frequently make mistakes.

Moderatamente	Siamo moderatamente ottimisti.
Moderately	We are moderately optimistic.

Assolutamente	Non ne voglio assolutamente parlare.
Absolutely	I absolutely don’t want to talk about it.

Ostinatamente	Continuava a rifiutare ostinatamente.
Stubbornly	He kept stubbornly refusing.

Improvvisamente	Improvvisamente tutto è diventato buio.
Suddenly	Suddenly, everything went dark.

Bruscamente	Se n’è andato bruscamente.
Abruptly	He left abruptly.

He stubbornly refused to listen…

4 – Adjectives

Accattivante	Ha un sorriso molto accattivante.
Captivating	He has a very captivating smile.

Caotico	Il traffico di Roma è caotico.
Chaotic	Traffic in Rome is chaotic.

Gradevole	La temperatura dell’acqua è molto gradevole.
Pleasant	The water temperature is very pleasant.

Malizioso	Non mi piace il tuo sorriso malizioso.
Mischievous	I don’t like your mischievous smile.

Viziato	È un bambino troppo viziato.
Spoiled	He is an extremely spoiled child.

Impeccabile	Il suo comportamento è stato impeccabile.
Flawless	His behavior was flawless.

Pacato	Parla sempre con un tono molto pacato.
Calm	He always speaks in a very calm tone.

Vivace	Mi piacciono le conversazioni vivaci.
Lively	I like lively conversations.

Ragionevole	Mi è sembrata una proposta ragionevole.
Reasonable	It seemed like a reasonable proposition.

Inaccettabile	La tua controproposta è inaccettabile.
Unacceptable	Your counteroffer is unacceptable.

Imbarazzante	È stata una situazione imbarazzante per tutti.
Embarrassing	It was an embarrassing situation for everyone.

You seem like a reasonable person…

6. Conclusion

In this guide, you have learned a large collection of both general and specialized advanced Italian words, from medical vocabulary to legal terms and business phrases. If we forgot any important topic or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below.

Make sure to explore ItalianPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review new words and learn their pronunciation. Not sure where to start? Then we recommend checking out our advanced Italian course! 

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal 1-on-1 coaching. Your own private teacher will help you practice advanced words and phrases, provide you with assignments and personalized exercises, and record audio samples just for you. Your teacher will also review your work and help you improve your pronunciation.

Keep learning and having fun with ItalianPod101!

Verb tenses are absolutely necessary in clearly defining when a given action is taking place. 

If you were to browse through any Italian grammar textbook or study an Italian conjugation table, you would probably find yourself overwhelmed by the number (21!) and apparent complexity of the tenses. And on top of that, each of the Italian tenses has to be conjugated for the six persons (io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro). This means that—unlike in English—every person of every tense has a different form. 

But don’t worry, I have good news. Two pieces of good news, actually! 

1. To have a complete and meaningful conversation in Italian, you really just need to know three (3!) tenses: presente (present), passato prossimo (near past), and imperfetto (imperfect). You can also throw in the imperative, if you want, since it has pretty much the same form as the present.
   


2. Even though every person of every tense is conjugated and has a different form, the basic forms of the conjugations (the verb endings) follow a very consistent and predictable pattern. Once you’ve memorized that pattern, you’ll be able to easily apply it to whatever verb and tense you need.

Of course, there are other verb tenses in Italian that are used to express more complex thoughts and concepts, but we can worry about those later on. Just keep in mind that you can alw/ays get by knowing just the three basic Italian tenses. Isn’t that wonderful?

→ Before we start, why not review the 100+ Most Important Italian Verbs?

Mangio una pizza. (“I’m eating a pizza.”)

Table of Contents

1. Present Tense
2. Past Tenses
3. Future
4. Conditional
5. Are You in the Mood for Moods…? 😉
6. Verb Conjugation and Auxiliary Verbs Summary
7. Conclusion

1. Present Tense

The present tense in Italian is used to express an action happening right now, as we speak. It’s by far the most common and most frequently used tense in the Italian language.

Mangio una pizza.	“I’m eating a pizza.”
Andiamo al cinema?	“Let’s go to the movies?”
Non lavoro la domenica.	“I don’t work on Sundays.”

In addition to expressing actions happening right now, the Italian present tense is also commonly used to express the near future or the intention of doing something. Of course, there’s a specific tense for future (which we’ll see later on), but keep in mind that it’s extremely common in Italian to use the present tense to express a near-future intention or action.

Domani vado a mangiare una pizza.	“Tomorrow I’ll go for pizza.”
L’estate prossima andiamo in vacanza in Sicilia.	“Next summer we’ll go to Sicily on vacation.”

2. Past Tenses

When it comes to the past tense in Italian, it gets a bit more complicated. This is because there are actually two main Italian past tenses that we use depending on the situation. Here’s a brief overview with examples to make everything clearer.

A- Passato Prossimo

Passato prossimo (simple past) is the tense that expresses a specific action that happened in the past and ended in the past. The Italian passato prossimo is formed by combining the auxiliary avere (to have) or essere (to be) and the past participle, usually* ending in -ato, -uto, or -ito, respectively for the -are, -ere, and ire conjugations.

Hai studiato? (“Did you study?”)

Infinitive	Past participle	Passato prossimo
Mangi-are (To eat)	Mangi-ato	Ho mangiato (I ate)
Cred-ere (To believe)	Cred-uto	Hai creduto (You believed)
Cap-ire (To understand)	Cap-ito	Ha capito (She understood)

That’s not too hard to remember, right? 

Just keep in mind that there’s a great number of verbs that have an irregular past participle, so you’ll have to memorize them. The good news is that some of them are so common that the memorization process will happen naturally. Also, they’re mostly of the -ere conjugation, so you should watch out for those. 

Here’s a quick list of some must-know verbs that have an irregular past participle, along with their passato prossimo forms.

Infinitive	Irregular Passato Prossimo	Infinitive	Irregular Passato Prossimo
Accendere	Ho acceso (I turned on)	Perdere	Ho perso (I lost)
Aprire	Ho aperto (I opened)	Prendere	Ho preso (I took)
Chiedere	Ho chiesto (I asked)	Ridere	Ho riso (I laughed)
Chiudere	Ho chiuso (I closed)	Rimanere	Sono rimasto/a (I stayed)
Correre	Ho corso (I ran)	Rispondere	Ho risposto (I answered)
Dire	Ho detto (I said)	Scendere	Sono sceso/a (I went down)
Essere	Sono stato/a (I was)	Scrivere	Ho scritto (I wrote)
Fare	Ho fatto (I did/made)	Spegnere	Ho spento (I turned off)
Leggere	Ho letto (I read)	Vedere	Ho visto (I saw)
Mettere	Ho messo (I put)	Venire	Sono venuto/a (I came)
Morire	Sono morto/a (I died)	Vivere	Sono*/Ho vissuto (I lived)
Nascere	Sono nato/a (I was born)

Ieri ho mangiato a casa di mio fratello.	“Yesterday, I ate at my brother’s house.”
Durante le vacanze sono andata** al mare tutti i giorni.	“During my vacation, I went to the beach every day.”
Hai letto il giornale di ieri?	“Did you read yesterday’s newspaper?”
Non abbiamo chiesto l’orario del treno…	“We haven’t asked for the train schedule…”

You probably noticed that in the examples, the auxiliary avere (to have) was sometimes used and essere (to be) was used other times. Why? Well, this is rather common in Romance languages. So, if you’re familiar with French or Spanish, for example, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Basically, you always use avere as an auxiliary, except when you have an intransitive verb. 

What does “intransitive” mean? 

Intransitive verbs cannot have a direct object and must be used with the essere auxiliary. These verbs often indicate movement or a change of state, such as: 

• Andare (To go) 
• Rimanere (To stay)
• Nascere (To be born)
• Morire (To die)

At the beginning, it might seem complicated—but don’t worry! With a little practice, choosing the right auxiliary will be really easy!

Another thing to remember: If you use the essere auxiliary in any compound tense, you need to make it agree with the subject. It’s easier to show than to explain:

Giovanni è andato a scuola.                    (Giovanni went to school.)
Maria è tornata dalle vacanze.                 (Maria is back from vacation.)
(Noi) Siamo nati in Italia.                        (We were born in Italy.)
Le mie amiche sono venute in treno.       (My friends came by train.)

On the other hand, if you had a verb that uses the avere auxiliary, the ending always stays the same:

Giovanni ha studiato la lezione.                            (Giovanni studied the lesson.)
Maria ha mangiato un panino.                             (Maria ate a sandwich.)
(Noi) Abbiamo visto un bel film.                            (We saw a good movie.)
Le mie amiche hanno organizzato una festa.         (My friends organized a party.)

Passato prossimo is often used with adverbs or phrases indicating time, such as: 

• ieri (yesterday)
• l’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
• la settimana scorsa (last week)
• un mese fa (a year ago)
• l’anno passato (last year)

So far so good? Then let’s get ready for the imperfetto.

B- Imperfetto

Imperfetto (imperfect) is a tense that exists in most Romance languages. It indicates a recurrent or usual action, an action that is still pending or not yet completed, or an ongoing action that occurred while another action happened. Basically, it’s an “imperfect” tense because it does not describe a definite, precise action of the past. It might be a little tricky at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

When and how do we use it, then? The indicative imperfect is used…

• …to indicate an action not completed, which took place at the same time as another:
  
  Quando sono entrato, stavi dormendo. (When I came in, you were asleep.)
  Mentre andavo a scuola, ho incontrato una mia amica. (When I was going to school, I met a friend of mine.)

• …to indicate an action that was habitually repeated in the past:
  
  Tutte le estati andavamo in Sicilia in treno. (Every summer, we used to go to Sicily by train.)
  Il nonno veniva a trovarci tutti i giorni e ci portava le caramelle. (Grandpa came to visit every day and brought us candies.)

C’era il sole e gli uccellini cantavano. (“It was sunny and the birds sang.”)

• …to describe events, places, and people’s physical characteristics:
  
  C’era il sole e gli uccellini cantavano. (It was sunny and the birds sang.)
  Le montagne erano tutte coperte di neve. (The mountains were all covered with snow.)
  Maria aveva i capelli neri e gli occhi verdi. (Maria had black hair and green eyes.)

Since we’re talking so much about the past… There’s another past tense that’s so remote people don’t really use it anymore when speaking: the passato remoto. It’s a simple tense, used today mainly in written texts such as history textbooks and Italian literature. That’s why it’s important to be able to recognize it.

Giulio Cesare fu un generale romano. (Julius Caesar was a Roman general.)
La ragazza andò via senza voltarsi. (The girl left without looking back.)
Quell’estate andammo al mare solo una volta. (That summer, we only went to the beach once.)

3. Future

As mentioned before, in Italian you can use the present tense when talking about the near future. So, if you’re talking about your plans for later in the day or the following week, you can simply use the present tense and let the temporal adverb communicate that it will happen in the future. For example: 

Domani esco da scuola alle tre del pomeriggio! (Tomorrow I leave school at three in the afternoon!)
Domenica facciamo una gita in montagna. (On Sunday, we are going for a day-trip to the mountains.)
La settimana prossima faccio una festa, vieni? (Next week I am throwing a party, will you come?)

But that doesn’t work all the time. When you’re talking about the distant future or want to be more specific about a future event, you’ll have to use the future tense. 

The future tense in Italian is easy to spot, as it’s formed by adding an ending to the verb’s infinitive stem. 

	Infinitive
Future	parl-are (to talk)	legg-ere (to read)	sent-ire (to hear)
io	parl–erò	legg-erò	sent-irò
tu	parl–erai	legg-erai	sent-irai
lui/lei	parl–erà	legg-erà	sent-irà
noi	parl–eremo	legg-eremo	sent-iremo
voi	parl–erete	legg-erete	sent-irete
loro	parl–eranno	legg-eranno	sent-iranno

Easy, right? Just keep in mind that you need to change the a into an e for the first conjugation (the one in -are): 

• parlare >> parlerò 
• mangiare >> mangerò 
• volare >> volerò

Also remember that the first (io = “I”) and third (lui/lei = “he/she”) persons have an accent on the ending, which means you need to put the stress on that final vowel.

But you can notice that, apart from the vowel coming from the stem of the infinitive, all endings are the same for each of the three conjugations.

L’anno prossimo faremo un viaggio negli Stati Uniti.      (Next year we will travel to the United States.)
Un giorno questa situazione cambierà.                             (One day this situation will change.)
Prevedo che nel 2021 l’economia crescerà.                      (I predict that in 2021 the economy will grow.)
Domani ci sarà il sole?                                                     (Will it be sunny tomorrow?)

Another common use for the future tense in Italian is to express a supposition or a doubt:

Che ora sarà? (What time can it be?)
Saranno le tre, le tre e mezza. (It is probably three, three and a half.)

Quanti anni avrà Maria? (How old can Maria be?)
Boh, avrà vent’anni. (Dunno, she’s probably twenty.)

And finally, we use the future tense in the main clause when we’re stating a very realistic hypothesis, such as:

Se non piove, uscirò. (If it doesn’t rain, I will go out.)
Se leggi il libro, capirai il film. (If you read the book, you will understand the movie.)

Se non piove, domani uscirò… (“If it doesn’t rain, I’ll go out tomorrow …”)

4. Conditional

Once you know how to conjugate the future tense, it’s very easy to use the conditional because it’s formed exactly the same way. Just use the stem from the infinitive (changing the a into e for the -are conjugation) and add the appropriate ending for conditional.

Conditional is very important because it’s one of the most common Italian tenses and it’s used to express many situations.

• A personal opinion:
  Io voterei per l’altro candidato. (I would vote for the other candidate.)


• A doubt:
  Cosa dovremmo fare? (What should we do?)
  


• A possibility:
  Sono così stanca che potrei dormire per due giorni! (I’m so tired that I could sleep for two days!)
  


• A desire:
  Mangerei un gelato al cioccolato… (I would love a chocolate ice cream…)
  Oggi andrei al cinema. (Today I would like/love to go to the movies.)

• A polite demand:
  Potrei avrei un cappuccino? (Could I have a cappuccino?)
  Vorremmo noleggiare un’auto. (We would like to rent a car.)

Vorrei noleggiare questa macchina! (“I wish to rent this car!”)

We’ve already talked about hypothetical sentences regarding very realistic situations. Another important use of the conditional is in hypothetical sentences where we’re stating something very unrealistic. Do you remember these examples? Let’s look at them from a different point of view:

Se non piovesse, uscirei. (If it weren’t raining—but it is!—I would go out.)
Se tu leggessi il libro, capiresti il film. (If you read the book—but you refuse to—you would understand the movie.)

Or:

Se fossi ricco, comprerei una casa al mare. (If I were rich—but I’m not!—I would buy a beach house.)
Se tutti andassimo in bici, non ci sarebbe traffico! (If we all rode bikes—very unlikely—there would be no traffic!)

If you’re asking yourself what tense the verbs piovesse, leggessi, fossi, and andassimo, are in, I’ll tell you right away that it’s the past subjunctive (congiuntivo passato). We’ll talk about it in a little bit.

5. Are You in the Mood for Moods…? 😉

We’ve just mentioned condizionale (“conditional”) and congiuntivo (“subjunctive”), but we need to back up a little here. These are not tenses, but rather modi (“moods”). In other words, they indicate the attitude of the speaker relative to the action expressed in the verb.

For example, if the action is real we use the indicative; if it’s possible, we use the subjunctive; if it’s subject to particular conditions, we use the conditional; and if we’re giving orders, we use the imperative. These are the four Italian finite moods, meaning that they’re conjugated for each person. Then there are three infinite moods which are invariable and don’t change with different subjects. 

On the other hand, the tenses only refer to the time of the action (in the present, in the past, or in the future).

Here’s a table that represents all of the moods and tenses in Italian for my favorite verb: studiare (to study).

FINITE MOODS
Indicativo
Presente (studio) Imperfetto (studiavo) Passato remoto (studiai) Futuro (studierò)	Passato prossimo (ho studiato) Trapassato prossimo (avevo studiato) Trapassato remoto (ebbi studiato) Futuro anteriore (avrò studiato)
Condizionale
Presente (studierei)	Passato (avrei studiato)
Congiuntivo
Presente (che io studi) Imperfetto (che io studiassi)	Passato (che io abbia studiato) Trapassato (che io avessi studiato)
Imperativo
Presente (studia!)

INFINITE MOODS
Infinito
Presente (studiare)	Passato(aver studiato)
Participio
Presente (studiante)	Passato (studiato)
Gerundio
Presente (studiando)	Passato(avendo studiato)

6. Verb Conjugation and Auxiliary Verbs Summary

Now that we’ve taken into consideration the absolutely must-know Italian tenses (and had an overview of all the Italian moods and tenses), it’s time to look at how to form every Italian tense using the help of auxiliaries.

→ We’re not going to go into too much detail about conjugation, because if you want to know more about it, you just need to check out this fantastic article on the ItalianPod101 blog.

