What are the two verbs that all Italian students learn first when they attend a course?

“Essere – to be” & “avere – to have”

These are both important verbs to learn in order to start putting sentences together. That being said, if you want to have more flexibility in what you can say early on as a beginner, there are three other verbs that are essential.

Michel Thomas, of whom the famous method is named, taught a concept called “handle” verbs. (In grammar, they’re called modal verbs. That’s too fancy for me, so I’m going to stick to calling them handles.)

These are:

— Volere – To want, to wish

— Potere – Can, to be able to

— Dovere – Must, to have to, to need to

When you look at the list above, it starts to make sense that these verbs are considered essential as so much of what we say has to do with wanting something, being able to do something, having to do something, or needing something.

Here’s how you can use each of them in conversation.

“Handle” Verbs in Italian

1) Volere – To want, to wish

You can find the full conjugation chart for “volere” by clicking here.

Here are some common usages of “volere” in the present tense:

— Non lo voglio. – I don’t want to. / I don’t want it.

— Cosa vuoi? – What do you want?

— Non vogliamo studiare. Possiamo fare una pausa? – We don’t want to study. Can we take a break?

— Ho fame. Voglio mangiare qualcosa. – I’m hungry. I want to eat something.

— Voglio andare in biblioteca. – I want to go to the library.

Here are some examples in the conditional tense:

— Vorrei un cappuccino. – I would like a cappuccino.

— Vorresti andare in Italia con me? – Would you like to come to Italy with me?

— Vorremmo un tavolo per due, per favore. – We would like a table for two, please.

 

2) Potere – Can, to be able to

You can take a gander at the full conjugation chart for “potere” by clicking here.

Here are some common usages of “potere” in the present tense:

— Puoi aiutarmi? – Can you help me?

— Posso andarci con voi? – Can I go there with you (all)?

— Possiamo parlare? – Can we talk?

— Stasera posso prendere il treno delle 7.30. – Tonight I can take the 7.30 train.

Here are some examples in the conditional tense:

— Lei potrebbe darmi una mano? – Could you give me a hand?

— Quindi, potrei usare il verbo “volere” come… – So, I could use the verb “to want” like…

 

3) Dovere – Must, to have to, to need to

You can take a peek at the full conjugation chart for “dovere” by clicking here.

Here are some common usages of “dovere” in the present tense:

— Devo andarmene. – I gotta go.

— Devi studiare di più. – You have to study more.

— Dobbiamo finire questo progetto prima che il capo arrivi. – We have to finish this project before the boss arrives.

Here are some examples in the conditional tense:

— Cosa dovrei fare? – What should I do?

— Questo weekend, dovremmo prenotare un hotel al lago di Como! – We should rent a hotel room at Lake Como this weekend!

Have questions about how to use these three verbs? Let me know in the comments!