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The heart of every sentence

Verbs bring stories to life. They tell you what people do, want, can and must do. Luckily, most Italian verbs follow three predictable patterns.

The irregular verbs we cover are so common that you will see them in almost every paragraph. With this knowledge you can follow the main storyline of any simple text.

Chapter 7

The three regular patterns

Recognise the pattern and understand hundreds of verbs

About 90% of all Italian verbs follow one of these three patterns. If you know them, you can often guess the meaning of new verbs. Important: in Italian the subject (io, tu, lui, etc.) is often left out because the verb already shows who does the action. We show them here for clarity, but in normal sentences you can simply say “parlo” instead of “io parlo”.

-ARE verbs (the largest group)

This is the most common pattern. Notice the endings: with regular verbs these endings are always the same for every verb stem.

💡 Tips

All regular -ARE verbs follow the pattern: stem + o, i, a, iamo, ate, ano.
The stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable: par-LA-re, par-LI-a-mo.
After -care and -gare (like *cercare*, *pagare*) you add an extra “h” in tu/noi forms: *cerchi*, *cerchiamo*.

parlare = to speak

io parlo (I speak)

tu parli (you speak)

lui/lei parla (he / she speaks)

noi parliamo (we speak)

voi parlate (you (pl) speak)

loro parlano (they speak)

Common -ARE verbs

💡 Tips

Most -ARE verbs are more regular than in English – learn the pattern, not each verb separately.
“Mangiare” and “cercare” sometimes add an extra “i” or “h” to keep the pronunciation: *mangi, cerchi*.
Use them a lot in short sentences: *Parlo italiano*, *Lavori molto*, *Aspetti?*

amare → to love

Amo la pizza - I love pizza

arrivare → to arrive

Il treno arriva - The train arrives

ascoltare → to listen

Ascolti la musica - You listen to music

aspettare → to wait

Aspettiamo il bus - We wait for the bus

camminare → to walk

Cammina veloce - He/She walks fast

cantare → to sing

Maria canta bene - Maria sings well

cercare → to look for

Cerco le chiavi - I am looking for the keys

chiamare → to call

Ti chiamo domani - I’ll call you tomorrow

comprare → to buy

Comprano il pane - They buy bread

cucinare → to cook

Cucina molto bene - She cooks very well

entrare → to enter

Entrano in casa - They go into the house

guardare → to watch / look at

Guardo la TV - I watch TV

lavorare → to work

Lavora in banca - He/She works at a bank

mangiare → to eat

Mangiamo insieme - We eat together

pensare → to think

Penso di sì - I think so

portare → to bring / carry

Porto una borsa - I carry a bag

tornare → to return

Torna a casa - He/She goes back home

trovare → to find

Trovi tutto? - Do you find everything? / Can you find everything?

-ERE verbs

The second group: fewer verbs but very frequent. With regular verbs the endings are always the same.

💡 Tips

-ERE verbs often have a double G or D in some forms: *leggere → leggi / legge*.
The stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable: *LÈG-ge-re, LÈG-go, leg-GIÀ-mo*.
Common -ERE verbs are short and powerful: *vedere, prendere, credere, scrivere*.

leggere = to read

io leggo (I read)

tu leggi (you read)

lui/lei legge (he / she reads)

noi leggiamo (we read)

voi leggete (you (pl) read)

loro leggono (they read)

Common -ERE verbs

💡 Tips

Some -ERE verbs are irregular, but the stem often stays recognisable: *prendere → ho preso* (I have taken).
“Conoscere” means “to know (be familiar with)”, while “sapere” means “to know (a fact)” – a common mistake.
Use *credere a / in* to say “to believe in”: *Credo in te* = I believe in you.

chiedere → to ask

Chiede aiuto - He/She asks for help

chiudere → to close

Chiudo la porta - I close the door

conoscere → to know (be familiar with)

Conosci Marco? - Do you know Marco?

correre → to run

I bambini corrono - The children run

credere → to believe

Non ci credo - I don’t believe it

mettere → to put

Metto il libro qui - I put the book here

perdere → to lose

Perdiamo tempo - We are losing time

prendere → to take

Prendo un caffè - I’ll have a coffee

ricevere → to receive

Riceve una lettera - She receives a letter

rispondere → to answer

Rispondi subito - Answer immediately

scrivere → to write

Scrivo un'e-mail - I write an email

vedere → to see

Vedo un amico - I see a friend

vendere → to sell

Vendono la casa - They sell the house

vivere → to live

Vive a Roma - He/She lives in Rome

-IRE verbs (two subgroups)

The third group. Note: some -IRE verbs add -isc- in some forms (especially singular). Regular -IRE verbs all share the same endings.