Gli ausiliari sono qui per aiutare. (“Auxiliaries are here to help.”)

Auxiliaries have lots of uses, as the name itself suggests: auxiliary = ausiliare = “to help.” 

We’ve already seen how to choose between essere (to be) and avere (to have) when forming the passato prossimo. Now we can look at other tenses (and other moods) that you’ll need the help of auxiliaries to use. Here we go!

A- Reality [Indicative]

Presente Studio perché mi piace l’italiano! (I study because I like Italian!)	Passato Prossimo Anche tu hai studiato italiano con ItalianPod101? (Have you also studied Italian with ItalianPod101?)
Imperfetto Da bambina giocavo con le macchinine. (As a child, I used to play with toy cars.)	Trapassato Prossimo Quando sono arrivato, erano partiti da un’ora. (When I arrived, they had left an hour before.)
Passato Remoto Il gatto saltò sul divano. (The cat jumped on the sofa.)	Trapassato Remoto Dopo che Cesare ebbe conquistato la Gallia, si riposò. (After Caesar had conquered Gaul, he rested.)
Futuro Da grande farò l’astronauta. (When I grow up, I will be an astronaut.)	Futuro Anteriore Dopo che avrò studiato uscirò con gli amici. (After I study, I will go out with friends.)

B- Desire [Conditional]

Presente Mangerei un chilo di gelato al cioccolato… (I would eat a kilo of chocolate ice cream…)

Passato Ieri mi sarebbe piaciuto andare al cinema. (Yesterday, I would have liked to go to the movies.)

C- Doubt, Possibility [Subjunctive]

Presente Penso che Carlos canti benissimo. (I think Carlos sings very well.)	Passato Penso che Carlos ieri abbia cantato meglio. (I think Carlos sang better yesterday.)
Imperfetto Pensavo che Carlos oggi cantasse in italiano. (I thought Carlos was singing in Italian today.)	Trapassato  Ero convinta che Carlos ieri avesse cantato meglio. (I was convinced that Carlos had sung better yesterday.)

D- Giving Orders [Imperative]

Presente Studia se vuoi migliorare! (Study if you want to improve!)

E- Indefinite Moods

The indefinite moods are verb forms that are only used in subordinate clauses, because they cannot stand alone in a sentence.

Infinitive

It indicates the pure action expressed by the verb. It ends in -are, -ere, ire.

• Correre è bello! (Running is fun!)
• Voglio andare al mare… (I want to go to the beach…) 

Present participle

It usually turns the verb into a noun or an adjective (as in, the person or the thing doing the action). It ends in -ante, -ente.

• Il cantante è bravo. (The singer is good.)

Past participle

We already looked at this mood when talking about the passato prossimo. It’s the one ending in -ato, -uto, -ito that we use together with auxiliaries.

• Ho cantato tutto la notte. (I sang all night.)

Gerund

It’s used to indicate something that is in the process of occurring, often used with the verb stare. It ends in -ando, -endo.

• Sto cantando sotto la pioggia. (I’m singing in the rain.)
• Stai ancora dormendo? (Are you still sleeping?)

7. Conclusion

Verbs are like bricks that you need in order to speak full sentences. In this lesson, you learned enough tenses, moods, and verbal forms to build yourself a beautiful Italian villa!

How confident are you feeling about Italian verb tenses now? Feel free to reach out in the comments if you have any questions, and we’ll get back to you!

Don’t forget to browse through the many vocabulary lists with audio recordings and free resources available on our website. We make it easy to keep improving your Italian anywhere you are!

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal 1-on-1 coaching and have your private teacher help you with tenses and conjugation. And that’s not all! With this service, you unlock 220+ hours of audio/video courses, study tools, bonus apps, and more. So you get the best of both worlds: access to a teacher and the ability to learn at your own pace with fast, fun, and easy lessons.

Keep learning while having fun with ItalianPod101.

Proverbs are pearls of wisdom, sometimes coined by famous individuals but more often of anonymous origin. Some proverbs go back to the beginning of humanity itself, and although they sound a bit old sometimes, they always have a practical application in everyday life and can help us deal with complicated situations. 

In general, proverbs tend to transmit popular wisdom in a very concrete way. They often stand out for their irony, their colorful comparisons, and their funny tones and metaphors.

Italian proverbs are an important part of the language, because… 

• …Italians use them often in conversations.
• …they belong to a shared body of knowledge.
• …they typically denote specific cultural traits of the country. 

That last point is especially important, because each culture has its own set of proverbs and idioms. They reflect a particular sense of wisdom, in harmony with the history of each country. Many of these are universal, but there are equally well-known local variations.

In this guide from ItalianPod101.com, you’ll learn about some of the most common Italian proverbs, what they mean, and how to use them.

Proverbs = traditional popular culture.

Table of Contents

1. Proverbs About Time
2. Proverbs About Food
3. Proverbs with Animals
4. Proverbs About Love and Family
5. Proverbs About Life, Wisdom, and All the Rest…
6. Conclusion

1. Proverbs About Time

There are a great number of proverbs about time, maybe because our wise ancestors knew how important it is—and how easily we forget about it or even waste it.

#1

Italian	Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca.
Literally	“The morning has gold in its mouth.”
Equivalent	The early bird catches the worm.
This is the perfect proverb to begin our guide, since it deals with getting the right start. According to this proverb, if you get up early, you’ll get the most out of your day. This proverb also praises the value of acting immediately, and presents a concept well-known since ancient times and in many different cultures. Another version of the same proverb is: Chi tardi arriva, male alloggia. (“Who arrives late, settles badly.”) And you? What part of the day do you prefer?

#2

Italian	Chi dorme non piglia pesci.
Literally	“Who sleeps does not catch fish.”
Equivalent	Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.
This well-known Italian proverb of ancient origin is used to warn those lazy ones among us that without work and commitment, it’s impossible to get what you want or need. The proverb is therefore a real exhortation to get busy because nothing is achieved without effort.

#3

Italian	Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.
Equivalent	“Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.”
This Italian proverb seems to express that it’s more convenient to settle for the little certainties of today than to risk losing them.   In fact, it could have a double interpretation, which is a common characteristic of proverbs. Another meaning could be that of another common proverb: Chi non risica non rosica. (“Who does not take risks doesn’t eat.”) Both talk about the behavior of prudent people, as well as the behavior of those who are willing to risk a little. As Aristotle used to say… “Virtue lies in the middle, in the balance of the two opposites.”

#4

Italian	La gatta frettolosa fece i gattini ciechi.
Literally	“The hasty cat made the blind kittens.”
Equivalent	Haste makes waste.
This proverb emphasizes that everything should be done at the right time and in the best possible way. Haste is always a bad advisor, and even if it gives you the impression of being very productive, it can eventually create some unpleasant situations to solve. So, beware of multitasking and hyperactivity…!

#5

Italian	Se sono rose, fioriranno.
Literally	“If they are roses, they will bloom.”
Equivalent	Time will tell.
This old proverb has a second part that’s usually omitted… “if they are thorns, they will sting.” But in any case, the meaning is clear: Keep working on a job or a project with faith, because only at the end will you see the results. And if you want to keep optimistic about it, you can rely on yet another proverb about time: ll tempo è galantuomo. (“Time is a gentleman.”) It means that in the end, time will solve every problem, even if you can’t see it at the moment.

#6

Italian	Il buongiorno si vede dal mattino.
Literally	“Good morning starts in the morning.”
Equivalent	A good beginning makes a good ending.
This proverb reminds us of something we already know: If a day or endeavor has a good start, it’s likely to be a success. If it starts well, it will probably end well. This is also the bottom line of another very common Italian proverb, stating: Chi ben comincia è a metà dell’opera. (“Well begun is half done.”) Both proverbs stress the importance of starting con il piede giusto (“with the right foot”).

#7

Italian	Meglio tardi che mai.
Equivalent	Better late than never.
This is the perfect proverb for the typical Italian… While it may be an oversimplification, it’s partly true that Italians tend to be late. Not all of them, obviously, but arriving a little late to an appointment (especially among friends and family) is accepted—and even almost expected—in Italy. So, if you’ve been waiting on someone or something for some time, you can use this proverb to express your disappointment with a little irony.  It’s also used in reference to people who finally change a bad behavior or have finally come to understand something: Finalmente hai lasciato il fidanzato…meglio tardi che mai! (“You finally left your boyfriend…better late than never!”)

#8

Italian	Finché c’è vita, c’è speranza.
Equivalent	Where there’s life, there’s hope.
This proverb comes from a quote by Cicero from more than 2000 years ago. It encourages us not to despair, even in difficult situations. As long as we’re alive, we can still make our dreams come true. How wise and optimistic is that? Another way of saying it is: La speranza è l’ultima a morire. (“Hope is the last to die.”)

A good morning starts in the morning.

2. Proverbs About Food

Italians love to eat. They eat all the time, and when they’re not eating, they’re talking about food! It’s only natural that there are so many popular Italian proverbs about food and wine.

#9

Italian	Come il cacio sui maccheroni.
Literally	“Like cheese on macaroni.”
Equivalent	To be just right for the job.
Cacio—a mixed cheese made of sheep’s and cow’s milk—is the perfect combination for macaroni, because its strong flavor completes it. So, you can use this proverb when describing something that makes a situation just perfect.  This proverb must date back to the origin of the short and pierced pasta called macaroni, in the early Middle Ages in Sicily. Even today, this combination of pasta and cacio is present in the well-known Roman cuisine dish called “cacio e pepe.” There’s another Italian saying that means the opposite: come i cavoli a merenda (“like cabbage for snacks”). This refers to a combination that just doesn’t work.

#10

Italian	Buon vino fa buon sangue.
Literally	“Good wine makes good blood.”
Equivalent	An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Nothing goes better with a pasta dish than a good red wine…but in this proverb, we also find the ancient wisdom that a little (especially red) wine every day makes your whole spirit better.  If wine isn’t your favorite drink, check out our vocabulary list of 20 Drinks to Quench Your Thirst and learn how to say your favorites!

#11

Italian	O mangiar questa minestra o saltar questa finestra.
Literally	“Either eat this soup or jump out of this window.”
Equivalent	Take it or leave it.
Whether it’s something we don’t like on our dinner plate or any other unpleasant situation, we’re often presented with things that we have to accept out of necessity, because there’s no alternative. Interestingly, the Italian term minestra today simply means “soup,” but in Ancient Rome, it referred to any food served at the table. This is because the minister was the person who served food during meals (from which we get the verb “to administer”).

#12

Italian	Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.
Literally	“Not all doughnuts come out with a hole.”
Equivalent	You can’t win them all.
Even though this proverb talks about the Italian doughnut ciambella, it’s not really about food. Rather, it’s about the fact that not everything turns out as planned. It also encourages us to be ready for surprises!

#13

Italian	Avere le mani in pasta.
Literally	“Having your hands in the dough.”
Equivalent	To have a finger in the pie.
This expression refers to being involved in a situation or project (especially a dubious one), either financially or for personal interests. It has a negative meaning and is normally used to refer to “dirty” business. It originates from the old times, when several people used to work together with sticky dough while manually making pasta and bread.

Not all doughnuts come out with a hole.

3. Proverbs with Animals

Why are there so many proverbs with animals? Since the oldest times, animals have helped people, made great companions, and provided food and warmth. For these reasons, it makes sense that they occupy a special place in the long list of Italian proverbs.

#14

Italian	Cane che abbaia non morde.
Literally	“Dog barking does not bite.”
Equivalent	His bark is worse than his bite.
We’ve all met a grumpy person who yells and maybe even threatens us—but who, in the end, is totally harmless. Just like the dog that protects its home or owner by making lots of noise!

#15

Italian	Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio.
Literally	“The wolf sheds its hair but not the vice.”
Equivalent	A leopard cannot change its spots.
It’s very difficult to get rid of bad habits, right? That’s exactly what this old proverb means. In its original Latin version, it talked about a fox rather than a wolf, but the concept remains: a person can work hard to make changes in their life, but still struggle to overcome certain habits. Mario ha di nuovo cominciato a bere… il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio! (“Mario has started drinking again…a leopard cannot change its spots!”)

#16

Italian	Quando il gatto non c’è, i topi ballano.
Equivalent	When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
There’s really no need to explain this proverb, which is common in many different cultures. We all remember when we were kids and our parents were away, right?

#17

Italian	A caval donato non si guarda in bocca.
Equivalent	Look not a gift horse in the mouth.
This proverb has to do with good manners and graciousness: If you receive a gift, do not make a fuss about its value.  It comes from not-so-ancient times when, before buying a horse, people would look into the animal’s mouth to determine its age and its health condition from the teeth. But remember not to do that if the horse was a gift, okay?

Gift or no gift…he doesn’t want you to look inside his mouth!

4. Proverbs About Love and Family

Because family and relationships are such fundamental aspects of the Italian lifestyle, there’s no shortage of love and family proverbs in Italian. Here are a few of the most common ones. 

#18

Italian	I panni sporchi si lavano in famiglia.
Literally	“Dirty clothes are washed within the family.”
Equivalent	Do not wash your dirty linen in public.
Dirty clothes, thanks to this popular proverb, have become synonymous with delicate and private matters.  It’s better to solve delicate matters inside the circle of those who are directly concerned. Only those who are close, like members of the same family, can understand the facts and situations that those on the outside may misinterpret.

#19

Italian	Moglie e buoi dei paesi tuoi.
Literally	“Wives and oxen of your country.”
This is a really dated proverb—way before globalization, Erasmus, and all the traveling we do today. It basically suggests that, like in agriculture, it’s better to stick to local “breed” in relationships and not marry (or breed) foreigners. Of course, it’s painfully politically incorrect today, especially because it only refers to mogli (“wives”) and it compares them to animals…but oh well, you got the point. After all, it’s just saying that cultural differences in a relationship will come back to haunt you in the long run!

#20

Italian	Chi si assomiglia si piglia.
Literally	“Who looks alike chooses each other.”
Equivalent	Birds of a feather flock together.
People tend to relate to others who have similar personalities, lifestyles, and tastes as they do. For this reason, we find it easier to establish relationships with people who are similar to us.  Another related proverb says: Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei. (“Tell me who you go with and I’ll tell you who you are.”)

#21

Italian	Tra moglie e marito non ci mettere il dito.
Literally	“Between wife and husband don’t put a finger.”
Equivalent	Don’t go between the tree and the bark.
You should not get involved in family affairs that are not your own, because the problems of the couple are so intimate that they can be judged only by the husband and wife. In other words… Fatti gli affari tuoi! (“Mind your own business!”)

#22

Italian	La mamma dei cretini è sempre incinta.
Literally	“The mother of fools is always pregnant.”
Equivalent	There’s one born every minute.
There are many versions of this very old and wise proverb: La madre dei cretini (“fools”) è sempre incinta.  La madre degli idioti (“idiots”) è sempre incinta. La mamma degli stupidi (“stupid people”) è sempre incinta. La mamma degli imbecilli (“imbeciles”) è sempre incinta.  So, you can change the word but the concept is the same: There will always be idiots around to make things difficult.

#23

Italian	Volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.
Literally	“Wanting a full wine barrel and a drunk wife.”
Equivalent	Have your cake and eat it too.
Here’s another example of a proverb that’s not very kind to Italian women…but its metaphorical meaning is clear: You cannot have everything in life! Vuoi dimagrire continuando a mangiare di tutto? Non puoi avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca! (“Do you want to lose weight while continuing to eat everything? You can’t have your cake and eat it too!”)

5. Proverbs About Life, Wisdom, and All the Rest…

Why is the neighbor’s grass always nicer???

We could all use a little guidance now and then, which is where these Italian proverbs about life and all of its trappings come in! 

#24

Italian	Occhio non vede, cuore non duole.
Literally	“Eye does not see, heart does not hurt.”
Equivalent	Out of sight, out of mind.
Ignorance can be a blessing and it sometimes spares us a lot of suffering. Another popular way of saying this is: Beata ignoranza! (“Blissful ignorance!”)

#25

Italian	Chi troppo vuole nulla stringe.
Literally	“Those who want too much obtain nothing.”
Equivalent	Grasp all, lose all.
Don’t be greedy! This proverb ultimately invites us to not do/want too many things at the same time, because none of those things will be done well in the end.

#26

Italian	A buon intenditor, poche parole.
Literally	“To the good connoisseur, a few words.”
Equivalent	A word to the wise (is sufficient).
This proverb indicates that if you’re intelligent and aware of things, you don’t need many explanations in order to understand a concept. A few words should be enough.

#27

Italian	L’erba del vicino è sempre più verde.
Literally	“The neighbor’s grass is always greener.”
Equivalent	The grass is always greener on the other side.
Envy is one of the most defective traits we can have, but it’s unfortunately a pretty common trait in our society. Often, as this proverb suggests, we prefer to look at the possessions or success of those around us, often thinking they’re better than us.

