Verbs are a category of words that instead of indicating a thing or a quality such as a noun or an adjective, specify an action. The presence of verbs is recognised as what linguists call an absolute linguistic universal, or in other words, a pattern that exists across all languages.
In the Italian language, some verbs are indispensable for communication and the creation of semantically correct sentences. In this article, we take a look at the twenty most important verbs in Italian and why their usage matters so much.
Auxiliary verbs: Essere and Avere
The first two verbs to consider on this list are the equivalents in English of “to be” and “to have” respectively. These are both irregular in their conjugation and are used to help to form specific sentences.
Precisely, essere (to be) is grammatically correct when used to create passive forms. For instance, I have been hosted by X, in Italian would be: io sono stato ospitato da X. As you can see, the verb to be is used instead of to have unlike in English.
Essere is used to form the impersonal and reflexive compound tenses too. For instance:
- Non si è mai troppo vecchi per imparare. = One is never too old to learn.
- Mi sono svegliato/a = I woke up (lit. I woke myself up)
Avere (to have), on the other hand, is used to form compound tenses with active transitive verbs in Italian. For example, I’ve loved X and I have seen X are translated into io ho amato X and io ho visto X respectively.
With respect to intransitive verbs, there are no regular and constant rules. But generally, they behave in the following way:
- Avere is used mostly to define an action carried out by the subject.
- Essere is widely used to state actions experienced by the subject, or is utilised with movement verbs such as andare (to go), partire (to leave), arrivare (to arrive), decollare (to take off).
In Italian, you can use the verb essere (to be) to specify qualities of people or things. For instance, quella cascata è meravigliosa (that waterfall is wonderful) or Mario è alto (Mario is tall).
By contrast, avere has the meaning of possession or it can be used to state that something, real or abstract, belongs to someone. For example, ho una bella casa (I have a nice house) or ho tempo (I have time).
| Essere |
| Io sono |
| Tu sei |
| Egli/Ella è |
| Noi siamo |
| Voi siete |
| Essi/Esse sono |
| Avere |
| Io ho |
| Tu hai |
| Egli/Ella ha |
| Noi abbiamo |
| Voi avete |
| Essi/Esse hanno |
Modal verbs or “Verbi servili”
Modal verbs are those that belong to the wider group of auxiliaries. They connect directly to another infinite verb, conferring additional information about the expressed action. In Italian there are seven main verbi servili which we will discover in the following paragraphs.
Volere
First of all, the verb volere (to want) is a verb belonging to the group that ends in -ere. Like most of the auxiliary and modal verbs, it is irregular. It can be used to express something that someone wants or desires. But it can also convey the will to do something.
For instance, voglio un cane (I want a dog) specifies a certain desire. On the other hand, voglio studiare all’università (I want to study at university) stresses the willingness to enrol and start studying at university.
Volere
Io voglio
Tu vuoi
Egli/Ella vuole
Noi vogliamo
Voi volete
Essi/Esse vogliono
Potere
At times interchangeable with the verb avere (to have), potere (can) is a modal verb that expresses the possibility or the ability to complete an action. Its usage is mostly applied before an infinitive verb such as in these cases: possiamo andare (we can go) or posso passare il test (I can pass the test).
Potere
Io posso
Tu puoi
Egli/Ella può
Noi possiamo
Voi potete
Essi/Esse possono
Dovere
In Italian dovere can be used to express both must and to have to. As in English, the double meaning exists (i.e. the need to do something vs. one’s duty to do something) and can only be understood from the context.
Dovere
Io devo
Tu devi
Egli/Ella deve
Noi dobbiamo
Voi dovete
Essi/Esse devono
Sapere
Sapere (to know) is a verb that commonly is used to specify what someone knows about or knows how to do. Not in an academic sense or as the result of learning, but mostly related to generic situations or inborn knowledge. For example, io so parlare il dialetto napoletano (I can speak the Neapolitan dialect) states that you know the language and how to speak it but it doesn’t imply that you studied it. As you will have noticed though, differently from Italian, English language prefers the verb can in this case, as in the ability to do something.
Sapere
Io so
Tu sai
Egli/Ella sa
Noi sappiamo
Voi sapete
Essi/Esse sanno
Preferire
For the first time in this article, we encounter a verb belonging to the -ire group. Preferire (to prefer) helps the speaker highlight what they prefer compared to other actions. Io preferisco mangiare la pizza (I prefer to eat pizza) implies that you consider this the best option when you go out for dinner for example.
Preferire
Io preferisco
Tu preferisci
Egli/Ella preferisce
Noi preferiamo
Voi preferite
Essi/Esse preferiscono
Desiderare
Desiderare (to desire / to wish / to want) is a verb that expresses a past, present or future will to do or to have something. Likewise, it can also refer to something we want or wanted to see brought into reality. The verb ends in -are, which is the first group. You can find this verb in sentences such as: Io desidero viaggiare tutta la vita (I wish to travel my whole life) or Mia sorella desiderava trasferirsi a Capri (My sister wanted to move to Capri).
Desiderare
Io desidero
Tu desideri
Egli/Ella desidera
Noi desideriamo
Voi desiderate
Essi/Esse desiderano
Solere
This is an irregular verb used to determine if an action is frequently carried out. In English you might consider the form “used to” as the best equivalent of solere. It is a verb whose usage is decreasing, but you can find it in a phrase like: io sono solito svegliarmi all’alba (I’m used to waking up at dawn), or in old fashioned Italian: Antonio suole leggere al dì (Antonio is used to reading in the morning). It is also the verb from which the adjective solito (usual / habitual) derives.