💡 Tips

Regular -IRE verbs follow the pattern: stem + o, i, e, iamo, ite, ono.
Some verbs add -isc- in the singular and in “loro”: *finisco, pulisci, preferisce, finiscono*.
The stress sometimes moves: *dor-MI-re*, *FI-ni-re* – listen carefully to native speakers.

dormire = to sleep (regular)

io dormo (I sleep)

tu dormi (you sleep)

lui/lei dorme (he / she sleeps)

noi dormiamo (we sleep)

voi dormite (you (pl) sleep)

loro dormono (they sleep)

Common -IRE verbs

💡 Tips

Verbs with -isc- add it only in io, tu, lui/lei and loro.
Many -isc- verbs describe a change: *finire, pulire, costruire, capire*.
Pay attention to pronunciation: the -isc- sounds a bit like “eesh” depending on the context.

aprire → to open [regular]

Apro la finestra - I open the window

coprire → to cover [regular]

Copre il tavolo - He/She covers the table

offrire → to offer [regular]

Ti offro un caffè - I’ll buy you a coffee

partire → to leave / depart [regular]

Partono domani - They leave tomorrow

sentire → to hear / feel [regular]

Senti la musica? - Do you hear the music?

servire → to be needed / to serve [regular]

Mi serve aiuto - I need help / Help is necessary

finire → to finish [-isc-]

Finisco presto - I finish early

preferire → to prefer [-isc-]

Preferisce il tè - He/She prefers tea

pulire → to clean [-isc-]

Puliscono la casa - They clean the house

spedire → to send [-isc-]

Spedisco una lettera - I send a letter

costruire → to build [-isc-]

Costruiscono case - They build houses

Chapter 8

The essential irregulars

Verbs you meet everywhere

These six verbs are irregular but so frequent that you must know them by heart. They appear in almost every conversation and story and each follows its own pattern.

FARE (to do / to make)

💡 Tips

“FARE” is extremely versatile: it means both “to do” and “to make”.
It is often used in fixed combinations: *fare colazione*, *fare la spesa*, *fare una passeggiata*.
Notice the pronunciation: *faccio* (FAT-cho), *fanno* with a long double N.

io faccio (I do / make)

Faccio colazione

I have breakfast

tu fai (you do / make)

Che cosa fai?

What are you doing?

lui/lei fa (he / she does)

Fa freddo

It is cold

noi facciamo (we do)

Facciamo una pausa

Let’s take a break

voi fate (you (pl) do)

Fate sport?

Do you do sports?

loro fanno (they do)

Fanno rumore

They make noise

Important expressions with FARE

💡 Tips

“Fare” + noun creates many fixed combinations.
With weather you use “fa”: *fa caldo, fa freddo*.
Important: *fare una foto* = to take a photo, not *prendere una foto*!

fare colazione → to have breakfast (literally: to make breakfast)

fare la spesa → to go grocery shopping

fare una domanda → to ask a question

fare una passeggiata → to go for a walk

fare un viaggio → to take a trip

fare attenzione → to pay attention

fare tardi → to be late / to stay up late

fare presto → to hurry

fa caldo / freddo → it is hot / cold (weather expressions)

ANDARE (to go)

💡 Tips

Use “andare” with *a* or *in*: *vado a Roma*, *vado in Italia*.
“Andare” + infinitive expresses intention: *vado a studiare* = I’m going to study.
Fixed phrase: *va bene!* = okay, fine, all right.

io vado (I go)

Vado a casa

I’m going home

tu vai (you go)

Dove vai?

Where are you going?

lui/lei va (he / she goes)

Va bene

It’s okay / fine

noi andiamo (we go)

Andiamo!

Let’s go!

voi andate (you (pl) go)

Andate via?