#28

Italian	Ride bene chi ride ultimo.
Equivalent	Laughs best who laughs last.
This proverb highlights how one should not celebrate before the end of a situation, even if things seem to be going in the right direction. And this is not only out of superstition! We all know that everything can change at the very last minute.

#29

Italian	Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode.
Literally	“Between the two litigants the third enjoys.”
This proverb comes from the title of an Italian comedy of errors from the end of the eighteenth century. It means that sometimes, if two people fight about something, a third person might benefit in the end by taking advantage of the distraction and weakness of the two busy fighting. So, don’t make war, please!

#30

Italian	Non è tutto oro quello che luccica.
Equivalent	All that glitters is not gold.
This metaphorical phrase warns about things, behaviors, or situations that appear fantastic from the outside—but which are far worse when you take a closer look! Another proverb that warns us not to judge by appearances is:  L’abito non fa il monaco. (“The dress does not make the priest.”)

Life is made of stairs…

#31

Italian	Il mondo è fatto a scale, c’è chi scende, e c’è chi sale.
Literally	“The world is made of stairs, some go down, and some go up.”
Equivalent	Every dog has his day.
Life, as luck, comes and goes. You never know what direction life will take.

#32

Italian	Chi fa da sé, fa per tre.
Literally	“He who works by himself does the work of three (people).”
Equivalent	If you want something done right, do it yourself.
It’s true that often, in order to do a good job, you have to do it yourself. But, ironically, you could also say the opposite using another motto: L’unione fa la forza (“Unity is strength”). So, who do you think is right?

#33

Italian	Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare.
Literally	“An ocean lies between what is said and what is done.”
Equivalent	Actions speak louder than words.
Talking is easy, but it’s much more difficult to actually do things. This proverb refers to people who have a tendency to speak a lot and make promises they don’t keep.

#34

Italian	A mali estremi, estremi rimedi.
Equivalent	Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sometimes a drastic action is called for—and justified—when you find yourself in a particularly difficult situation.

#35

Italian	Sbagliando s’impara.
Literally	“Learning by mistakes.”
Equivalent	Practice makes perfect.
Don’t worry about making mistakes, as they are life experiences that we can learn from. And if you’re learning Italian, you can be certain that making a few mistakes is paving the road to greater skills. And practice—with ItalianPod101.com—definitely makes perfect!

6. Conclusion

In this guide, you’ve learned the 35 most common Italian proverbs. Do you know any others? Make sure to share them with our community in the comments below!

And keep up the good work with your Italian studies! We encourage you to take advantage of all the free resources, vocabulary lists, and video and audio podcasts on ItalianPod101.com to boost your studies and keep learning fun!

Make sure you also check out our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching with your own private teacher. He or she will use assignments, personalized exercises, and recorded audio samples to help you improve your Italian like never before! 

Have you ever wondered what makes Italian so musical? Among other reasons, there’s the fact that the rhythm inside the sentences is set by raising and lowering one’s tone of voice, dictated by…yes, you guessed right! The accento, which is how you say “accent” in Italian.

Accents and alternation of vowels make Italian so musical!

Accents are little (and often invisible) signs that help us speak and write correctly. That’s why it is so important to get Italian accent marks right on the page and to know the few rules that govern them. Ready to go? Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Italian Accents
2. Italian Accents and Their Functions
3. The Most Important Italian Accent Mark of All (È vs. E)
4. Are Italian Accent Marks Optional?
5. Homograph Words (Same Words, Different Meanings)
6. A Brief History of Italian Accents
7. How to Type Italian Accents
8. How to Get All Your Italian Accents Right with ItalianPod101.com!

1. Introduction to Italian Accents

First of all, let’s clarify an important point. In this article, we’ll be focusing only on orthographic signs, and not on the wonderful variety of regional variations with which Italians talk. That is a totally different topic, even though it also has to do with the musicality of the Italian language. But keep checking the ItalianPod101.com blog because in the future, you might discover just how to do an Italian accent!

The accents we’ll be talking about are those little orthographic signs that you write on top of vowels to give a syllable prominence or emphasis, basically to indicate that your voice has to stop there for an instant. In Italian, the only letters with accents are: à, è, é, ì, ò, ù.

When we talk, even if we don’t realize it, we put the accent on every word we say. And rightly so, because each word has an accent. But in writing, it’s rarely obligatory to indicate the accent, given that the Italian words with accent marks are a minority compared to those without. 

In Italian, you’ll find only two accents:

• grave accent (`) as in città (“city”)
• acute accent (´) as in perché (“why”)

In the past, there used to be a circumflex accent (^) in specific cases, but it has—luckily—been dropped. 

2. Italian Accents and Their Functions

Recapping, there are two types of Italian accents (acute and grave), and they have two functions:

• They indicate on which syllable to put the stress when you speak.
• They indicate if the vowel is open (grave = `) or closed (acute = ´).

In the first case, the only time it’s obligatory to put the accent mark in Italian is when the stress falls on the last syllable. These are called parole tronche (“truncated words”).

Roma è una bellissima città. (“Rome is a beautiful city.”)
I soldi non danno la felicità. (“Money does not give happiness.”)
La pazienza è la virtù dei forti. (“Patience is the virtue of the strong.”)

Is it with an accent or without…?

Notice how when the accent on the last syllable falls on the vowels a, i, o, or u, the accent is always grave: à, ì, ò, ù. If it falls on the vowel e, it could be grave (è) or acute (è), depending on the open or closed pronunciation of the vowel. (You can watch this video on Italian accents when pronouncing vowels for more information.)

For example, it’s acute with the causal conjunctions perché (“why” / “because”), affinché (“so that”), cosicché (“so”), giacché (“since”), poiché (“because”), etc., or on the compound words of tre (“three”), ventitré (“twenty-three”), trentatré (“thirty-three”), etc. In most other cases, it is grave.

To know when to put the accent, it helps to remember that all of the words in English that end in -ty (city, society, variety, immensity, etc.) will end in -tà in Italian (città, società, varietà, immensità, etc.). Note that they end with the à accent.

Then, there’s a certain number of monosyllabic words that are composed of just one syllable and need to have an accent. The small Italian words with accent marks are:

• Dà (“She/He/It gives”)
• Là, Lì (“There”)
• Sì (“Yes”)
• Tè (“Tea”)
• È (“It is”)
• Né (“Nor” / “Neither”)
• Sé (“Oneself”)
• Ciò (“That,” as a pronoun)
• Già (“Already”)
• Giù (“Down”)
• Più (“More”)
• Può (“He can”)

Other places where you need to consistently put the accent? Here they are:

• On the third person singular of the passato remoto (“remote past,” which is the equivalent of the preterit past). This is actually a bit more advanced. Do you want to find out more about it?
  • Andò (“He went”)
  • Mangiò (“She ate”)
  • Dormì (“He slept”)
    
    
• On the first and third person singular of the future tense:
  • Andrò / Andrà (“I will go” / “He will go”)
  • Mangerò / Mangerà (“I will eat” / “She will eat”)
  • Dormirò / Dormirà (“I will sleep” / “He will sleep”)
    
    
• On all the names of the days, except for sabato and domenica (“Saturday” and “Sunday”).This is because they are compounds of the word dì, which is another way to say giorno (“day”).
  • Lunedì (“Monday”)
  • Martedì (“Tuesday”)
  • Mercoledì (“Wednesday”)
  • Giovedì (“Thursday”)
  • Venerdì (“Friday”)

3. The Most Important Italian Accent Mark of All (È vs. E)

The accented è in Italian is extremely important. Being the third person singular of the verbo essere (“verb ‘to be’”), you can imagine just how useful it is in your writing and how often you’ll have to write it. 

That’s why Italian teachers can overlook some spelling and grammar mistakes, but one thing that will surely result in a red mark on your homework is to leave out the ` accent of è (“it is”) or to put it on e (“and”).

Beware! È vs. E is a red pen mistake!

In fact, in this case, it’s not only a matter of style, but it directly affects the meaning of the sentence. And since both parts (conjunction and verb “to be”) are so common and essential in any sentence, it’s clear why it’s so important to write them correctly. To help children remember if they need to write e with an accent or not, Italian teachers use this little rhyme with kids:

E che lega / È che spiega (“E that ties / È that explains”).

Try and repeat it a few times to memorize it. And if you still need more practice, check out one of the many resources on ItalianPod101.com.

4. Are Italian Accent Marks Optional? 

Accents on parole tronche (“truncated words”), those words where the stress falls on the last syllable, are the only case in which accents are not optional. And—in theory—you should respect the correct orthography of the accent (basically the direction you write it ` vs. ´). But beware that nowadays, many Italians don’t pay much attention to it, especially with all the fast writing in chats and on phones…

When the stress falls inside the words, it’s not mandatory to write the accent. However, it’s extremely useful to clarify the pronunciation (yes, sometimes even Italians can get confused on the correct way to pronounce long words…). You’ll also find it useful in distinguishing cases in which two words look the same, but have different meanings depending on where the accent falls or what kind of accent it is. In this case, the choice of whether to use the accent or not is left to the writer, depending on the degree of ambiguity of the context. As in lèggere (“to read”) vs leggère (“light” f. pl.).

• Mi piace molto lèggere storie leggère. (“I really like to read light stories.”)

Most of the time, you’ll only see these accents in Italian dictionaries when you’re looking up the definition of the word.

5. Homograph Words (Same Words, Different Meanings)

The example above perfectly shows the other function of Italian accents, which is phonetic rather than orthographic. This means that it impacts the pronunciation and not the writing. These accents help you know how to pronounce any given word, and they clear things up in case of homographs, which are two words that are written the same way but have different meanings depending on where the accent falls.

Homograph words…what are those?

1- Same accent, different position

To better understand the importance of Italian accent marks’ pronunciation, here’s a list of Italian words with hidden accent marks that have different meanings depending on the position or the type of accents. But remember that these accents aren’t usually written, and they only appear in dictionaries.

• Lèggere / Leggère (“To read” / “Light”)

• Meta / Metà (“Goal” / “Half”)
          La meta di quest’anno è le metà dell’anno passato. (“This year’s goal is half of last year’s.”)

• Prìncipi / Princìpi  (“Princes” / “Principles”)
          La storia è piena di prìncipi senza princìpi. (“History is full of princes with no principles.”)

• Capitàno / Càpitano (“Captain” / “They happen”)
          Il capitàno ha detto che sono cose che càpitano. (“The captain said that these things can happen.”)

• Áncora / Ancòra (“Anchor” / “Yet” or “Still”)
          La nave non ha ancòra gettato l’àncora. (“The ship has not yet thrown the anchor.”)

2- Same position, different accent

In other cases, the accent is in the same place, but it’s a different type (acute vs. grave). When this happens, the meaning changes as well, like in these examples.

• La bótte (“the barrel”) vs. Le bòtte (“the beatings”)
• Affètto (“affection”) vs. Affétto (“I slice”)
• Pèsca (“peach”) vs. Pésca (“he fishes”/”fishing”)
• Èsca (“bait”) vs. Ésca (“she leaves,” subjunctive of uscire)

Even for an Italian ear, it’s not always easy to hear the difference, especially since regional accents might influence the pronunciation. So it’s always easier to make out the difference based on the context of the sentence.

6. A Brief History of Italian Accents

Old Italian has a lot more accents…

So now you know that accents are sometimes there (we pronounce them), but aren’t really there (we don’t write them). Do you wonder why? 

Accents in all romance languages come from the Greek. In Italy, up to the 19th century, there were no set rules and everybody used them as they liked…kind of. This is why, if you try and read a very ancient Italian text, you might find a lot of accents that today aren’t written anymore. And it’s just recently that the grammaticians have gotten together and set the rules that you’ve just learned here.

7. How to Type Italian Accents

Now, you might be wondering: “How do I type Italian accent marks?”

Sometimes, the biggest challenge when you write in a different language is to find unfamiliar letters and accents on your keyboard. Luckily, in Italian, you only have to worry about è, é, à, ì, ò, ù. So, here’s a little guide to help you learn how to write Italian accents.

1- On phones

Smartphones with a touchscreen normally have a very useful feature. If you hold your finger on a letter, all of the possible combinations and variations of that letter will pop up, including the accents.

2- On an Italian keyboard

If you happen to be in Italy, and you’re using an Italian keyboard (at a friend’s house, a library, or an internet cafè), you’ll find the vocali accentate (“accented vowels”) on the right side of the keyboard (à, è, é, ì, ò, ù). Very convenient! However, you won’t find uppercase È (“It is”) on the keyboard. But since it’s the only one that you will ever really need, you can copy-paste from another text, for example here: È! 🙂  

Combination of keys will write à è é ì ò ù

3- On other keyboards

However, if you need to write Italian accent marks on keyboards that aren’t Italian, you’ll need a little patience and some trial and error before you’re able to write that perfect letter to your friend or finish your Italian homework.

On keyboards that have the ` and ´ keys, you normally just need to press one of those keys, followed by the vowel you need the accent on.

For the grave accent:

• à = ` then press the ‘a’ key.
• è = ` then press the ‘e’ key.
• ì = ` then press the ‘i’ key.
• ò = ` then press the ‘o’ key.
• ù = ` then press the ‘u’ key.

For the acute accent:

• à = ´ then press the ‘a’ key.
• é = ´ then press the ‘e’ key. (The only one you will really need.)
• í = ´ then press the ‘i’ key.
• ó = ´ then press the ‘o’ key.
• ú = ´ then press the ‘u’ key.

4- On a Mac

To type Italian accent marks on Mac keyboards, for the grave accent you’ll have to press the Option key, the tilde (~) key, and then the vowel you need to put the accent on:

• à = option + tilde (~) / then press the ‘a’ key.
• è = option + tilde (~) / then press the ‘e’ key.
• ì = option + tilde (~) / then press the ‘i’ key.
• ò = option + tilde (~) / then press the ‘o’ key.
• ù = option + tilde (~) / then press the ‘u’ key.

To write with the acute accent, you’ll have to press the Option key, the “e” key, and then the vowel you need to put the accent on, as follows:

• à = option + ‘e’ key / then press the ‘a’ key.
• é = option + ‘e’ key / then press the ‘e’ key again. (The only one you will really need.)
• í = option + ‘e’ key / then press the ‘i’ key.
• ó = option + ‘e’ key / then press the ‘o’ key.
• ú = option + ‘e’ key / then press the ‘u’ key.

5- On search engines

One thing that you won’t have to worry too much about is using the right accent when you’re looking something up on a search engine. Engines, in fact, give you full results, whether you put the accent or not.

For example, if you search meta on an Italian search engine, in the results you’ll find links, articles, and definitions about both the goal (meta) of this year’s spending review and the difference between metà and mezza (both, in fact, mean “half”).

8. How to Get All Your Italian Accents Right with ItalianPod101.com!

Are you ready now to write a perfect letter, a perfect resume, or a motivational letter? Are you confident enough to chat comfortably with your Italian friends via messages and chats? 

Making progress in learning a language becomes easier once you have the right tools. And what could be better than free resources, mobile apps, a personalized learning system, or audio and video lessons to help you improve more everyday? All of this and more you’ll find on ItalianPod101.com, the Innovative Language site for on-the-go learning. Check it out!

In this article, we’re going to dismantle some common misconceptions about learning a new language, with a focus on Italian. We’ll start with a big question: “Is Italian hard to learn?”

Table of Contents

1. Is Italian a Difficult Language to Learn? (Spoiler…the answer is “No”)
2. What are the Hardest and Easiest Parts of Learning Italian?
3. This is Why Learning Italian is Easy!
4. Here’s Why Italian is Hard to Learn
5. I Want to Learn Italian. Where Should I Start?
6. Why is ItalianPod101 Great for Learning Italian?
7. Conclusion

1. Is Italian a Difficult Language to Learn? (Spoiler…the answer is “No”)

So, you’ve finally decided to jump into learning a new language, and your first choice is Italian (a great choice, by the way). Now, with your foot in the door, you’re wondering whether Italian is a hard language to learn. 

The short answer here is “No!” Anybody can learn Italian, especially after getting through our quick and definitive guide on how to succeed. And our first piece of advice is this: Independent of your goal, learning a new language is a journey, so have fun with it!

Of course, there are some variables that have an impact on how easily or quickly you’re going to master Italian, but the good news is that you’ll definitely get there—and you’ll have great fun in the process.

First, let’s take a brief look at the main factors that affect the way one learns and perceives a new language:

• → predisposition: We all know that learning a language just comes easier to some people than it does for others. They have that something…it’s like having a good ear for music or a good sense of direction. But don’t worry, even if that might give them a little jumpstart, there are lots of other variables that contribute to one’s perceived difficulty of a language.


• → motivation: Whether you were born with a knack for languages or not, being very motivated can help you learn quickly and with ease. Imminent moves to Italy, the prospect of a job abroad, or an Italian boyfriend/girlfriend have always been fantastic motivators!


