Italian present tense: regular -are, -ere and -ire verbs

The present tense, «il presente» in Italian, is the first tense you learn and the one you will use most. A tense is the form of a verb that shows time. The Italian present describes what you do now, what you do regularly, and often what you are going to do soon. One form covers several English ones: «Studio italiano» means both “I study Italian” and “I’m studying Italian”.

Every Italian verb has a dictionary form called the infinitive, such as «parlare» “to speak”. The infinitive has two parts: the stem («parl-»), which carries the meaning, and the ending («-are»), which shows the verb group. There are three groups: verbs in -are, verbs in -ere and verbs in -ire. To make the present tense, you take off -are, -ere or -ire and add a new ending for each person: «parlo» “I speak”, «parli» “you speak”.

Because the ending changes for each person, it tells you who is doing the action. This is why Italians usually leave out «io», «tu» and the other subject pronouns.

The endings for -are, -ere and -ire verbs

Each group has its own set of endings, but they share a lot. The endings for io (-o), tu (-i) and noi (-iamo) are the same in all three groups. The differences are in the lui/lei, voi and loro forms.

Verbs in -are: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano. Verbs in -ere: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono. Verbs in -ire: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ite, -ono. Notice that the voi form keeps the vowel of the infinitive: lavorare gives «lavorate», scrivere gives «scrivete», dormire gives «dormite».

Pay attention to stress in the loro form. It falls on the same syllable as in the io form, never on the ending: «la-VO-ro», «la-VO-ra-no»; «DOR-mo», «DOR-mo-no». Saying «la-vo-RA-no» is a very common beginner mistake. The noi form, by contrast, is stressed on the ending: «la-vo-RIA-mo».

• Lavoro in un negozio in centro. · I work in a shop in the centre.
• Ascoltate la radio in macchina? · Do you listen to the radio in the car?
• I miei figli dormono fino alle nove. · My children sleep until nine.

Spelling changes: cercare, pagare, mangiare

A few -are verbs need a small spelling change to keep their sound. In verbs ending in -care and -gare, the c or g must stay hard, as in “cat” and “go”. Before an ending that starts with i, you add an h: «cercare» gives «cerchi» and «cerchiamo», «pagare» gives «paghi» and «paghiamo».

Most verbs ending in -iare, such as «mangiare», «studiare» and «cominciare», keep only one i: the i of the stem and the i of the ending merge. So you write «tu mangi», «noi studiamo», «tu cominci», never «mangii» or «studiiamo».

In -ere and -ire verbs, the spelling stays regular but the sound can change. «Leggo» has a hard g, as in “go”, while «leggi» and «legge» have a soft g, as in “gem”.

-ire verbs with -isc-: capisco, finisci, preferisce

Many -ire verbs add -isc- between the stem and the ending in four persons: io, tu, lui/lei and loro. The noi and voi forms stay regular. Common verbs of this type are «capire» (to understand), «finire» (to finish), «preferire» (to prefer), «pulire» (to clean) and «spedire» (to send).

You cannot tell from the infinitive whether a verb takes -isc-: «dormire», «partire», «aprire» and «sentire» do not. Learn each -ire verb together with its io form, «finire, finisco» but «dormire, dormo». A good dictionary shows it too.

Listen to the sound. In «capisco» and «capiscono», sc is hard, like “sk”. In «capisci» and «capisce», sc is soft, like English “sh”.

• Finisco di lavorare alle sei. · I finish work at six.
• Preferite il mare o la montagna? · Do you prefer the seaside or the mountains?

Leaving out the subject

In English, a verb almost always needs a subject: “I”, “you”, “she”. In Italian, the ending already shows the person, so the subject pronoun is usually left out: «Abito a Torino» “I live in Turin”, «Parli inglese?» “Do you speak English?”.

Use the pronoun when you want to contrast or stress the person: «Io lavoro e tu dormi!» “I’m working and you’re sleeping!”. Use it also when lui, lei or loro would otherwise be unclear. The formal «Lei», the polite way to say “you” to one person, takes the lui/lei form of the verb: «Lei dove abita?» “Where do you live?”.

Now, habits and plans: what the present means

The Italian present covers more than the English present simple. It describes an action happening right now: «Che cosa cerchi? Cerco le chiavi.» It describes habits and routines, often with a frequency word such as «sempre» (always), «spesso» (often), «di solito» (usually) or «ogni giorno» (every day). And with a time expression, it talks about the near future, especially plans and timetables: «Domani parto per Napoli» “I’m leaving for Naples tomorrow”.

Italian also has a future tense and a special form for actions in progress, «sto scrivendo» “I’m writing”, but the simple present is correct in all these everyday cases.

One more use surprises English speakers. To say how long something has been going on, Italian uses the present with «da»: «Studio italiano da sei mesi» “I have been studying Italian for six months”.

• Di solito ceniamo alle otto. · We usually have dinner at eight.
• Questo fine settimana visito i miei genitori. · This weekend I’m visiting my parents.
• Abito in questa città da due anni. · I’ve lived in this city for two years.