Are you leaving?

loro vanno (they go)

Vanno al mare

They go to the seaside

VENIRE (to come)

💡 Tips

“Venire da” = to come from: *vengo da Milano*.
“Venire a” = to come to do something: *vieni a vedere?* = will you come and see?
Fixed phrase: *vieni con me?* = will you come with me?

io vengo (I come)

Vengo subito

I’m coming right away

tu vieni (you come)

Vieni con noi?

Are you coming with us?

lui/lei viene (he / she comes)

Viene da Roma

He/She comes from Rome

noi veniamo (we come)

Veniamo domani

We are coming tomorrow

voi venite (you (pl) come)

Venite anche voi?

Are you coming too?

loro vengono (they come)

Vengono sempre

They always come

Modal verbs – want, can, must

These verbs are used with an infinitive, for example: *posso mangiare* (I can eat).

💡 Tips

Modal verbs are always followed by an infinitive: *voglio dormire, possiamo uscire*.
The negative “non” comes before the modal verb: *non posso venire* = I cannot come.
“Sapere” can also mean “to be able to (know how)”, while “potere” means “to be able/allowed”.

VOLERE (to want)

voglio → I want

Voglio un gelato - I want an ice cream

vuoi → you want

Vuoi venire? - Do you want to come?

vuole → he / she wants

Vuole dormire - He/She wants to sleep

vogliamo → we want

Vogliamo partire - We want to leave

volete → you (pl) want

Volete mangiare? - Do you want to eat?

vogliono → they want

Vogliono sapere - They want to know

POTERE (can / may / to be able to)

posso → I can

Posso aiutarti - I can help you

puoi → you can

Puoi ripetere? - Can you repeat?

può → he / she can

Non può venire - He/She cannot come

possiamo → we can

Possiamo andare - We can go

potete → you (pl) can

Potete aspettare? - Can you wait?

possono → they can

Possono entrare - They can come in

DOVERE (must / to have to)

devo → I must

Devo studiare - I must study / I have to study

devi → you must

Devi ascoltare - You must listen

deve → he / she must

Deve partire - He/She has to leave

dobbiamo → we must

Dobbiamo pagare - We must pay

dovete → you (pl) must

Dovete decidere - You must decide

devono → they must

Devono lavorare - They have to work

Chapter 9

Questions and Negation

Essential for dialogue

In stories, characters ask questions and deny things. These words help you understand dialogues.

Question words

💡 Tips

Question words usually stand at the beginning: *Dove abiti?*, *Perché ridi?*
“Perché” means both “why” and “because”: *Perché piangi? – Perché sono triste.*
“Quale” changes to plural: *quale libro?* → *quali libri?*

Chi? → Who? (For people)

Chi è? - Who is it?

Che? / Che cosa? / Cosa? → What? (All three are possible)

Che cosa fai? - What are you doing?

Dove? → Where? (Place)

Dove abiti? - Where do you live?

Quando? → When? (Time)

Quando parti? - When do you leave?

Come? → How? (Manner)

Come stai? - How are you?

Perché? → Why? (Also: because)

Perché ridi? - Why are you laughing?

Quanto? → How much? / How many? (Quantity)

Quanto costa? - How much does it cost?

Quale? / Quali? → Which? (Choice)

Quale preferisci? - Which one do you prefer?

Di chi? → Whose? / Of whom? (Possession)

Di chi è questo? - Whose is this?

Con chi? → With whom? (Company)

Con chi vai? - Who are you going with?

A che ora? → At what time? (Time)

A che ora arrivi? - What time do you arrive?

Making questions – three ways

💡 Tips

Italian does not change word order like English does: *Parli italiano?* already means “Do you speak Italian?”.
Intonation alone is often enough to make a question: *Vieni?* = “Are you coming?”.
For formal or checking questions you can use *È vero che...* or *Non è vero che...*.

Intonation

Voorbeeld

Parli italiano?

Vertaling

You speak Italian?

Uitleg

Just raise your voice

Question word at the start

Voorbeeld

Dove vai?

Vertaling

Where are you going?

Uitleg

Question word + verb

È vero che...?

Voorbeeld

È vero che parti?

Vertaling

Is it true that you are leaving?

