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There are A LOT of verbs in Italian.
If you’re just starting out, I’m sure you’re aware of that.
Not only is there a boatload of verbs…but there are two handfuls of tenses you have to learn to express yourself in Italian.
When there is SO much to learn, it can be hard to choose just a few to master.
To help soothe you from the feeling of being overwhelmed that learning Italian can give you, here are three verbs that you need to master in the present tense, past tense, subjunctive mood, and the future tense.
If you don’t know what the subjunctive mood does yet and why it’s incredibly important for you to learn now, then go read this article: The Present Subjunctive Mood in Italian
Essere – To be
Why is “essere” so important to master?
Because we’re always expressing what we are when we speak.
In Italian specifically, we express how we’re feeling with our emotions, like happy, sad, or tired.
Presente indicativo
Sono- I am Siamo – We are
Sei – You are Siete – You all are
È – He/she/it is Sono – They are
Esempi
— Sono contento/a. – I’m happy.
— Sei nervoso/a? – Are you nervous?
— Siamo a maggio! – We’re in May!
Read this article to learn or review the present tense: The Present Tense in Italian
Imperfetto
Ero – I was Eravamo – We could
Eri – You could Eravate – You all could
Era – He/she/it could Eravano – They could
Esempi
— Non ero contento/a. – I wasn’t happy.
— Era un disastro! – It was a disaster!
Read this article to learn or review the imperfect tense: The Imperfect Tense in Italian
Passato prossimo
Sono stato/a – I was Siamo stati/e – We were
Sei stato/a – You were Siete stati/e – You all were
È stato/a – He/she/it was Sono stati/e – They were
Esempi
— Sono stato/a contento/a. – I was happy.
— Sei stato/a nervoso/a. – Were you nervous?
— Sono stati/e in ritardo. – They were late.
Read this article to review or learn the past tense (il passato prossimo): The Past Tense in Italian
Il congiuntivo presente
Io sia – I am Siamo – We are
Tu sia – You are Siate – You all are
Lei/lui sia – He/she/it is Siano – They are
Esempi
— Sono felice che tu sia contento/a. – I’m happy that you’re happy.
— Spero che siate pronti per andare. – I hope that you all are ready to go.
— Mi fa piacere che siano qui. – It makes me happy that they’re here.
Read this article to review or learn the subjunctive mood: The Subjunctive Mood in Italian
Il futuro
Sarò – I will be Saremo – We will be
Sarai – You will be Sarete – You all will be
Sarà – He/she/it will be Saranno – They will be
Esempi
— Sarò contento/a quando (lui) arriverà.. – I will be happy when he arrives.
— Sarai triste? – Will you be sad?
— Il tuo matrimonio sarà un giorno speciale. – Your wedding will be a special day.
Read this article to review or learn the future tense: The Future Tense in Italian
Potere – To be able to, can
Start to notice how often you say can or can’t when you’re speaking in English.
I bet you’ll be surprised by how often it is.
Potere is one of the first verbs you should learn when expressing “can” or “can’t”.
The other verb that will be useful to you is “riuscire”, which you should put on your list to master after these three.
Curious now? Read this article: When to Use “Potere” and When to Use “Riuscire”
Presente indicativo
Posso – I can Possiamo – We can
Puoi – You can Potete – You all can
Può – He/she/it can Possono – They can
Esempi
— Non posso farcela. – I can’t do it.
— Perché non puoi andarci? – Why can’t you go there?
— Non possiamo aiutarvi. – We can’t help you all.
Read this article to learn or review the present tense: The Present Tense in Italian
Imperfetto
I’m giving you the imperfetto instead of the passato prossimo here because the imperfetto is used more often with this verb when talking about the past.
Potevo – I could Potevamo – We could
Potevi – You could Potevate – You all could
Poteva – He/she/it could Potevano – They could
Esempi
— Non potevo farcela. – I couldn’t do it.
— Perché non potevi andarci? – Why couldn’t you go there?