• → how close your native language is to Italian: of course, if you speak another of the Romance languages (French, Spanish, or Portuguese, for example), Italian will be easier for you because you’ll find many similarities.

Learning a language is a journey. Have fun with it!

2. What are the Hardest and Easiest Parts of Learning Italian?

But what if you don’t speak one of the Romance languages? Is Italian hard to learn for English-speakers?

We have good news: The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) considers Italian to be one of the easiest languages for English-speakers to learn. In fact, they estimate that you just need twenty-four weeks (or 600 hours) to acquire basic fluency. So after that amount of time, you should be able to sustain a simple conversation and get by in various Italian language situations.

Well, in the end, these are just numbers and everybody has a different learning pace and different needs. But that said, let’s see in full detail what the easiest and hardest parts of learning Italian are—and what strategies you can use to tackle any Italian difficulty you face.

Let’s start with the good news:

3. This is Why Learning Italian is Easy!

Here are a few aspects of the Italian language you can rejoice about as a new learner. 

1 – Pronunciation 

Italian pronunciation is not only beautiful and very musical, but it’s also easy! 

Why? Mainly because everything is pronounced the same way it’s written, and there are no strange exceptions as there are in languages like English or French. In Italian, there are clear and basic rules to follow, and the most important thing to remember is that every letter is pronounced (except for “h”). In addition, almost every word ends with a vowel, which is what makes the Italian language so beautiful. 

2 – Simple Tricks to Easily Guess the Italian Word

Italian, like all other Romance languages, comes from Latin. It’s actually the one language among them that’s closest to Latin.

Can I borrow these words? Please…?

Since the Middle Ages, English has borrowed a great number of words from Latin and incorporated them into everyday language. You might not realize it, but there are lots and lots of English words that you use every day that come from Latin. Thus, these words are very similar to the corresponding Italian word.

This means that you can reverse the process and guess the Italian word, starting from a Latin-derived English one. And this process is super-easy because there are simple tricks for translating suffixes (the final part we attach to a word to slightly change its meaning) and getting the correct Italian word every time. 

Let’s see how easy it is:

English Ending	Italian Ending	English Word	Italian Word
-ity	-ità	“ability“	abilità
-tion -ption -ction	-zione	“station“ “action“ “corruption“	stazione azione corruzione
-ly	-mente	“legally“	legalmente
-ism	-ismo	“alpinism“	alpinismo
-ist	-ista	“dentist“	dentista

3 – Do You Know Another Romance Language?

If you’ve already studied another Romance language, such as Spanish, French, or Portuguese, learning Italian will be much easier for you. Just consider these factors: 

• the alphabet is the same (and it’s also the same as English’s alphabet, by the way)
• the vocabulary has a lot in common
• the use of some tenses is similar across the board
• the concept that everything has a gender remains intact
• the concept of agreement also remains 

Are you ready for some Romance…languages?

Here are a few examples:

Italian	Spanish	Portuguese	French
cantare (“to sing”)	cantar	cantar	chanter
dormire (“to sleep”)	dormir	dormir	dormir
luna (“moon”)	luna	lua	lune
mare (“sea”)	mar	mar	mer

So, if you know any of the words above, you’ll definitely have a much easier time learning Italian than those not familiar with other Romance languages. Knowing another Romance language will give you a great advantage! 

4. Here’s Why Italian is Hard to Learn

Like any other foreign language (I’m putting a little stress on the “foreign” part), Italian also presents some challenges to the learner. 

But I’m sure that you’ll overcome these challenges with little problem. 

The important thing here is not to become overwhelmed because, with just a little study and practice, things will get much easier for you. Having said that, here are some of the things that make Italian hard to learn for some people, and that require a little more effort on the learner’s part.

1 – Everything Has a Gender 

This might drive an English-speaker crazy, but it’s quite common in many languages (and not only Romance languages, mind you!). Everything in Italian has an assigned grammatical gender, either masculine or feminine. 

We can all agree that it’s hard to make sense of the criteria behind the assigned gender. Why is la sedia (“the chair”) feminine, while il tavolo (“the table”) is masculine? And if it makes sense that i pantaloni (“the pants”) is masculine while la gonna (“the skirt”) is feminine, can someone please explain why il vestito (“the dress”) is masculine, but la giacca (“the blazer”) is feminine?

The good news, however, which you might have already noticed, is that it’s not too difficult to guess the gender of a word because the ending generally gives it away. 

• If it ends in -o, it’s masculine.
• If it ends in -a, it’s feminine.

2 – Everything Has to Agree 

Once you’ve gotten the hang of word gender, you have to start paying attention to all the other elements of the sentence that need to agree with it: articles, adjectives, past participles, etc.

It might seem like a lot of work at the beginning, but it’s actually quite automatic after a while. You just remember that most of the ending vowels must be the same (unless it’s one of those names or adjectives ending in -e):

La mia bella casa è spaziosa e colorata (ma mi è costata carissima).
“My beautiful house is spacious and colorful (but it cost me a lot).”

3 – Double or Nothing!

For a non-Italian speaker, it’s always a bit difficult to hear the difference between a single or double consonant. They are very frequent in the Italian language, and sometimes missing the double can change the meaning of a word. For example:

• pane (“bread”) vs. panne (“breakdown”)
• cane (“dog”) vs. canne (“canes”)
• copia (“copy”) vs. coppia (“couples”)

But even if it appears that only Italians are able to hear the difference, and they immediately know if it’s one or the other, this is a minor mistake. One that we can all live with!

4 – The Subjunctive (And How to Survive Without It)

Many Italian students consider the subjunctive a true bestia nera (literally “black beast,” referring to something nightmarish, something that everybody is afraid of). 

This is mainly due to the fact that it’s virtually nonexistent in English. And besides, the rule on how to apply it isn’t always crystal-clear. Basically, the subjunctive is used to express subjectivity, uncertainty, doubt, will, desire, etc. The subjunctive is very often introduced by the conjunction che (“that”).

I bet he needs a Subjunctive Survival Kit!

But don’t worry! Even in this case, there are little tricks you can implement to make life easier, such as:

• Learning a few prefabricated sentence patterns:
  • Credo che sia giusto. (“I think it’s fair.”)
  • Penso che tu abbia ragione. (“I think you are right.”)
  • Bisogna che i ragazzi si sveglino presto. (“It’s necessary that the kids get up early.”)

• Learning the little tricks to avoid using the subjunctive altogether! 🙂
  • Credo che sia giusto. >> Secondo me è giusto.
  • Penso che tu abbia ragione. >> Per me hai ragione.
  • Bisogna che i ragazzi si sveglino presto. >> I ragazzi devono svegliarsi presto.

5 – What About the Rolled R?

Why haven’t we included the rolled R among the challenging parts of Italian? Well, even if it stresses out some students, this is actually not a problem at all. Even some Italians can’t roll their R (it’s called erre moscia). And, don’t worry, everybody will understand you, whether you roll it like a pro or just use your basic anglophone R.

5. I Want to Learn Italian. Where Should I Start?

So, now that we’ve got the challenging parts of learning Italian out of the way, it’s time to give you some basic strategies to help you learn Italian in a quick, easy, and fun way.

1 – Learn the Basic Structure

You can start taking a course, going through a textbook, or using a great variety of free online resources, but from the very beginning, you should start paying attention to the basic patterns of the Italian language and practice with them. Start easy and keep adding more and more features as you go on. This way, you can go from making basic sentences to more complex ones. 

2 – Memorize the Top 100 Basic Words

One way to quickly get a grasp of Italian is to memorize the top 100 basic words. This will help you build simple sentences and start a conversation, and it will also make it easier to understand what you’re hearing and reading. The best way is to learn words divided into categories that are related to your immediate environment. For example:

• family
• school
• work
• food
• hobbies

3 – Learn the Basic Conjugations

Verbs are the cement that keeps sentences together, so you might want to tackle them right away. It’s true that, for an English-speaker (who virtually doesn’t have to bother with conjugations in his/her language at all), Italian conjugation might seem like a lot of work. But you can start gradually, concentrating on what’s most important. Here it goes, start with the present and past tense conjugations of: 

• auxiliary verbs: essere and avere (“to be” and “to have”)
• modal verbs: 
  • volere (“to want”) 
  • potere (“to be able to”) 
  • sapere (“to know how”) 
  • dovere (“to have to”) 

Okay, you’re right, they’re quite irregular and might be a bit complicated to memorize. But once you have them in your head, you’ll be able to start speaking tons of different phrases right away. 

4 – Don’t Be Shy

To learn a language, you have to practice, and to practice, you have to speak. So, once you’ve learned the basic structure, memorized the first 100 words, and are familiar with auxiliaries and modal verbs, it’s time to take the plunge. 

So what if, in the beginning, you’re using the wrong verb or mispronouncing a word? That’s just part of the learning process! So, lose your inhibitions and shamelessly dive into a conversation with the first Italian you meet.

5 – Have Fun with it!

Learning a new language is like assembling a puzzle: it can be a very entertaining mental exercise. And the most fun part is that you get to “play” with a great variety of materials and media.

Time to lose your inhibitions and have fun learning Italian!

From the very beginning, you should try to read and listen to authentic material as often as possible: being exposed to the language is the best way to memorize vocabulary and patterns. And the best part is that you don’t even realize that you’re learning!

These are some excellent ways to get authentic Italian content: 

• Italian movies
• Italian songs
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Italian literature
• Italian news

And don’t worry if, at the beginning, you only understand about ten percent of what you’re reading or listening to. Try to focus on keywords, pay attention to the articles, look at verbs and how they conjugate, look for words that are similar to English, and finally, listen or watch for the basic words you’ve recently learned. It’s just like a Lego building: you keep adding different little bricks until you get the result you want.

6. Why is ItalianPod101 Great for Learning Italian?

Finally, what are the best tools for solving this wonderful puzzle? To put together all the pieces that, combined, will give you basic fluency? Because this is a complex task, the best strategy is to use all the tools you have available to you. 

And guess what? We have just the right tools to make your Italian-learning experience fast, easy, and fun. 

ItalianPod101.com is a great place to learn Italian, because we offer you a great variety of tools to ensure that you learn at your own pace, in your own time, and with an approach that’s tailored to your needs and goals.

• →  An Integrated Approach
  One of the distinguishing traits of ItalianPod101 is that we offer an integrated approach. This means that each lesson combines activities based on the four basic language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) using podcasts, videos, texts, and practice exercises. This combination allows you to learn in a very effective way because it’s a natural approach—and much more fun than traditional learning methods!

• → A Great Variety of Free Content
  ItalianPod101 offers so many resources for learners at every level that you’re sure to find the tool that’s best for your specific needs. You’ll find grammar lessons, vocabulary lists, customizable flashcards, texts, videos, and audio lessons. It’s all available on your computer, your smartphone and, in the case of our downloadable lessons, offline.

• → Premium Personal Coaching
  If you’re looking for something more personalized, ItalianPod101 has the perfect solution for you! With our Premium service, you’ll enter the Fast Track to Fluency program and gain access to your own teacher and guided learning system.

Besides the regular lessons, you’ll have direct interaction with your personal teacher, weekly assignments, and ongoing assessment of your progress. 

7. Conclusion

In this article, I wanted to show you that, even though there are some challenges when you start learning Italian, anybody can reach basic fluency with a little practice, no inhibitions, and—especially—the right tools.

How do you feel about trying to learn Italian now? More confident, or do you still have questions or concerns? Reach out to us in the comments, and we’ll get back to you! 

We’ve selected for you a great variety of free resources covering all aspects of Italian grammar and vocabulary to help you in this adventure. We also provide flashcards to help you learn words in context and mobile applications so you can always have ItalianPod101 at hand.

So, don’t be shy. Jump right into it, because learning Italian is easy with ItalianPod101!

Conversation isn’t a one way street. Hopefully, it is more like a tennis match: you ask something, get an answer and ask another question, you answer and ask something else, and so on. Questions are the fundamental building blocks to getting to know someone, establishing common ground, finding out something new or interesting and, simply, getting the flow of conversation going.

Questions in Italian follow no particular pattern—no word order inversion, and no adding of extra words. You simply change your intonation and make it sound like a question. For example,

Sei matto! (“You are crazy!”)
Sei matto? (“Are you crazy?”)

Just a little change in the punctuation (and in the intonation) here makes all the difference.

And then, of course, you have some typical Italian gestures that underline and strengthen the emphasis on the question.

In this guide, you’ll learn all the basic questions in Italian, the question words, and how to ask questions about the most common topics with lots of useful examples. So, let’s start learning how to ask questions in Italian and how to answer them!

Table of Contents

1. Basic Italian Question Words
2. The Eight Most Common Question Topics
3. Conclusion

1 – Basic Italian Question Words

Let’s start with the main interrogative pronouns. These are short but very important words that serve to introduce questions (direct or indirect). They are mostly static words (that do not need to be changed) and can substitute things or people.

Cosa Che (“What?”)	Cosa/Che facciamo stasera? (“What are we doing tonight?”)
Cosa and Che mean exactly the same thing as interrogatve pronouns. But note that cosa literally means “thing” and it’s a very useful word to use when you forget the word for something…
Chi (“Who”)	Chi ha mangiato la marmellata? (“Who ate the jam?”)
Come (“How”)	Come ti chiami? (“What’s your name?”)
Quale/i (“What/Which”)	Quale preferisci? (“Which one do you prefer?”)
Quanto/a/i/e (“How many,” “How much”)	Quanti gatti hai? (“How many cats do you have?”)
Dove (“Where”)	Dov’è la fermata del tram? (“Where is the tramway stop?”)
Quando (“When”)	Quando torni in Italia? (“When do you come back to Italy?”)
Perché (“Why”)	Perché non mi rispondi? (“Why don’t you answer me?)
Perché means both “why” and “because”: Perché non mi rispondi? Perché non voglio! (“Why don’t you answer me? Because I don’t want to!”)

➜ Do you want more examples of common Italian questions, starting from… Dov’è il bagno? (“Where is the bathroom?”) then make sure you check out our free list of The Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations on ItalianPod101.com.

We have so many questions…

2 –  The Eight Most Common Question Topics 

In this section, we are going to list all the most common topics that might come up in a conversation, and we will give you examples of the most typical questions (and answers) in Italian. 

For each topic, you’ll find examples of possible answers so that you can start imagining how you would deal with it yourself. A good exercise is to try and come up with answers of your own, using the vocabulary and structures you’ll learn today.

1 – What’s Your Name & Personal Questions

The first questions that you want to ask and answer are probably going to be personal questions when you are first introduced to someone. You might also want to know how to spell someone’s name and their age. However, asking for someone’s age might be a sensitive topic for some people…

• Come ti chiami? (“What is your name?”)
  ► Mi chiamo / Sono Beatrice. (“My name is / I am Beatrice”)
  
  
• Come si scrive il tuo nome? (“How to spell your name?”)
  ► Ti faccio lo spelling. (“I’ll spell it for you.”)
  ► Attenzione, devi mettere l’acca. (“Attention, you have to put the H.”)
  ► Si scrive con la doppia T. (“You spell it with a double T.”)

Italians don’t usually need to ask for word spelling, as in Italian every single letter is clearly pronounced and so it is immediately clear what the exact spelling is. For a foreigner, the most complicated Italian sounds to recognize are a few diphthongs (combination of letters) such as CI vs. CHI (the sounds tch vs. ki), SCI (the sound sh), GI vs. GHI (the sounds dj vs. hard G as in “give”) and—of course—double consonants.

• Come si pronuncia il tuo nome? (“How do you pronounce your name?”)
  ► Si pronuncia … (“It is pronounced …”)

• Come ti chiami di cognome? (“What’s your last name?”)
  
  
• Quanti anni hai? (“How old are you?”)
  ► Ho 27 anni. (“I’m 27.”)

➜ For more vocabulary and sentence structures, make sure to visit our complete guide on How to Introduce Yourself!

Quanti anni hai? (“How old are you?”)

2 – Where Are You From?

Next up, let’s look at a very common topic in conversation among foreigners: questions about origin and whereabouts:

• Di dove sei? (“Where are you from?”)
  ► Sono americano/spagnolo/portoghese. (“I’m American/Spanish/Portuguese.”)

• Di che paese sei? (“What country are you from?”)
  ► Francia. (“France.”)
  


• Di che città sei?
  ► Sono di Palermo. (“I am/come from Palermo.”)
  


• Da dove vieni? (“Where do you come from?”)
  ► Vengo da New York / dal Brasile. (“I come from New York / from Brazil.”)

• Dov’è il tuo paese? Dove si trova il tuo paese? (“Where is your country? Where is your country located?”)
  ► Il mio paese si trova in Asia / nel sud America. (“My country is located in Asia / South America.”)
  


• Qual è la tua nazionalità? (“What is your nationality?”)
  ► Ho la nazionalità americana/spagnola/portoghese. (“I have American/Spanish/Portuguese nationality.”)
  