Uitleg

More formal structure

Negation with NON

Place NON in front of the verb:

💡 Tips

“Non” always comes directly before the verb: *non capisco, non è vero*.
With *mi piace* the order stays the same: *non mi piace* = I don’t like it.
In fast speech “non” may sound very short: *’n capisco* instead of *non capisco*.

Positief

Parlo italiano

Negatief

Non parlo italiano

I do not speak Italian

Positief

È facile

Negatief

Non è facile

It is not easy

Positief

Mi piace

Negatief

Non mi piace

I do not like it

Positief

Capisco

Negatief

Non capisco

I don’t understand

Positief

Ho fame

Negatief

Non ho fame

I am not hungry

Positief

Voglio andare

Negatief

Non voglio andare

I do not want to go

Other negative words

These are often used together with *non*:

💡 Tips

Double negatives are normal in Italian: *non vedo niente* = I see nothing.
“Niente” and “nulla” are synonyms; “nulla” sounds a bit more formal.
“Più” means “more”: *non...più* = not anymore, *non...ancora* = not yet.

niente / nulla → nothing

Non vedo niente - I see nothing / I don’t see anything

nessuno → nobody

Non c'è nessuno - There is nobody

mai → never

Non mangio mai carne - I never eat meat

neanche / nemmeno → not even / also not

Non viene neanche lui - He is not coming either

né...né → neither...nor

Non ho né tempo né soldi - I have neither time nor money

non...più → no longer

Non lavora più - He no longer works / He doesn’t work anymore

non...ancora → not yet

Non è ancora pronto - It is not ready yet

Common answers to questions

💡 Tips

Short answers are typical in Italian: *Certo!*, *Va bene!*, *Forse!*
Use *Non lo so* or *Dipende* for natural, polite reactions.
*Purtroppo* and *Per fortuna* add emotion to stories and conversations.

Certo! → Of course! (Positive)

Certamente → Certainly (Formal positive)

Naturalmente → Naturally / of course (Obvious)

Va bene → Okay / fine (Agreement)

D'accordo → Agreed / all right (Agreement)

Non importa → It doesn’t matter (Not important)

Non lo so → I don’t know (Not knowing)

Dipende → It depends (Uncertain)

Forse → Maybe (Possibility)

Probabilmente → Probably (Probability)

Purtroppo → Unfortunately (Regret)

Per fortuna → Luckily (Relief)

Words that structure dialogues

💡 Tips

Use these words to make dialogues sound natural, like real conversations.
*Allora* and *quindi* both mean “so”, but *allora* is often used as a conversational bridge: *Allora, che facciamo?*
*Boh* is a very Italian sound for “no idea” – it expresses doubt or uncertainty.

Allora → So / well then (Start of a reaction)

Dunque → So / therefore (Conclusion or summary)

Quindi → So / therefore (Result)

Però → But / however (Contrast)

Comunque → Anyway / however (In spite of that)

Infatti → Indeed / in fact (Confirmation)

Invece → On the other hand / instead (Contrast)

Beh / Boh → Well / hmm (Doubt / hesitation)

Ecco → Here / look (Pointing something out)

Guarda → Look (Getting attention)

Senti → Listen (Getting attention)

Verbs & Actions

The heart of every sentence

The three regular patterns

-ARE verbs (the largest group)

💡 Tips

parlare = to speak

Common -ARE verbs

💡 Tips

-ERE verbs

💡 Tips

leggere = to read

Common -ERE verbs

💡 Tips

-IRE verbs (two subgroups)

💡 Tips

dormire = to sleep (regular)

Common -IRE verbs

💡 Tips

The essential irregulars

FARE (to do / to make)

💡 Tips

Important expressions with FARE

💡 Tips

ANDARE (to go)

💡 Tips

VENIRE (to come)

💡 Tips

Modal verbs – want, can, must

💡 Tips

VOLERE (to want)

POTERE (can / may / to be able to)

DOVERE (must / to have to)

Questions and Negation

Question words

💡 Tips

Making questions – three ways

💡 Tips

Negation with NON

💡 Tips

Other negative words

💡 Tips

Common answers to questions

💡 Tips

Words that structure dialogues

💡 Tips