Solere
Io soglio
Tu suoli
Egli/Ella suole
Noi sogliamo
Voi solete
Essi/Esse sogliono
Additional Important Italian Verbs
Andare
This is a movement verb – to go in English – and has the same meaning in both languages. Andare is probably one of the most used verbs in Italian and as you may expect, is totally irregular. Here is its present conjugation.
Andare
Io vado
Tu vai
Egli/Ella va
Noi andiamo
Voi andate
Essi/Esse vanno
Stare
This verb, which means to stay, can mean a number of things such as to be in a place or in a determined condition, in addition to specifying the way someone feels. It is also used to form the gerund (the equivalent of -ing in English). Let’s see some examples.
- Ciao, come stai? – Sto bene, grazie! (Hi, how are you? – I’m fine, thanks!)
- Sto a casa di Francesco. (I’m at Francesco’s house.)
- Sto tornando a casa. (I’m going back home.)
- Ciao Gianni, stammi bene! (Bye Gianni, take care!)
Stare
Io sto
Tu stai
Egli/Ella sta
Noi stiamo
Voi state
Essi/Esse stanno
Fare
The verb fare is the equivalent of both to do and to make in the English language. It can be used to express what you do in life, such as your work, profession or studies. It can also be used to state things you do daily or actions you carry out. For instance, io faccio i compiti (I do my homework) or ho fatto una torta (I made a cake), and faccio l’avvocato a Milano (I’m a lawyer in Milan).
Fare
Io faccio
Tu fai
Egli/Ella fa
Noi facciamo
Voi fate
Essi/Esse fanno
Dire
Dire (to tell / to say) is a common verb in Italian that allows you to describe the act of speaking. For example, ti ho sempre detto che è pericoloso (I always told you that it’s dangerous) or Nicola dice che l’ananas sulla pizza non ci va (Nicola says that pizzas shouldn’t have pineapple on top).
Dire
Io dico
Tu dici
Egli/Ella dice
Noi diciamo
Voi dite
Essi/Esse dicono
Vedere
The verb to see in Italian is vedere. It is used when speaking about something you’ve noticed: vedo che ti sei tagliato i capelli (I see you had your hair cut), or to clarify that you see well: io vedo bene con questi occhiali (I can see well with these glasses).
Vedere
Io vedo
Tu vedi
Egli/Ella vede
Noi vediamo
Voi vedete
Essi/Esse vedono
Parlare
This is a verb that in English can be translated with the verbs to speak and to talk. People can use this word in many contexts such as: Parlare al telefono (to speak on the phone); mi piace parlare di politica (I like to talk about politics); Io parlo quanto mi pare (I speak as much as I want).
Parlare
Io parlo
Tu parli
Egli/Ella parla
Noi parliamo
Voi parlate
Essi/Esse parlano
Uscire
Uscire, in English to go out or to exit, is an intransitive verb ending in -ire. It appears in phrases such as: stasera esco con i miei amici (tonight I’m going out with my friends), but also: è uscito il nuovo film al cinema (the new movie is out at the cinema).
Uscire
Io esco
Tu esci
Egli/Ella esce
Noi usciamo
Voi uscite
Essi/Esse escono
Dare
The verb dare (to give) is used to express something that someone has imparted such as lessons or courses, but also to specify something that is given or offered to someone. For instance, io davo lezioni di violino (I gave violin lessons) or ho dato a Carlo l’ultimo libro (I gave the last book to Carlo).
Dare
Io do
Tu dai
Egli/Ella dà
Noi diamo
Voi date
Essi/Esse danno
Venire
Venire (to come) is an irregular verb that can express the act of coming and going. Unlike the verb andare (to go), it implies that in the process of moving there is a closeness to the starting point: sto venendo da Roma (I’m coming from Rome). One of its other common uses is to state where someone comes from such as io vengo da Torino (I come from Turin).
Venire
Io vengo
Tu vieni
Egli/Ella viene
Noi veniamo
Voi venite
Essi/Esse vengono
Prendere
To take or to get is the meaning of the Italian verb prendere. As in English you can use it when you talk about prendere un autobus (to take a bus), prendere le ferie (to take a vacation / time off), or prendere tempo per pensarci (to take time to think about it).
Prendere
Io prendo
Tu prendi
Egli/Ella prende
Noi prendiamo
Voi prendete
Essi/Esse prendono
Capire
Capire in English means to understand. This is a word widely used to confirm an action, or to make it clear that something has been well explained or comprehended.
In a normal conversation you may find it in sentences such as: Capito, professore! (Understood, professor!); Capisco, quindi vuoi iscriverti all’università (I see, so you want to enrol at university); and, Francesco ha capito come superare il livello (Francesco figured out how to pass the level).
Capire
Io capisco
Tu capisci
Egli/Ella capisce
Noi capiamo
Voi capite
Essi/Esse capiscono
Although these twenty verbs are among the most important in the Italian lexicon, we fully recognise that there are numerous others we could have added to the list. Indeed, no matter how we classify the these verbs, it is impossible to say that one truly has priority over the others, as each has is own role to play in allowing us to express ourselves in the best way possible in Italian.
Fabio Guarino is a Linguist and Language Specialist who operates as a Freelance Content Writer and SEO Marketer. He considers himself fortunate to be able to blend his passion for his native language, Italian, along with English and Spanish, with his career.