• Sei stato in / a? (“Have you ever been to?”)
  The use of prepositions is not necessarily similar in different languages. Remember that, in Italian, we use in to talk about being in or going to a country >> Sono, vado in Italia. (“I am in / I go to Italy.”) while we use a to talk about being in or going to a city >> Sono, vado a Roma. (“I am in / I go to Rome.”)


• Hai visitato la Toscana? (“Have you visited Tuscany?”)
  ► No, ma voglio andarci l’anno prossimo. (“No, but I want to go next year.”)
  


• Sei mai stato in Cina? (“Have you ever been to China ?”)
  ► Ci sono stato tre anni fa. (“I was there three years ago.”)
  


• Sei già stato a Roma? (“Have you already been to Rome?”)
  ► Certo! È la mia città preferita. (“Of course! It is my favorite city.”)
  


• Conosci il Giappone? (“Do you know Japan?”)

➜ For more country names in Italian, check out our free vocabulary list on ItalianPod101.com.

3- Do You Speak…?

If you are travelling, or living, working, or studying abroad, one of the very first questions will be about the languages spoken, and whether people speak English. This conversation will also let you learn important information on where and how to study languages.

Parlo 6 lingue.  (“I speak six languages.”)

• Parli (bene) l’italiano? (“Do you speak Italian (well)?”)
  ► Parlo bene l’italiano. (“I speak Italian well.”)
  ► Parlo un poco il francese. (“I speak a little French.”)
  ► Sono fluente. (“I am fluent.”)
  ► Così così. (“So-so.”)
  ► Solo qualche parola. (“Only a few words.”)

• Che lingua si parla nel tuo paese? (“What language is spoken in your country?”)
  ► In Tunisia, si parla arabo e francese. (“In Tunisia, we speak Arabic and French.”)


• Quante lingue parli? (“How many languages do you speak?”)
  


• È difficile imparare il [ ]? (“Is it difficult to learn [ ]?”)
  ► Un po’, soprattutto la grammatica. (“A little, especially the grammar.”)
  ► È facile! Io ho imparato con ItalianPod101. (“It’s easy! I learned with ItalianPod101.”)

• Da quanto tempo studi l’italiano? (“How long have you studied Italian?”)
  ► Da due anni. (“Two years.”)
  ► Ho cominciato due anni fa. (“I started two years ago.”)
  ► L’ho studiato per tre anni. (“I studied it for three years.”)

• Dove hai studiato l’italiano? (“Where did you study Italian?”)
  ► Ho studiato italiano all’università / in una scuola di lingue / con l’app ItalianPod101!
  (“I studied Italian at the university / in a language school / with the ItalianPod101 app!”)


• Quando hai imparato a parlare l’italiano? (“When did you learn to speak Italian?”)
  ► Ho imparato da piccola. (“I learned when I was a kid.”)

4 – Do You Like… ?

You can learn a lot from people, just by asking what they like and listening to their answers. In order to do that, you first might want to practice the particular construction of the Italian verb mi piace (“I like”). It is an impersonal verb that literally translates to “it pleases me”. So you have to remember to change the verb, depending on what you like. 

Mi piace la pizza. (singular, “I like pizza.”)
Mi piacciono gli spaghetti. (plural, “I like spaghetti.”)

• Ti piace Roma? (“Do you like Rome?”)
  ►Mi piace, anche se è un po’ caotica. (“I like it, even if it’s a bit chaotic.”)


• Come ti sembra Milano? (“How do you like Milan?”)
  ►La trovo bella e dinamica. (“I find it beautiful and dynamic.”)
  


• Preferisci la birra o il vino con la pizza? (“Do you prefer beer or wine with pizza?”)
  ►Preferisco la birra con la pizza e il vino con gli spaghetti. (“I prefer beer with pizza and wine with spaghetti.”)

• Ti piace la cucina italiana? (“Do you like Italian food?”)
  ►Tantissimo. Mi fa impazzire! (“A lot. It drives me crazy!”)
  


• Ti piacciono le spiagge italiane? (“Do you like Italian beaches”)
  ►Moltissimo, e adoro le isole! (“A lot, and I love the islands!”)
  

• Ti piacciono le canzoni napoletane? (“Do you like Neapolitan songs?”)
  ►Sono belle, ma non capisco le parole… (“They’re beautiful, but I don’t understand the words … “)

Cosa preferisci?  (“What do you prefer?”)

5 – What Do You Do?

Nowadays, we tend to identify ourselves and other people with the professional activity. It might not be the best way, but it is what it is…

People’s jobs and professions are an important part of their life, so it is natural to ask about it. Just remember that, in Italy, you are not supposed to ask about money and people’s salary.

• Che cosa fai? (“What do you do?”) 
• Di che cosa ti occupi? (“What is your occupation/activity?”)
  ► Sono medico. (“I’m a doctor.”)
  Notice how in Italian you don’t normally put the article before your occupation:
  Sono medico. (“I’m a doctor.”)
  Sono professoressa di italiano. (“I’m an Italian teacher.”)
  Sono giornalista sportivo. (“I’m a sport reporter.”)
  
  
► Mi occupo di  progetti multimediali. (“I manage multimedia projects.”)
► Faccio l’insegnante. (“I am a teacher.”)

• Che cosa studi? (“What do you study?”)
  ► Studio musica barocca. (“I study baroque music.”)


• Qual è la tua specializzazione? (“What is your major? / What do you specialize in?”)
  ► Mi sto specializzando in biologia marina. (“I am specializing in marine biology.”)
  


• Quale sarà il tuo prossimo progetto? (“What will be your next project?”)
  ► Ho in programma di scrivere un blog sulla lingua italiana. (“I plan to write a blog about the Italian language.”)

➜ If you want to know other names of professions in Italian, don’t miss our free vocabulary list on Jobs.

6 – What Do You Like to Do in Your Free Time?

Sure, asking about jobs and careers might be interesting… but the real fun questions and answers are in people’s hobbies and activities during their free time.

Finding out what others do will help you find common ground and common interests. So, let’s start asking the really important questions. 

• Cosa fai nel fine settimana? (“What do you do in the weekends?”)


• Come passi il tempo libero? (“How do you spend your free time?”)
  ► Mi piace andare al cinema / leggere / giocare ai videogiochi. (“I like going to the movies / reading / playing video games.”)
  ► Preferisco passare del tempo con i miei bambini. (“I prefer spending time with my kids.”)
  


• Hai qualche hobby? (“Do you have any hobbies?”)
  ► Colleziono / faccio la collezione di farfalle e francobolli. (“I collect butterflies and stamps.”)
  


• Qual è il tuo hobby preferito? (“What’s your favorite hobby?”)
  ► Mi piace fare composizioni floreali. È molto rilassante. (“I like making flower arrangements. It is very relaxing.”)
  


• Fai / Pratichi sport? (“Do you practice any sports?”)


• Che sport fai / pratichi? (“What sports do you do?”)
  ► Faccio sport estremi. (“I do extreme sports.”)
  ► Vado in palestra tutti i giorni. (“I go to the gym every day.”)
  ► Sono pigro/a, non faccio molto sport. (“I am lazy, I don’t play any sports.”)
  


• Che tipo di [musica / libri / film / serie] preferisci? (“What kind of [music / books / movies / series] do you prefer?”)
  ► Mi piacciono i romanzi storici. (“I like historical novels.”)
  ► Adoro le serie coreane. (“I love Korean series.”)
  ► Il mio genere preferito è il jazz, e il tuo? (“My favorite music is jazz, and yours?”)
  


• Chi è il tuo artista / scrittore / attore / musicista preferito/a? (“Who is your favorite artist / writer / actor / musician?”)
  ► Mi piacciono gli artisti contemporanei, ma non sopporto l’arte astratta. (“I like contemporary artists, but I can’t stand abstract art.”)
  ► Ascolto ogni genere di musica, ma il mio musicista preferito è… (“I listen to all kinds of music, but my favorite musician is…”)
  


• Che [libro / film / serie] mi consigli? (“What [book / movie / series] do you suggest?”)
  ► Ho appena visto… Te lo consiglio. (“I just watched… I recommend it.”)
  ► Hai visto l’ultimo [film / serie] di…? È bellissimo/a! (“Have you seen the latest [film / series] of …? It’s beautiful!”)

Cosa fai nel tempo libero? (“What do you do in your free time?”)

7 – What’s Wrong?

Sometimes things get complicated, and not all questions can be about fun and travel. An important role of friends is to understand if something is not right, and asking about it might be the first step to finding a solution to the problem or simply a way to make the other person feel better.

• Che / Cosa c’è? (“What’s up?/What’s wrong?”)
• Che / Cosa succede? (“What happens?/What’s the matter?”)
• Ci sono problemi? (“Any problems?”)
• Qualcosa non va? (“Something wrong?”)
  ► Va tutto bene. (“Everything is fine.”)
  ► Ho un problema, possiamo parlare? (“I have a problem, can we talk?”)
  ► È tutto a posto. (“It’s all right.”)

8 – How Much Is It? 

And last but not least, here is a list of very useful questions, especially if you are going around markets and mercatini and want to buy or bargain with someone.

• Quanto costa? (“How much does it cost?”)
• Quant’è?  (“How much is it?”)
• Quanto viene al chilo / litro?  (“How much is it per kilo / liter?”)
• Posso avere uno sconto?  (“Can I get a discount? “)
  ► Costa … euro. (“It costs … euros.”)
  ► È … euro. (“It’s … euros.”)
  ► Viene … euro al chilo / litro. (“It’s … per kilo / per liter.”)
  ► È caro. Costa troppo. (“It’s expensive. It costs too much.”)
  
  ► È economico. Costa poco. (“It’s cheap. It doesn’t cost much.”)
  ► È conveniente. (“It’s convenient.”)
  ► Vale la pena. (“It’s worth it.”)
  ► È già scontato. Non posso fare un ulteriore sconto. (“It’s already discounted. I can’t apply more of a discount.”)

➜ Interested in knowing more words to go shopping in a supermarket? Check out our free vocabulary lists  on ItalianPod101.com.

3. Conclusion

In this guide, you’ve learned the most common questions in Italian, from the question words to the most common topics, and now you are ready for any type of conversation with friends and colleagues.

Did we forget any important topic you’d like to learn about? Do you feel ready to get out there and express yourself using everything you’ve learned today?

A good way to practice is to take each of the questions we’ve covered today and imagine how you would answer them. Maybe you’ll need to do some research on the sentence structures or key words, but it will be a great way to learn how to talk about yourself. 

Learning how to talk about personal topics is always worth the time, as you can use this knowledge in any situation, with your friends or people you’ve just met.

Make sure to explore ItalianPod101, as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also useful for revisiting new words and practicing their pronunciation.

Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching. Practice questions and answers in Italian with your private teacher so they can give you personalized feedback and advice, and help you with the pronunciation.

About the Author: Jessica Barbagallo grew up on the sunny island of Sicily, in the south of Italy. She has lived in Florence, Milan, New York, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. After a career in digital marketing, she went back to what is most fun to her: teaching languages! 

Have you ever asked yourself how we learn our native language when we’re kids? We keep hearing and repeating the same simple sentences over and over. That’s the only trick! 

As an adult, it works the same way: You memorize a sentence structure, then you start changing the elements a little, and in the end, you start making the sentences more complex. 
With this simple guide on forming sentences in Italian, we’ll help you memorize the most basic and useful Italian sentence patterns; with those, you’ll be able to generate hundreds of natural sentences. And in no time, you’ll be holding complex conversations with ease and confidence.

Table of Contents

1. A is B: L’italiano è bello!
2. Voglio imparare l’italiano con ItalianPod101.com!
3. Love is all you need…
4. Mi piace l’italiano!
5. Bella Ciao and the Reflexive Verbs
6. Asking politely: Scusi, posso…?
7. Asking Questions
8. Conclusion

1. A is B: L’italiano è bello!

In Italian, if you want to describe a person or an object, you need to be able to say that A is B. Nothing’s easier! The only thing is that you need to know how to use and conjugate the verb essere (“to be”). And once you master that, you need to keep in mind that everything in Italian needs to agree in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine).

• Mario è mio fratello. (“Mario is my brother.”)
• Maria è mia sorella. (“Maria is my sister.”)

There are already a lot of things you can say using this pattern:

• (Lei)* È professoressa di italiano. (“She is an** Italian teacher.”)
• (Voi) Siete molto simpatici. (“You are very nice.”)
• Gli amici sono americani. (“The friends are American.”)

*Notice how, in Italian, you don’t need to express the personal pronoun when it’s the subject of the verb (io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro), **and when you say someone’s profession, you can omit the article:

• (Io) Sono avvocata. (“I’m a lawyer.”) [for a female speaker]
• (Tu) Sei ingegnere. (“You are an engineer.”)
• Carlos è studente. (“Carlos is a student.”)

But what about when you want to say that A is not B? No problem. Anytime you need to express a negative statement, you just add the negation non (“not”) in front of the verb, as in:

• Maria non è mia sorella. (“Maria is not my sister.”)
• Questo orologio non è un regalo. (“This watch is not a present.”)

Notice also how the basic Italian sentence structure doesn’t change with most of the tenses (past, future, etc.).

• Giovedì sarà il mio compleanno. (“Thursday will be my birthday.”)
• Mario non era un bravo calciatore. (“Mario wasn’t a good soccer player.”)

And finally, if you need to ask a question, remember that, in Italian, you don’t need to do much. Just change your intonation, and you’ll have a perfect question.

• Sei ingegnere? (“Are you an engineer?”)
• Mario non era un bravo calciatore? (“Wasn’t Mario a good soccer player?”)

When we use adjectives to describe a person, a thing, or a situation, the structure stays exactly the same, including in the negative form or in other tenses:

• (Tu) Sei bellissima! (“You are very beautiful!”)
• La lasagna era deliziosa. (“The lasagna was delicious.”)
• Il museo che abbiamo visitato ieri era molto interessante. (“The museum we visited yesterday was very interesting.”)

The rose is red…[A] is [B]

2. Voglio imparare l’italiano con ItalianPod101.com!

Voglio (“I want”) is one of the Italian modal verbs (verbi servili) that are constructed by directly preceding the infinitive. 

• Voglio imparare l’italiano con ItalianPod.101! (“I want to learn Italian with ItalianPod101.com!”)
• Devo parlare. (“I have to speak up.”)
• Posso fare. (“I can do it.”)
• So suonare. (“I know how to play.”)

You can probably guess by now what the pattern is for the negative and interrogative forms. Yes, you’re right! For the negative form, you just put non (“not”) in front of the verb; if you want to ask a question, you just change the intonation:

• Non voglio andare a scuola domani! (“I don’t want to go to school tomorrow!”)
• Sai suonare il sassofono? (“Can you play the saxophone?”)

Italian phrases change a little when we start using direct or indirect personal pronouns, which we can put in front of the conjugated verb (as usual): 

• Lo voglio dire. (“I want to say it.”)

Or, we can attach it to the end of the infinitive: 

• Lo voglio dire; = Voglio dirlo;  (“I want to say it.”)
• Ti devo parlare; = Devo parlarti; (“I have to talk to you.”)
• Lo possiamo fare; = Possiamo farlo; (“We can do it.”)
• La so suonare; = So suonarla; (“I can play it.”)

3. Love is all you need…

Although it might be true that “All you need is love,” in the real world, outside of dreamy songs, we need a lot of things. In Italian, “to need” translates into avere bisogno di. It’s a slightly different structure than in English and you’d better get familiar with it, because when you travel to Italy, or when you’re in the company of Italian friends, you might need to say one of the following:

• Avete bisogno di informazioni? (“Do you need information?”)
• Hai bisogno di cambiare i soldi. (“You need to change the money.”)
• Il bambino ha bisogno di mangiare subito! (“The kid needs to eat right away!”)

Abbiamo bisogno d’amore! (“We need love!”)

Let’s take a look now at this Italian language sentence structure. 

You’ve probably noticed that we’re conjugating the verb avere (“to have”), which means that the literal translation of avere bisogno di is “to have the need for.” The noun bisogno (“need”) never changes, regardless of who the subject is, or who or what you need. 

Another important thing to remember is that the thing you need is introduced by the preposition di (“of”). When prepositions meet the article, they usually merge into a preposizione articolata_.

• Ho bisogno del (=di + il) bagno. (“I need the bathroom.”) 
• Hai bisogno della (=di + la) macchina? (“Do you need the car?”)

When what you need is expressed by an action (and therefore a verb) you can change the sentence by replacing avere bisogno di (“to need”) with dovere (“to have to”). Like in English, the final meaning in Italian is basically the same, with maybe just a slight difference:

• Ho bisogno di mangiare altrimenti svengo. (“I need to eat, otherwise I’ll faint.”) >> It’s necessary.
• Devo mangiare altrimenti svengo. (“I have to eat, otherwise I’ll faint.”) >> I have no choice.

