Padroneggia i 100 Verbi Essenziali

(Master the 100 Essential Verbs)

100 Essential Italian Verbs

In this lesson we look at the 100 most common verbs in Italian. With them you will get a good understanding of the most important verbs and their conjugations in the present tense.

Italian subject pronouns

Italian has the following subject pronouns:

  • **Io** (I)
  • **Tu** (you, singular)
  • **Lui/Lei** (he/she)
  • **Noi** (we)
  • **Voi** (you, plural/formal)
  • **Loro** (they, plural)
*Note: In Italian the subject pronouns are often left out, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.*

Example: The verb Parlare (to speak)

Now we give a short example with the verb parlare (to speak) in the present tense:

Io parlo italiano. (I speak Italian)

Tu parli bene. (You speak well)

Lui parla con Maria. (He speaks with Maria)

Noi parliamo ogni giorno. (We talk every day)

Voi parlate troppo veloce! (You speak too fast!)

Loro parlano molto. (They talk a lot)

💡 Important pattern: Notice how the endings change: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano. This is typical for verbs ending in -are such as parlare, mangiare and studiare.

Understanding pronunciation

In Italian almost every letter is pronounced. The stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable.

  • **Parlo** → pronounced [ˈpar.lo]
  • **Parliamo** → pronounced [parˈlja.mo]
  • **Parlano** → pronounced [ˈpar.la.no]
**This means that you can clearly hear the sounds, unlike in French where many final letters are silent.**

Other verb groups

Besides -are verbs there are also -ere and -ire verbs:

  • **Leggere** (to read): *io leggo*, *tu leggi*, *lui legge* …
  • **Dormire** (to sleep): *io dormo*, *tu dormi*, *lui dorme* …
💡 The endings change, but the pattern stays the same: each person has its own fixed form. --- *Next you will see the 100 most important Italian verbs with their full conjugations. Each verb is presented with six example sentences that show all the different persons.*
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