— Non potevamo aiutarvi. – We couldn’t help them.
Read this article to learn or review the imperfect tense: The Imperfect Tense in Italian
Il congiuntivo presente
Io possa – I can Possiamo – We can
Tu possa – You can Possiate – You all can
Egli/Ella/Esso possa – He/she/it can Possano – They can
Esempi
— Sono contento/a che tu possa aiutarmi. – I am happy that you can help me.
— Dubito che possano aiutarci. – I doubt that they can help us.
— Siamo tristi , perché in Oregon non si può fare surf. – We are sad that in Oregon one cannot go surfing.
Read this article to review or learn the subjunctive mood: The Subjunctive Mood in Italian
Il futuro
Potrò – I will be able to Potremo – We will be able to
Potrai – You will be able to Potrete – You all will be able to
Potrà – He/she/it will be able to Potranno – They will be able to
Esempi
— Potrai aiutarci? – Will you be able to help us?
— Potremo farcela! – We will be able to do it!
— Potranno fare surf in Oregon? – Will they be able to go to surfing in Oregon?
Read this article to review or learn the future tense: The Future Tense in Italian
Avere – To have
Notice that the verb “avere – to have” doesn’t work the same in English as it does in Italian.
When we speak Italian, we aren’t hungry, but we do have hunger.
We’re not scared, but we have fear.
It’s as if we’re containers for these feelings as opposed to “being” these things like in English.
This is one of the biggest reasons why mastering “avere” is so important beyond the obvious reasons that we must talk about the things we have at some point in conversation.
Presente indicativo
Ho – I have Abbiamo – We have
Hai – You have Avete – You all have
Ha – He/she/it has Hanno – They have
Esempi
— Hai tempo per parlare con me? – Do you have time to talk with me?
— Ho fame! – I have hunger!
— Abbiamo paura dei ragni. – We have fear of spiders.
— Ho tre sorelle ed un fratello. – I have three sisters and one brother.
Read this article to learn or review the present tense: The Present Tense in Italian
Imperfetto
I’m giving you the imperfetto instead of the passato prossimo here because the imperfetto is used more often with this verb when talking about the past.
Avevo – I had Avevamo – We had
Avevi – You had Avevate – You all had
Aveva – He/she/it had Avevano – They had
Esempi
— Quando avevo quindici anni…- When I had 15 years…
— Avevi un gatto? Come si chiamava? – You had a cat? What was its name?
— Quando aveva cinque anni, lei aveva paura dei ragni. – When she had five years, she was scared of spiders.
Notice here that Italian also uses the verb “avere” to talk about age. You aren’t fifty-seven years old, but you do have fifty-seven years.
It’s like you’re collecting the years!
Read this article to learn or review the imperfect tense: The Imperfect Tense in Italian
Il congiuntivo presente
Io abbia – I have Abbiamo – We have
Tu abbia – You have Abbiate – You all have
Lei/lui abbia – He/she/it has Abbiano – They have
Esempi
— Penso che tu abbia fame. – I think that you are hungry.
— Spero che tu abbia fame. Ho preparato una gran cena! – I hope you’re hungry. I prepared a big dinner!
— Lei dubita che lui abbia paura del matrimonio. – She doubts that he has fear of marriage.
Read this article to review or learn the subjunctive mood: The Subjunctive Mood in Italian
Il futuro
Avrò – I will have Avremo – We will have
Avrai – You will have Avrete – You all will have
Avrà – He/she/it will have Avranno – They will have
Esempi
— La settimana prossima avrò più tempo. – I will have more time next week.
— I bambini avranno paura dei pagliacci! – The kids will be scared of the clowns!
— Fai uno spuntino o avrai fame. – Make a snack or you’ll be hungry.
Read this article to review or learn the future tense: The Future Tense in Italian
I recognize that this is still A LOT to learn, but at least now you have three main verbs to focus on.
Make these your mission for the next week or if you’re really strapped for a time, learn them over the next 2-3 weeks.
Questions? Comments? Leave them below!