4. Mi piace l’italiano!

In Italian, the verb piacere expresses the concept of “liking” something, and of showing tastes and preferences. Piacere uses a particular sentence structure: What you like (or don’t like) is the subject of the verb, while the person who likes (or dislikes) someone/something is expressed with an indirect personal pronoun. 

If you try to translate it literally into English, you’ll have to change the order of the words a bit. Take a look:

• Mi piace la pasta. (Mi = a me) > “I like pasta.”
• Ti piace la pasta. (Ti = a te) > “You like pasta.”
• Le piace la pasta. (Le = a lei) > “She likes pasta.”
• Gli piace la pasta. (Gli = a lui) > “He likes pasta.”
• Ci piace la pasta. (Ci = a noi) > “We like pasta.”
• Vi piace la pasta. (Vi = a voi) > “You like pasta.”
• A loro piace la pasta. > “They like pasta.”

Can you see what happened here? In the Italian translation, the grammatical subject is no longer “I” (io); it turned around to be the pasta! So if we go for the literal English translation, it would be “Pasta (subject) pleases (third person plural verb) me.”

If the thing you like is plural, you use piacciono (“they please”).

• Mi piacciono gli spaghetti. > “I like spaghetti.”
• Ti piacciono i fumetti di Diabolik? > “Do you like Diabolik comic books?”
• Non ci piacciono le brutte notizie. > “We don’t like bad news.”

The verb piacere can also be followed by an infinitive.

• Non gli piace guidare. > “He doesn’t like to drive.”
• Ti piace ballare? > “Do you like dancing?”
• Mi piace camminare a piedi nudi. > “I like to walk barefoot.”

Many other verbs use the same Italian sentence construction as piacere. For example:

• Dispiacere (“to be sorry”) >> Mi dispiace per la confusione. (“I’m sorry for the mess.”)
• Bastare (“to suffice”/”to be enough”) >> Ci basta poco. (“We don’t need much.”)
• Mancare (“to miss something or someone”) >> Mi manca molto. (“I miss it a lot.”)
• Servire (“to need”) >> Gli servono due pomodori. (“He needs two tomatoes.”)
• Interessare (“to be interested in”) >> Ti interessa la storia? (“Does history interest you?”)
• Sembrare (“to seem”/”to appear”) >> Ci sembra molto bello. (“It seems very nice to us.”)
• Dare fastidio (“to annoy”/”to bother”) >> Mi dai proprio fastidio. (“You really bother me.”)

5. Bella Ciao and the Reflexive Verbs

Lately, the traditional hymn of freedom and resistance Bella Ciao has become very popular. But have you ever realized how it’s also a hymn to the power of reflexive verbs? Just look at the very first lyrics:

Is it a protest or a bank robbery…? 😉

Una mattina mi son(o) svegliato,
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao!
Una mattina mi son(o) svegliato
e ho trovato l’invasor.

One morning I awakened,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!
One morning I awakened
And I found the invader.

One very common structure in Italian is to use reflexive verbs. These verbs express that the subject and the object of the action are the same: 

• (io) mi sono svegliato. (“I woke up.” Literally: “I woke myself up.”)
• (io) mi lavo le mani. (“I wash my hands.” Literally: “I wash myself the hands.”)

As you can see from the examples above, the reflexive verb is always preceded by a reflexive pronoun. So the pattern is always:

[subject] [reflexive pronoun – same person as the subject] [verb]
[Maria] [si – (lei)] [sveglia]

Further, an Italian sentence that uses reflexive verbs requires the auxiliary essere (“to be”) in the past and all compound tenses. It also needs the consequent agreement of the past participle with the subject, as usual.

• Si sono sposati l’anno scorso. (“They got married last year.”)
• Carla, ti sei arrabbiata con me? (“Did you get angry at me?”)
• Ieri non mi sono rasato. (“Yesterday, I didn’t shave.”)

In Italian, many common reflexive verbs are those related to routine daily actions. Reflexive verbs, in the infinitive form, will have the third person reflexive pronoun -si attached to the end, which can be a little confusing. Let’s see a few examples to clear things up.

Svegliarsi (“to wake up”) > Mi sveglio alle sei. (“I wake up at six.”)

Alzarsi  (“to get up”) > Ti alzi? (“Do you get up?”)

Lavarsi (“to wash up”) > John si lava solo la domenica. (“John washes up only on Sunday.”)

Vestirsi (“to dress up”) > Mi vesto per andare alla festa. (“I dress up to go to the party.”)

Mettersi (“to wear”) > Non ti metti il vestito rosso? (“Don’t you wear the red dress?”)

Pettinarsi (“to comb”) > Jessica non si pettina mai. (“Jessica never combs her hair.”)

Radersi (“to shave”) > Si rade un giorno sì e un giorno no. (“He shaves every other day.”)

Truccarsi (“to put on makeup”) > Le bambine si truccano a Carnevale. (“Girls put on makeup for Carnival.”)

Addormentarsi (“to fall asleep”) > Mi addormento a mezzanotte. (“I fall asleep at midnight.”)

Reflecting on reflexive verbs…

Many Italian verbs that express a physical state or a state of mind are also reflexive:

Annoiarsi (“to get/be bored”) > A teatro ci annoiamo. (“We get bored at the theater.”)

Arrabbiarsi (“to be angry”) > Perché ti arrabbi? (“Why do you get angry?”)

Chiamarsi (“to be called”) > Ciao, mi chiamo Elena. (“Hi, I’m called Elena.”)

Divertirsi (“to have fun”) > Sono sicura che vi divertiete. (“I’m sure you’ll have fun.”)

Innamorarsi (“to fall in love”) > Mi sono innamorata di te. (“I fell in love with you.”)

Lamentarsi (“to complain”) > Si lamentano sempre. (“They complain all the time.”)

Preoccuparsi (“to worry”) > Non ti preoccupare. (“Don’t worry.”)

Rilassarsi (“to relax”) > La domenica mi rilasso in famiglia. (“On Sunday I relax with my family.”)

Sedersi (“to sit down”) > Ci sediamo un poco? (“Shall we sit down for a while?”)

Sentirsi (“to feel”) > Non ti senti bene? (“Aren’t you feeling well?”)

Sposarsi (“to get married”) > Si sposano a maggio. (“They get married in May.”)

Vergognarsi (“to be ashamed”) > Mi vergogno di quello che ho fatto. (“I’m ashamed of what I’ve done.”)

6. Asking politely: Scusi, posso…?

1- Posso?

There are many situations where you need to politely ask to go someplace, or to get information or a service. Here’s the correct Italian language sentence pattern for you to use in order to make the best impression with your politeness.

Posso andare al bagno? (“May I go to the bathroom?”)

As in English, Italian uses the verb potere (“can”/”may”), followed by an infinitive, to ask for permission to do or get something.

• Posso entrare? (“May I come in?”)
• Posso andare in bagno? (“Can I go to the bathroom?”)
• Posso alzarmi da tavola? (“Can I be excused?” Literally: “Can I leave the table?”)
• Posso avere il tuo numero di telefono? (“Can I have your phone number?”)

2- Scusa… Scusi…

Often, before asking for something, Italians say Scusa… (informal) or Scusi… (formal). But what does that mean? It’s actually a short version for saying “Excuse me,” and in some situations, it can also be used to say “Sorry.” But going back to the sentence pattern for politely asking for something, scusa is a way to draw the attention of the person you’re about to ask permission from.

• Scusi, posso entrare? (“Excuse me, may I come in?”)
• Scusa, posso avere il tuo numero di telefono? (“Excuse me, can I have your phone number?”)

A common situation where you should use this structure is when you’re at a coffee bar or a restaurant, and you want to draw the waiter’s or bartender’s attention before making your request:

• Scusi, posso avere un cappuccino? (“Excuse me, can I get a cappuccino?”)
• Scusi, possiamo avere il conto? (“Excuse me, can we have the bill?”)

Or, if you’re lost in Milan or Rome and you need directions (or the time):

• Scusi, può dirmi come arrivo al Duomo? (“Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Duomo?”)
• Scusi, può dirmi che ore sono? (“Excuse me, can you tell me the time?”)

Remember to use the formal version, scusi, when you talk to an older person, someone you don’t know, or anyone you want to show respect to (and with waiters and bartenders). The informal scusa is for young people, friends, and family.

3- Potrei…?

Finally, another way to ask politely for something in Italian is to use the present conditional. This shows that you’re asking something, but you’re not ordering. You’re rather expressing a wish.

• Potrei avere un cappuccino? (“Could I have a cappuccino?”)
• Mi farebbe un cappuccino? (“Could you make me a cappuccino?”)
• Mi potresti dire l’ora? (“Could you tell me the time?”)

7. Asking Questions

1- About things: Che cos’è …?

Cosa (“thing”) is the most indeterminate and comprehensive word in the Italian language. With the word cosa, you can indicate anything that exists, whether in an abstract sense or in reality. It’s also the interrogative pronoun we use to ask about things when we want to know what they are, what they do, etc.

Cosa? Dove? Quando? Too many questions!!!

It’s interesting to notice how there are different ways to say “what” in Italian:

• Che
• Cosa
• Che cosa

These pronouns are always followed by a verb, either essere (if you’re asking what things are), or any other verb (if you’re asking about any other thing).

• Che fai stasera?
• Cosa fai stasera?
• Che cosa fai stasera?

What’s the difference between the above sentences? None whatsoever. They all mean: “What do you do tonight?” Similarly, the following sentences all mean: “What is an interrogative pronoun?” (By the way, if you want to know more about interrogative pronouns in Italian, you can review all about pronouns on ItalianPod101.)

• Che è un pronome interrogativo?
• Cos’è un pronome interrogativo?
• Che cos’è un pronome interrogativo?

Did you see what happened with cos’è (in cos’è successo)? When you have cosa + è, the final “a” is dropped, and you add an apostrophe (‘) to indicate that there was an elision. This is quite common in Italian, and we’ll see more examples of this in the next chapter.

2- Asking about a location: Dov’è …?

It might be true that all roads lead to Rome, but when you’re in Rome and you need directions to get around, what do you do? For that, you simply use the adverb dove (“where”). Remember what happened with cosa + è = cos’è (elision). The exact same phenomenon happens here: dove + è = dov’è.

• Dov’è il bagno? (“Where is the bathroom?”)
• Dove si prende l’autobus? (“Where do we take the bus?”)
• Dove va questo treno? (“Where does this train go?”)

All the roads lead to Rome, but you can still get lost…

Another common way to ask where things are is by using the verb trovarsi. It’s a reflexive verb meaning “to find oneself” / “to happen to be” / “to be situated.”

• Dove si trova il bagno? (“Where is the bathroom?”)
• Dove mi trovo? (“Where am I?”)

And finally, you can hear Italians use the verb stare (literally “stay”) to indicate where things are (especially within Rome):

• Dove stanno i miei calzini? (“Where are my socks?”)
• Stanno nel primo cassetto, come sempre! (“They are in the first drawer, as always!”)

3- Asking about time: Quand’è?

Tell me Quando Quando Quando…

This old Italian standard from the ‘60s is the perfect soundtrack to introduce the final basic Italian sentence pattern: Asking about time. Quando (“when”) is used pretty much the same way as the other interrogative words, including the trick quando + è = quand’è.

• Quand’è il tuo compleanno? (“When is your birthday?”)
• Quando arriva il treno? (“When does the train get in?”)
• Quando cominciano le vacanze di Natale? (“When does the Christmas vacation start?”)

Obviously, you use quando if you mean to ask a general question about time, but you can change the formula if you want to be more specific:

• In che anno sei nato? (“What year were you born?”)
• A che ora arriva il treno? (“What time does the train get in?”)
• Che giorno cominciano le vacanze di Natale? (“What day do the Christmas vacations start?”)

8. Conclusion

Do you think you know enough about the most useful Italian sentence structures now? Do you feel confident about diving into a conversation in Italian, using basic sentences, questions, and polite requests? What about discussing your likes and desires?

Let us know if there’s any other topic or sentence pattern that you would like to learn more about. And make sure to explore our site, ItalianPod101.com, to take advantage of our free resources, vocabulary lists, and mobile apps to practice whenever and wherever you want.
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to learn Italian with your own teacher. You’ll also continue to study at your own pace with fast, fun, and easy Italian lessons, including 220+ hours of audio/video courses, study tools, and more!

“Adjectives are the sugar of literature and adverbs the salt,” said the great American writer Henry James. So, let’s add some salt to your Italian with this amazing list of the 100+ most common Italian adverbs by ItalianPod101!

Table of Contents

1. What is an Adverb?
2. List of the Most Common Italian Adverbs
3. Improve Your Italian While Having Fun with ItalianPod101

1. What is an Adverb?

An adverb is an element in a sentence that can’t be inflected and which modifies the meaning of another element. As in Henry James’ quote, it adds something to a sentence, a nuance that makes it more meaningful and rich.

Let’s see an example:

• Angela was walking back home.
• Angela was tiredly walking back home. 

The adverb “tiredly” adds a new layer of meaning to the sentence and clarifies the image we may create of Angela while she was walking back to her house.

Well, now that we’ve convinced you of the importance of Italian adverbs, let’s see our amazing Italian adverbs list.

2. List of the Most Common Italian Adverbs

1 – Italian Adverbs of Time

We start our list with the Italian time adverbs:

• Oggi (“Today”)
  • Oggi Marta e Lorenzo si sposano.
    “Today, Marta and Lorenzo are getting married.”

• Ieri (“Yesterday”)
  • Sono tornato ieri dall’Italia.
    “I came back from Italy yesterday.”

• Domani (“Tomorrow”)
  • Domani andremo a Roma.
    “Tomorrow, we’ll go to Rome.”

• Presto (“Soon”)
  • Spero di vederti presto.
    “I hope to see you soon.”

• Tardi (“Late”)
  • Elena arriva sempre tardi.
    “Elena always arrives late.”

• Prima (“Before”)
  • Prima di tornare a casa, sono andato al supermercato.
    “Before coming home, I went to the supermarket.”

• Dopo (“After”)
  • Dopo aver cambiato lavoro, la mia vita è migliorata.
    “After I changed my job, my life got better.”

• Ora (“Now”)
  • Ora sono troppo stanca per uscire.
    “Now I’m too tired to go out.”

• Stamattina (“This morning”)
  • Stamattina Maria si è svegliata molto presto.
    “Maria woke up very early this morning.”

• Stasera (“Tonight”)
  • Ti va di andare al cinema stasera?
    “Would you like to go to the cinema tonight?”

• Subito (“Immediately”)
  • Giovanni, vieni subito qui!
    “Giovanni, come here immediately!”

• Già (“Already”)
  • Ho già visto questo film.
    “I’ve already seen this movie.”

• Ancora (“Again,” “Yet”)
  • Non ho ancora incontrato la ragazza di mio fratello.
    “I haven’t met my brother’s girlfriend yet.”

• Ormai (“By now,” “Already”)
  • Ormai devono essere arrivati a Milano.
    “They must have arrived in Milan by now.”

• Poi (“Then”)
  • Siamo andati a fare shopping e poi a cena.
    “We went shopping and then to dinner.”

2 – Italian Adverbs of Frequency

Here’s a list of the most common Italian frequency adverbs:

• Mai (“Never”)
  • Non sono mai stato in Cina.
    “I’ve never been to China.”

• Sempre (“Always”)
  • Quando viaggio, porto sempre con me un buon libro.
    “When I travel, I always bring a good book with me.”

• Spesso (“Often”)
  • I miei genitori sono spesso fuori città.
    “My parents are often out of town.”

• Raramente (“Rarely”)
  • Mangio carne raramente.
    “I rarely eat meat.”

• Di solito (“Usually”)
  • Di solito il sabato esco con i miei amici.
    “I usually go out with my friends on Saturday.”

• A volte (“Sometimes”)
  • A volte mia sorella si alza all’alba e va a correre.
    “Sometimes my sister gets up at dawn and goes jogging.”

• Costantemente (“Constantly”)
  • Luigi controlla costantemente il cellulare.
    “Luigi constantly checks his mobile phone.”

3 – Italian Adverbs of Place

• Qui (“Here”)
  • Potremmo fermarci qui e fare un pic nic.
    “We could stop here and have a picnic.”

• Là (“There”)
  • Non andare là!
    “Don’t go there!”

• Lì (“There”)
  • Vorrei andare lì domani.
    “Tomorrow, I’d like to go there.”

• Ovunque (“Wherever”)
  • Il mio cane mi segue ovunque io vada.
    “My dog ​​follows me wherever I go.”

• Dappertutto (“Everywhere”)
  • Ho cercato le chiavi dappertutto, ma non le trovo.
    “I looked for the keys everywhere, but I can’t find them.”

• Dentro (“Inside”) 
  • Il sale è dentro la dispensa.
    “Salt is inside the pantry.”

• Fuori (“Outside”) 
  • Per favore, vai a fumare fuori.
    “Please, go smoke outside.”

