Verbs
The conjugation of a verb involves changing the verb to reflect mood and tense. The form taken by a verb also depends on number and person. Take note that in Italian, it is not necessary to say the subject of a sentence, since the conjugation of the verb indicates who the subject is. For example: Parlo means "I speak." It's often the case that the subject is omitted in a sentence.
The prospect of learning the rules and their exceptions to verb conjugation in Italian can seem like a daunting task for a speaker of English. Don't fear! This grammar guide has been created to help you recognize patterns and understand when and how to conjugate Italian verbs.
Regular Verbs
Regular verbs fall into three categories: -are (parlare, to speak), -ere (cadere, to fall), and -ire (dormire, to sleep). Regular verbs follow rules according to one of these three kinds of verbs. For example, if you understand how to conjugate parlare, then you also know the pattern for conjugating amare(to love).
Irregular Verbs
Verbs whose conjugations don't follow the rules described above are irregular verbs. There are four verbs that we'll call common irregular verbs that it is important that you study by themselves. They are so high frequency that it's important that you memorize their conjugations in the present tense. These verbs are: avere (to have), essere (to be), dare (to give) and stare (to stay).
Outside these high frequency, "common irregular verbs" Italian has verbs whose stems change completely in their conjugation. For example the verb dire becomes dico in the first person, and this conjugation cannot be intuited even if one knows other "-ire" verbs. Verbs of this kind are called "contracted verbs." Over time these verbs were modified from their original form and their conjugations do not follow the same patterns as other Italian verbs. Within this group, the most high frequency verbs are: bere (to drink), dire(to say), fare (to do, make), porre (to place).
Other irregular verbs belong to groups with differing conjugation patterns. Sometimes this involves the insertion of a new letter into the first and/or third persons. For example salire (to go up, get on) becomes salgo (first person). Despite being considered "irregular verbs" these verbs to follow a pattern.
When we discuss these verbs, we will either discuss them as belonging to a group of verbs that follow a similar pattern, or as being "common irregular verbs" whose high frequency merits their memorization.
The prospect of learning the rules and their exceptions to verb conjugation in Italian can seem like a daunting task for a speaker of English. Don't fear! This grammar guide has been created to help you recognize patterns and understand when and how to conjugate Italian verbs.
Regular Verbs
Regular verbs fall into three categories: -are (parlare, to speak), -ere (cadere, to fall), and -ire (dormire, to sleep). Regular verbs follow rules according to one of these three kinds of verbs. For example, if you understand how to conjugate parlare, then you also know the pattern for conjugating amare(to love).
Irregular Verbs
Verbs whose conjugations don't follow the rules described above are irregular verbs. There are four verbs that we'll call common irregular verbs that it is important that you study by themselves. They are so high frequency that it's important that you memorize their conjugations in the present tense. These verbs are: avere (to have), essere (to be), dare (to give) and stare (to stay).
Outside these high frequency, "common irregular verbs" Italian has verbs whose stems change completely in their conjugation. For example the verb dire becomes dico in the first person, and this conjugation cannot be intuited even if one knows other "-ire" verbs. Verbs of this kind are called "contracted verbs." Over time these verbs were modified from their original form and their conjugations do not follow the same patterns as other Italian verbs. Within this group, the most high frequency verbs are: bere (to drink), dire(to say), fare (to do, make), porre (to place).
Other irregular verbs belong to groups with differing conjugation patterns. Sometimes this involves the insertion of a new letter into the first and/or third persons. For example salire (to go up, get on) becomes salgo (first person). Despite being considered "irregular verbs" these verbs to follow a pattern.
When we discuss these verbs, we will either discuss them as belonging to a group of verbs that follow a similar pattern, or as being "common irregular verbs" whose high frequency merits their memorization.