• Giù (“Down,” “Below”)
  • Maria è scesa giù al primo piano.
    “Maria went down to the first floor.”

• Su (“Up”)
  • Guarda su, il cielo è bellissimo.
    “Look up, the sky is beautiful.”

• Lassù (“Up there”)
  • Lassù c’è un bellissimo castello.
    “There’s a beautiful castle up there.”

• Laggiù (“Down there”)
  • Laggiù c’è un ottimo ristorante.
    “There’s a great restaurant down there.”

• Sopra (“Above”)
  • Sopra il tavolo c’è un vaso.
    “Above the table, there’s a vase.”

• Sotto (“Below”) 
  • Sotto il tavolo c’è il gatto.
    “Below the table, there’s the cat.”

• Vicino (“Nearby”)
  • Ho parcheggiato vicino.
    “I’ve parked nearby.”

• Lontano (“Far away”)
  • Matteo si è trasferito lontano, in un’altra città.
    “Matteo has moved far away, in another city.”

• Intorno (“Around”)
  • C’è un bel giardino intorno alla casa.
    “There’s a nice garden around the house.”

• Altrove (“Somewhere else”)
  • In questo momento vorrei tanto essere altrove.
    “At this moment, I’d really like to be somewhere else.”

• Davanti (“In front of”)
  • Di fronte alla chiesa c’è un bel caffè.
    “There’s a nice café in front of the church.”

• Dietro (“Behind,” “Back”)
  • Si è nascosto dietro la tenda.
    “He hid behind the curtain.”

• Ci (“There”) [also used as a desinence]
  • Mi farebbe molto piacere esserci.
    “I’d really like to be there.”

• Vi (“There”) [also used as a desinence]
  • Vi si trova un grande anfiteatro romano.
    “There is a great Roman amphitheater.”

• Ne (“[Away] from there/here”)
  • Se ne sono andati da due ore.
    “They went away two hours ago.”

• Via (“Away”)
  • È tardi, andiamo via.
    “It’s late, let’s go away.”

4 – Italian Adverbs of Manner

A tip: You can turn many Italian adjectives into adverbs of manner by adding –mente to feminine adjectives, which is a pattern you’ll notice often in this section. But it doesn’t always work. For example, you can’t turn cattivo into an adverb by simply adding –mente. 

The most important Italian adverbs of manner are:

• Lentamente (“Slowly”)
  • Il latte caldo va bevuto lentamente.
    “Hot milk must be drunk slowly.”

• Velocemente (“Quickly”)
  • Ho mangiato velocemente e sono tornato al lavoro.
    “I ate quickly and got back to work.”

• Attentamente (“Carefully”)
  • Ascolta attentamente quello che dico.
    “Listen carefully to what I say.”

• Facilmente (“Easily”)
  • Lucia ha passato l’esame facilmente.
    “Lucia easily passed the exam.”

• Semplicemente (“Simply”)
  • Ho semplicemente detto di sì alla sua offerta.
    “I simply said yes to his offer.”

• Dolcemente (“Sweetly”)
  • La baciò dolcemente sulle labbra.
    “He sweetly kissed her on her lips.”

• Tranquillamente (“Calmly”)
  • Un uomo cammina tranquillamente sulla spiaggia.
    “A man calmly walks on the beach.”

• Perfettamente (“Perfectly”)
  • Questo vestito ti sta perfettamente.
    “This dress fits you perfectly.”

• Bene (“Well”)
  • La presentazione è andata molto bene.
    “The presentation went very well.”

• Male (“Badly,” “Rudely”)
  • Monica ha risposto male a sua madre.
    “Monica responded rudely to her mother.”

• Chiaramente (“Clearly”)
  • Il professore ha spiegato tutto molto chiaramente.
    “The professor explained everything very clearly.”

• Letteralmente (“Literally”)
  • Sono letteralmente senza parole.
    “I’m literally out of words.”

• Onestamente (“Honestly”)
  • Onestamente, non so di cosa stai parlando.
    “Honestly, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

• Gentilmente (“Gently”)
  • La neve cominciò gentilmente a cadere.
    “Snow started gently to fall.”

• Bruscamente (“Abruptly”)
  • L’auto frenò bruscamente.
    “The car broke abruptly.”

• Improvvisamente (“Suddenly”)
  • Improvvisamente è spuntato il sole.
    “Suddenly, the sun came out.”

• Freddamente (“Coldly”)
  • Ci accolsero freddamente.
    “They received us coldly.”

• Calorosamente (“Warmly”)
  • Ci siamo salutati calorosamente e siamo partiti.
    “We said goodbye warmly and left.”

• Correttamente (“Correctly,” “Properly”)
  • Sul lavoro si è sempre comportato correttamente.
    “At work, he’s always behaved properly.”

• Duramente (“Hardly,” “Hard”)
  • Ho lavorato duramente per la mia carriera.
    “I worked hard for my career.”

• Volentieri (“Gladly”)
  • Sarei venuto con voi volentieri, ma non potevo.
    “I would have come with you gladly, but I couldn’t.”

• Forte (“Strongly,” “Quickly”)
  • Federica correva forte incontro a suo padre.
    “Federica was running quickly toward her father.”

5 – Italian Adverbs of Degree or Addition

• Molto (“Much”)
  • Il film non mi è piaciuto molto.
    “I didn’t like the film much.”

• Poco (“Little”)
  • A cena ho mangiato poco.
    “At dinner, I ate little.”

• Troppo (“Too much”)
  • Stamattina ho dormito troppo.
    “I slept too much this morning.”

• Piuttosto (“Quite,” “Rather”)
  • I mobili sono piuttosto belli, ma vecchi.
    “The furniture is quite nice, but old.”

• Abbastanza (“Quite,” “Sufficiently”) 
  • Maria è abbastanza soddisfatta del nuovo lavoro.
    “Maria is quite satisfied with her new job.”

• Più (“More,” “Most”)
  • Matteo è più bello di Antonio.
    “Matteo is more handsome than Antonio.”

• Meno (“Less”)
  • Camminiamo meno di un tempo.
    “We walk less than (what we used to do) once.”

• Meglio (“Better”)
  • Oggi mia nonna si sente meglio.
    “Today, my grandmother is feeling better.”

• Peggio (“Worse”)
  • L’esame era difficile, ma pensavo peggio.
    “The exam was difficult, but I thought it was worse.”

• Moltissimo (“Very much”)
  • La cena mi è piaciuta moltissimo.
    “I liked the dinner very much.”

• Pochissimo (“Very little”)
  • Mio cugino guadagna pochissimo.
    “My cousin earns very little.”

• Come (“How,” “Like,” “As much as”)
  • Paolo è come un fratello per me.
    “Paolo is like a brother to me.”

• Inoltre (“Moreover”)
  • Volevo dirti, inoltre, che abbiamo finito lo zucchero.
    “I wanted to tell you, moreover, that we’re out of sugar.”

• Pure (“Also,” “Too”)
  • Vorrebbe venire pure Flavia, va bene?
    “Flavia would like to come too, is it okay?”

• Persino (“Even”)
  • Persino mio figlio si è divertito.
    “Even my son had a great time.”

• Addirittura (“Even”)
  • Era così freddo che siamo addirittura partiti prima della fine del concerto.
    “It was so cold that we even left before the end of the concert.”

6 – Italian Question Adverbs

• Dove (“Where”)
  • Dov’è andata Gianna?
    “Where did Gianna go?”

• Quando (“When”)
  • Quando tornerai dagli Stati Uniti?
    “When will you come back from the United States?”

• Come (“How”)
  • Come ti senti oggi?
    “How are you feeling today?”

• Perché (“Why”)
  • Perché non ci raggiungete più tardi?
    “Why don’t you join us later?”

7 – Italian Adverbs of Exclamation

• Come (used to emphasize a sentence)
  • Come sono felice di vederti!
    “I’m so happy to see you!”

• Quanto (used to emphasize a sentence)
  • Quanto mi manchi!
    “I miss you so much!”

8 – Italian Adverbs of Affirmation, Negation, and Doubt 

• Sì (“Yes”)
  • Sì, mi piacerebbe venire a cena con te.
    “Yes, I’d like to go to dinner with you.”

• Certo (“Of course”)
  • Certo, ormai è troppo tardi.
    “Of course, now it’s too late.”

• Davvero (“Really”)
  • Ho davvero voglia di un gelato.
    “I’d really like an icecream.”

• Sicuramente (“For sure”)
  • Io e mio marito ci saremo sicuramente.
    “My husband and I will be there for sure.”

• Proprio (“Really”)
  • Sono proprio contento che siate venuti a trovarmi.
    “I’m really happy that you went to see me.”

• No (“No”)
  • A: Vieni con noi? 
    B: No, sono stanco.
    
    A: “Will you come with us?”
    B: “No, I’m tired.”

• Non (“Not”)
  • Giorgio non è andato a scuola oggi.
    “Giorgio didn’t go to school today.”

• Nemmeno (“Even [negative],” “Neither,” “Not even”)
  • Nemmeno io sopporto quella donna.
    “Even I can’t stand that woman.”

• Affatto (“At all”)
  • Questo vino non mi piace affatto.
    “I don’t like this wine at all.”

• Forse (“Maybe”)
  • Forse stasera sono libera.
    “Maybe tonight I’m free.”

• Probabilmente (“Probably”)
  • Probabilmente alla festa ci sarà anche Mauro.
    “Mauro will probably be at the party, too.”

3. Improve Your Italian While Having Fun with ItalianPod101

We hope you enjoyed learning about Italian adverbs with us, and that you learned some new words for your next conversation! Are there any adverbs we missed that you want to know? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help you out! 

ItalianPod101.com is an extensive source for everything Italian, including amazing word lists, comprehensive blog posts (like our articles about Italian adjectives and nouns), apps, video lessons, and everything you need to improve your knowledge of this fascinating language. And learning with us is so fun that you won’t ever feel tired! Check out our courses, find Italian adverbs exercises and in-depth lessons, and start on the road to fluency.

Verbs are everywhere! Whatever you’re trying to say or write in Italian, you’re going to need to use a verb and a subject. And guess what? Right there, you already need to conjugate the verb to use it correctly. 

• Vado al cinema. Vieni con me? Cosa dici? 
  “I go to the movies. Will you come with me? What do you say?”

For example, in this simple sentence, you’ll have to know the conjugations of the verbs andare (“to go”), venire (“to come”), and dire (“to say”).

Italian verb conjugation might seem tough at first, but with a few tips (and ItalianPod101’s resources), you’ll learn how to conjugate Italian verbs and become a real pro!

Table of Contents

1. What Does Conjugation Mean?
2. Verb Groups
3. Conjugation Examples
4. Irregular Verbs and Their Conjugations
5. Quiz
6. Tips to Improve and Practice Your Italian Conjugations

1. What Does Conjugation Mean?

What is a conjugation and what do you need it for? A conjugation is a basic process—common to most languages—by which you change the verb ending in order to indicate who is doing the action (me, you, he/she, we, you, they), with what intention (realistic, wish, opinion, order, etc.), and when (present, past, future, etc.).

Who? When? What intention? Ask questions to start conjugating.

Also, in Italian verb conjugation, you may have to:

• Conjugate auxiliary verbs (avere/essere = “to have”/”to be”) 
• Conjugate modal verbs (verbi servili: potere, dovere, volere, ecc. = “can, must, want, etc.”) 
• Add a participio passato (“past participle”) 
• Watch out for Italian irregular verbs and irregular verb forms (dire, fare, andare, stare, venire, perdere, chiudere, and a few more…)

Let’s look at this in more detail:

1- Who?

1st person singular	Io	“I”
2nd person singular	tu / Lei*	“you” (casual) / “you” (formal)
3rd person singular	lui / lei	“he” / “she”
1st person plural	noi	“we”
2nd person plural	voi	“we”
3rd person plural	loro	“they”

*It’s important to remember that the polite form of address is in the third person singular feminine. So, for example, the phrase “What do you eat?” can be:

• Tu cosa mangi? (informal)
• Lei cosa mangia? (formal)

It can be a little confusing at the beginning, but since the formal way of address is extremely common in Italian, it’s a good idea to practice using it from the very beginning.

Remember that the person who is doing the action is very important because, in Italian verb conjugation, every person of the verb has a different ending. But we’ll see that in a little bit.

2- With what intention?

In every sentence, you can ask “What is the intention of this action?” This intention is called il modo (“the mood”), and it reflects whether the intention is realistic, possible, or uncertain, or if it’s a wish, an opinion, or an order. 

Let’s look at this Italian conjugation table and study the moods to determine what they mean.

Indicativo (“Indicative”)	Mangio una pizza. (“I eat a pizza.”)	Used to express a real and certain fact. This is, by far, the most common mood in Italian.
Conjuntivo (“Subjunctive”)	Credo che sia meglio. (“I think it is better.”)	Used to express an opinion, a possibility, a desire, or something uncertain. It’s usually supported by certain verbs and conjunctions.
Condizionale (“Conditional”)	Vorrei andare. (“I would like to go.”)	Used to express a probability or a hypothesis. Usually, one fact depends on another.
Imperativo (“Imperative”)	Fai i compiti! (“Do your homework!”)	Used to give an order.
The examples above are called modi finiti (“finite moods”) because they define the action in a precise way, and they’re conjugated according to the person and the time. The following ones, on the other hand, are modi indefiniti (“indefinite moods”) as they don’t have a specific subject. They usually depend on other verbs, and—very good news—they don’t change!
Infinito (“Infinitive”)	Mangiare (“To eat”)	It’s an undetermined action, used as the basic form of the verb.
Gerundio (“Gerund”)	Sto dormendo. (“I am sleeping.”)	Often used in combination with stare, it can have many intentions.
Participio (“Participle”)	Serata danzante (“Dancing night”)	A word formed from a verb and used as an adjective.

3- When?

Every action takes place in a specific time, called tempo (literally “time,” or “tense” in the context of a conjugation). The Italian tenses are presente, passato, and futuro, and they can be tempi semplici (“simple tenses”) when they’re made of just one word, or tempi composti (“compound tenses”) when they’re formed by the auxiliary (essere/avere) and the past participle.

Io amo, tu ami… (“I love, you love…”) The best conjugation of all!

Let’s look at the full Italian conjugations chart of all possible moods and tenses with the best Italian verb: amare (“to love”).

MODI		TEMPI SEMPLICI	TEMPI COMPOSTI
Finiti	Indicativo	Presente | Amo	Passato prossimo | Ho amato
		Imperfetto | Amavo	Trapassato prossimo | Avevo amato
		Passato remoto | Amai	Trapassato remoto | Ebbi amato
		Futuro semplice | Amerò	Futuro anteriore | Avrò amato
	Congiuntivo	Presente | Che io ami	Passato | Che io abbia amato
		Imperfetto | Che io amassi	Trapassato | Che io avessi amato
	Condizionale	Presente | Amerei	Passato | Avrei amato
	Imperativo	Presente | Ama!
Indefiniti	Gerundio	Presente | Amando	Passato | Avendo amato
	Participio	Presente | Amante
		Passato | Amato
	Infinito	Presente | Amare

It’s true that there are quite a lot of tenses! But keep in mind that the Italian conjugations you’ll really have to master are the ones that are in bold, as they are by far the most common. They’re also the most practical ones for meaningful communication up to an intermediate Italian level. That sounds better, doesn’t it?

2. Verb Groups

In the Italian conjugation of verbs, there are three basic groups, divided according to the verb ending in the infinitive:

• 1st with the infinitive in -ARE
• 2nd with the infinitive in -ERE (verbs ending in -arre, -orre, and -urre belong to this group)
• 3rd with the infinitive in -IRE (verbs that add a -isc suffix belong to this group)

Regular Italian verbs are simple to conjugate because they all follow the same pattern, as you can see in the following chart:

	Io (“I”)	tu (“you”)	lui/lei (“s/he”)	noi  (“we”)	voi (“you”)	loro (“they”)
AMARE (“to love”)	Amo	Ami	Ama	Amiàmo	Amàte	Àmano
CREDERE (“to believe”)	Credo	Credi	Crede	Crediàmo	Credète	Crèdono
DORMIRE (“to sleep”)	Dormo	Dormi	Dorme	Dormiàmo	Dormìte	Dòrmono*

*Notice how the position of the stress changes syllable. Try and read the three basic present conjugations, just to familiarize yourself with the rhythm of it.

As you can see, there are no major changes from one group to the other. But things do get a bit more complicated with Italian irregular verb conjugations, which involve some of the most common verbs.

3. Conjugation Examples

Now that you know that Italian conjugations are divided into three groups, let’s see in greater detail how each group behaves according to the person (who), the tense (when), and the mood (with what intention).

1- Verbs in -ARE

AMARE (“To love”) 

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past*	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	amo	amai	amavo	amerò	ami	amerei	–
tu	ami	amasti	amavi	amerai	ami	ameresti	ama
lui/lei	ama	amò	amava	amerà	ami	amerebbe	–
noi	amiamo	amammo	amavamo	ameremo	amiamo	ameremmo	amiamo
voi	amate	amaste	amavate	amerete	amiate	amereste	amate
loro	amano	amarono	amavano	ameranno	amino	amerebbero	–

PARLARE (“To talk”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past*	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	parlo	parlai	parlavo	parlerò	parli	parlerei	–
tu	parli	parlasti	parlavi	parlerai	parli	parleresti	parla
lui/lei	parla	parlò	parlava	parlerà	parli	parlerebbe	–
noi	parliamo	parlammo	parlavamo	parleremo	parliamo	parleremmo	parliamo
voi	parlate	parlaste	parlavate	parlerete	parliate	parlereste	parlate
loro	parlate	parlarono	parlavano	parleranno	parlino	parlerebbero	–

GIOCARE (“To play”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past*	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	gioco	giocai	giocavo	giocherò*	giochi*	giocherei*	–
tu	giochi*	giocasti	giocavi	giocherai*	giochi*	giocheresti*	gioca
lui/lei	gioca	giocò	giocava	giocherà*	giochi*	giocherebbe*	–
noi	giochiamo*	giocammo	giocavamo	giocheremo*	giochiamo*	giocheremmo*	giochiamo*
voi	giocate	giocaste	giocavate	giocherete*	giochiate*	giochereste*	giocate
loro	giocano	giocarono	giocavano	giochino*	giochino*	giocherebbero*	–

*Notice how, whenever the ending of the conjugation starts with i or e, the root adds an h in order to maintain the hard K sound of giocare. This will happen for all the verbs of the first group that end in -care or –gare. So, for verbs in -care or –gare:

C + I, E = CHI, CHE (in order to keep the hard K sound) G + I, E = GHI, GHE (in order to keep the hard G sound)

Let’s see some examples:

• Pagare (“to pay”)
  Paghi tu? (“Will you pay?”)

• Cercare (“to look for”)
  Cerchiamo un bar. (“We look for a bar.”)

• Giocare (“to play”)
  Giocheresti con me? (“Would you play with me?”)

• Litigare (“to fight”)
  Non litighiamo! (“Let’s not fight!”)

• Mancare (“to miss”)
  Mi manchi tanto! (“I miss you so much!”)

• Sporcare (“to get dirty”)
  Ti sporchi sempre… (“You always get dirty…”)

• Sprecare (“to waste”)
  Perché sprechi la carta? (“Why do you waste paper?”)

• Navigare (“to sail”)
  Navigheremo per tre notti. (“We will sail for three nights.”)

Wait… Didn’t we tell you earlier that the only verbs you really needed to master were presente, passato prossimo, imperfetto, futuro, condizionale, and imperativo (“present, present perfect, imperfect, future, conditional, and imperative”)? 

You’re absolutely right! As a matter of fact, the absolute past (passato remoto) is mostly used in literary writing and very formal speech about things that happened a very long time ago. So you definitely don’t have to worry about it too much. Just be aware of it, just in case you encounter it while reading a story.

Do you know where you might actually hear passato remoto a lot? In the south of Italy, in Sicily for example, because southern dialects have no passato prossimo in their grammar. For this reason, people have historically tended to use this tense more often than other Italians. 

Andai in Sicilia. (“I went to Sicily.”) Sicilians use passato remoto a lot!

On the other hand, the one that you’ll really be using all the time (in combination with the imperfect) is the present perfect (passato prossimo), which is formed by the auxiliary essere or avere (“to be” or “to have”) and the past participle. But we’ll see more about that in a little bit. For now, just take a look at what it’s like.

Passato Prossimo – AMARE
io	ho amato
tu	hai amato
lui/ lei	ha amato
noi	abbiamo amato
voi	avete amato
loro	hanno amato

2- Verbs in -ERE

CREDERE (“To believe”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Subjunctive	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past*	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	credo	credetti	credevo	crederò	creda	crederei	–
tu	credi	credesti	credevi	crederai	creda	crederesti	credi
lui/lei	crede	credette	credeva	crederà	creda	crederebbe	–
noi	crediamo	credemmo	credevamo	crederemo	crediamo	crederemmo	crediamo
voi	credete	credeste	credevate	crederete	crediate	credereste	credete
loro	credono	crederono	credevano	crederanno	credano	crederebbero	–

PRENDERE (“To take”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	prendo	presi*	prendevo	prenderò	prenda	prenderei	–
tu	prendi	prendesti	prendevi	prenderai	prenda	prenderesti	prendi
lui/lei	prende	prese*	prendeva	prenderà	prenda	prenderebbe	–
noi	prendiamo	prendemmo	prendevamo	prenderemo	prendiamo	prenderemmo	prendiamo
voi	prendete	prendeste	prendevate	prenderete	prendiate	prendereste	prendete
loro	prendono	presero*	prendevano	prenderanno	prendano	prenderebbero	–

*Just to complicate things a bit further, most verbs of the second group in -ERE have an irregular passato remoto (“absolute past”), in which the io, lui/lei, loro (“I,” “s/he,” “they”) forms can change considerably from the root. But again, this tense is rarely used in spoken Italian, so you’ll just need to recognize them in case you encounter them while reading. 

LEGGERE (“To read”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	leggo**	lessi*	leggevo	leggerò	legga	leggerei	–
tu	leggi	leggesti	leggevi	leggerai	legga	leggeresti	leggi
lui/lei	legge	lesse*	leggeva	leggerà	legga	leggerebbe	–
noi	leggiamo	leggemmo	leggevamo	leggeremo	leggiamo	leggeremmo	leggiamo
voi	leggete	leggeste	leggevate	leggerete	leggiate	leggereste	leggete
loro	leggono**	lessero*	leggevano	leggeranno	leggano	leggerebbero	–

*See the note above.

**Contrary to what happens to the -care / -gare verbs in the first group (they add an h to keep the hard sound in front of e or i), in the second conjugation, verbs in -cere and -gere change sound from soft to hard in front of the ending -o (io and loro – “I” and “them”). 

Che piacere leggere! (“What a pleasure to read!”)

IO LEGGO [leggo – hard G] as in “gospel” TU LEGGI [ledʒi – soft g] as in “giant”

Other common verbs that have the same behavior are:

• Vincere (“to win”)
  Vinco sempre! (“I always win!”)

• Conoscere (“to know”)
  Non ti conosco. (“I don’t know you.”)

• Crescere (“to grow”)
  Come crescono questi bambini…! (“How do these kids grow…!”)

• Nascere (“to be born”)
  In Italia nascono 50 bambini all’ora. (“In Italy, 50 babies are born every hour.”)

• Correggere (“to correct”)
  Correggo i tuoi errori. (“I correct your mistakes.”)

• Friggere (“to fry”)
  Friggo le patate. (“I fry potatoes.”)

• Leggere (“to read”)
  I ragazzi leggono Pinocchio. (“Kids read Pinocchio.”)

• Aggiungere (“to add”)
  Aggiungono sempre troppo sale! (“They always add too much salt!”)

• Piangere (“to cry”)
  Quando sono triste piango. (“When I’m sad, I cry.”)

3- Verbs in -IRE

DORMIRE (“To sleep”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	dormo	dormii	dormivo	dormirò	dorma	dormirei	–
tu	dormi	dormisti	dormivi	dormirai	dorma	dormiresti	dormi
lui/lei	dorme	dormì	dormiva	dormirà	dorma	dormirebbe	–
noi	dormiamo	dormimmo	dormivamo	dormiremo	dormiamo	dormiremmo	dormiamo
voi	dormite	dormiste	dormivate	dormirete	dormiate	dormireste	dormite
loro	dormono	dormirono	dormivano	dormiranno	dormano	dormirebbero	–

SENTIRE (“To hear” / “To feel”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	sento	sentii	sentivo	sentirò	senta	sentirei	–
tu	senti	sentisti	sentivi	sentirai	senta	sentiresti	senti
lui/lei	sente	sentì	sentiva	sentirà	senta	sentirebbe	–
noi	sentiamo	sentimmo	sentivamo	sentiremo	sentiamo	sentiremmo	sentiamo
voi	sentite	sentiste	sentivate	sentirete	sentiate	sentireste	sentireste
loro	sentono	sentirono	sentivano	sentiranno	sentano	sentirebbero	–

CAPIRE (“To understand”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	capisco*	capii	capivo	capirò	capisca	capirei	–
tu	capisci**	capisti	capivi	capirai	capisca	capiresti	capisci
lui/lei	capisce	capì	capiva	capirà	capisca	capirebbe	–
noi	capiamo	capimmo	capivamo	capiremo	capiamo	capiremmo	capiamo
voi	capite	capiste	capivate	capirete	capiate	capireste	capireste
loro	capiscono	capirono	capivano	capiranno	capscano	capirebbero	–

*Did you notice something different about this conjugation? You’re absolutely right! Quite a few Italian verbs of the third group add an -isc suffix to the conjugation in the present, subjunctive, and imperative in the first singular (io, “I”),  second singular (tu, “you”), third singular (lui/lei, “s/he”), and third plural (loro, “they”).  

**Similarly to what happens to the verbs in the -cere and -gere that we just saw above, verbs that add the -isc suffix change sound from soft to hard in front of the endings -o and -a (io and loro – “I” and “them”).

IO CAPISCO [kapisko – hard K] as in “color” TU CAPISCI [kapishi – soft sh] as in “sheep”

Other common verbs that have the same behavior are:

• Capire (“to understand”)
  Capisco [capisko] / Capisci [capishi] tutto. (“I/you understand everything.”)

• Costruire (“to build”)
  Costruisco [kostruisko] / Costruisci [costruishi] una casa. (“I/you build a house.”)

• Finire (“to finish”)
    Finisco [finisko] / Finisci [finishi] subito! (“I/you finish right away!”)
  

• Preferire (“to prefer”)
  Preferisco [preferisko] / Preferisci [preferishi] l’acqua. (“I/you prefer water.”)
  
  Now it’s your turn to try! Change the subject from io (“I”) to tu or lui/lei (“you” or “s/he”) and practice with the hard/soft pronunciation.

• Proibire (“to forbid”)
  Io ti proibisco di andare! (“I forbid you to go!”) >> Lei ti ……………… di andare! (“He forbids you to go!”)

• Pulire (“to clean”)
  Io pulisco la mia stanza. (“I clean my room.”) >> Tu …………….. la mia stanza. (“He cleans my room.”)

• Punire (“to punish”)
  Non punisco gli sbagli. (“I don’t punish mistakes.”) >> Lui non ………… gli sbagli. (“He doesn’t punish mistakes.”)

• Restiture (“to give back”)
  Io restituisco il libro. (“I give back the book.”)  >> Tu …………….. il libro. (“You give back the book.”)

• Trasferire (“to transfer” / “to move”)
  Io mi trasferisco a Roma. (“I move to Rome.”) >> Tu ti …………….. a Roma. (“You move to Rome.”)

4. Irregular Verbs and Their Conjugations

As it often happens, some of the most common verbs are irregular and, although they continue to follow a pattern to a certain point, they can differ quite a lot from what you expect. 

Let’s start with the most important Italian irregular conjugations: essere (“to be”) and avere (“to have”). 

ESSERE (“To be”) 

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	sono	fui	ero	sarò	sia	sarei	–
tu	sei	foste	eri	sarai	sia	saresti	sii
lui/lei	è*	fu	era	sarà	sia	sarebbe	–
noi	siamo	fummo	eravamo	saremo	siamo	saremmo	siamo
voi	siete	foste	eravate	sarete	siate	sareste	siate
loro	sono	furono	erano	saranno	siano	sarebbero	–

*The third person singular lui/lei è (“s/he is”) requires the grave accent to distinguish it from the conjunction e (“and”). Even if it might seem like a small detail, it’s considered a big mistake, so double your attention!

AVERE  (“To have”)

	Indicative				Subjunctive	Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Absolute Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Present	Present
io	ho*	ebbi	avevo	avrò	abbia	avrei	–
tu	hai*	aveste	avevi	avrai	abbia	avresti	abbi
lui/lei	ha*	ebbe	aveva	avrà	abbia	avrebbe	–
noi	abbiamo	avemmo	avevamo	avremo	abbiamo	avremmo	abbiamo
voi	avete	aveste	avevate	avrete	abbiate	avreste	abbiate
loro	hanno*	ebbero	avevano	avranno	abbiano	avrebbero	–

*In Italian, you’ll never find the H at the beginning of a word, except for in foreign words such as “hotel” and the avere conjugation. For some reason, only the first singular (io, “I”), second singular (tu, “you”), third singular (lui/lei, “s/he”), and third plural (loro, “they”) in the present keep the H from the Latin conjugation habere. However, nothing changes in the pronunciation.

1- AVERE & ESSERE as auxiliaries with passato prossimo (“present perfect”)

Remember how we told you that the absolute past isn’t really used in colloquial Italian, and you would more often use the passato prossimo? Passato prossimo is formed with an auxiliary avere/essere and the past participle, which is formed as follows:

• Verbs in -are >> -ato
  Ex: Parlare >> ho parlato  / Andare >> sono andato

• Verbs in -ere >> -uto
  Ex: conoscere >> conosciuto

• Verbs in -ire >> -ito
  Ex: dormire >> dormito

• Essere >> stato 
• Avere >> avuto

But how do you know which auxiliary to use? Here’s how it works. 

Transitive verbs (verbs that can have a direct object) form the passato prossimo with the auxiliary AVERE:

• Amare Ho amato mio marito. (“I loved my husband.”)
• Vendere Ho venduto la mia macchina. (“I sold my car.”)
• Capire Ho capito quello che hai detto. (“I understood what you said.”)

Intransitive verbs (verbs that can’t have a direct object, and that usually indicate state, movement, change, etc.) form the passato prossimo with the auxiliary ESSERE:

• Andare Sono andato al cinema. (“I went to the movies.”)
• Venire Sono venuto con te. (“I came with you.”)
• Uscire Sono uscito. (“I went out.”)

Other intransitive verbs that need the essere auxiliary are: salire, restare, tornare, ritornare, scendere, arrivare, cadere, entrare, and more.

Irregular verbs in Italian are quite frequent and common. Here’s a basic list with their conjugations in the present indicative, from which you can deduct the rest of the patterns.

	DIRE	DARE	FARE	ANDARE	VENIRE	VOLERE	SAPERE	POTERE	USCIRE
io	dico	do	faccio	vado	vengo	voglio	so	posso	esco
tu	dici	dai	fai	vai	vieni	vuoi	sai	puoi	esci
lui/lei	dice	da	fa	va	viene	vuole	sa	può	esce
noi	diciamo	diamo	facciamo	andiamo	veniamo	vogliamo	sappiamo	possiamo	usciamo
voi	dite	date	fate	andate	venite	volete	sapete	potete	uscite
loro	dicono	danno	fanno	vanno	vanno	vogliono	sanno	possono	escono

Do you think that these are enough? No way! There are many more irregular verbs in Italian you can have fun with.

5. Quiz

Do you think that you know enough about Italian conjugations? Let’s do a quick test.

Fill in the blanks with the correct verb, paying attention to the subject and the tense:

Quiz time!

1. Gli Italiani (amare) _______________ il caffè molto forte.
   (“Italians love very strong coffee.”)
   
2. Domani tu (andare) ______________ al cinema con i tuoi amici?
   (“Tomorrow, will you go to the movies with your friends?”)
   
3. Quando noi (essere) __________ piccoli, (credere) ___________ a Babbo Natale!
   (“When we were kids, we believed in Santa Claus!”)
   
4. Io (volere) _____________ un gelato al limone, per favore.
   (“I would like a lemon ice cream, please.”)
   
5. Un anno fa Laura (finire)  ______________ la scuola.
   (“A year ago, Laura finished school.”)

Let’s check the answers together:

1) Amano: This is the third person plural of the present.

2) Andrai: This is the second person singular of the future, since domani tells us that the action takes place in the future.

3) Eravamo, Credevamo: These are both first person plural of the imperfect, which is the tense we use for describing a generic time, not a specific moment.

4) Vorrei: Here, we use the first person singular of the conditional, since we’re expressing a wish or a polite request.

5) Ha finito: In this case, the past tense that we need is the passato prossimo, since it’s an action that occurred at a specific time.

Did you get them all correct?

6. Tips to Improve and Practice Your Italian Conjugations

Italian conjugations can seem like a lot to take in, but there are tricks and strategies that you can use to help you learn and remember them.

For example, you can try to memorize each verb as a chant (amo, ami, ama, amiamo, amate, amano…). This way, you’ll memorize the patterns and they’ll stick forever. Repetition always helps, so do as many exercises as you can. Reading, listening to music, and watching videos is also extremely useful in getting familiar with different kinds of verbs in context. 

And the final tip: Make sure that you take advantage of all the free resources available on ItalianPod101.com! You’ll even find mobile apps, lessons, and a guided learning system with your own teacher!