Basic verbs in Italian. Italian verbs in the present tense, verb conjugation
In this article we will begin to explore verbs in Italian , namely, their classification. To make the verb classification system more understandable, we will divide it into several main parts.
I. Separation of Italian verbs according to semantic criteria.
1. Significant verbs in Italian - these are verbs that are used in one of their lexical meanings. Most of the verbs in Italian belong to this group: parlare- speak, leggere- read, nuotare- swim, etc.
2. Auxiliary verbs in Italian are verbs that are used to create grammatical structures. This group primarily includes verbs essere– to be and avere- have. These verbs are in most cases used to form various verbal constructions, for example, complex tense forms: Noi siamo arrivati a tempo a Kiev– we arrived on time Kyiv. This is an example of using an auxiliary verb essere to form the nearest past tense ( Passato Prossimo) in Italian. The conjugation of these auxiliary verbs is different from that of regular verbs, so they need to be memorized.
3. Modal verbs in Italian - these are verbs that can be used in their usual meaning ( io lo so- I know this), but are more often used to form verb constructions with the infinitive of the semantic verb:
devi insegnare l"italiano– you must teach (someone) Italian
The main modal verbs in Italian are:
volere- want
trust- to be due
potere– be able/
sapere- know
io voglio frequentare questi corsi di lingua italiana a Kiev- I want to attend these Italian language courses in Kyiv
Eat certain features when using these verbs. For example, if you need to express the need to do something at all, then the construction is used bisogna+ infinitive of the main verb: bisogna lavorare- need to work
But if you need to accurately indicate this need, then use modal verb trust(in the required form) + infinitive of the semantic verb: per sapere qualcosa devi studiare- to know anything, you must study
II. Division of Italian verbs according to syntactic criteria
This term should be understood as the relationship of the predicate verb to other syntactic units - subject and object. On this basis, verbs in Italian are divided into the following groups:
1. Personal verbs in Italian – always imply the presence of a person (the performer of the action). This category of verbs has 3 singular and 3 plural persons. Most verbs in Italian are finite.
2. Impersonal verbs in Italian - these are verbs expressing processes or states that occur on their own, without any performer. Verbs of this type mainly include verbs that characterize natural phenomena: albeggiare- dawn, nevicare- go (about snow), piovere– go (about rain), etc.
3. Reflexive verbs in Italian – verbs that are always used with reflexive pronouns. Examples of such verbs: svegliarsi- wake up, lavarsi– wash, etc.
Knowledge of reflexive verbs is important when constructing complex grammatical structures. For example, a common verb lavare(wash, wash) during formation Passato Prossimo requires an auxiliary verb avere: ho Lavato questa macchina– I washed this car
But the same verb with a reflexive pronoun si becomes reflexive when used in the same Passato Prossimo required auxiliary verb essere: ti sei lavato?– have you washed?
4. Transitive verbs in Italian (i verbi transetivi- these are verbs whose action is aimed at some object (which in a sentence is a direct object). Examples of constructions with transitive verbs: leggere un libro- read a book, scripture una lettera- write a letter. Transitive verbs form the passive voice (which will be discussed in subsequent articles).
5. Intransitive verbs in Italian – verbs whose action is not directed towards any object. Most verbs of motion belong to this group of verbs: tornare- come back, andare- go, go, partire- go, entrare- enter, uscire- others come out too. Intransitive verbs do not form the passive voice.
III. Division of Italian verbs according to conjugation features
In Italian, depending on the characteristics of the conjugation, all verbs are divided into 3 groups:
1. Regular conjugation verbs , or “regular” verbs in Italian are verbs that do not change the root of the word and obey the basic rules of conjugation. This group includes most Italian verbs, which, in turn, are divided into 3 groups: Group I- with ending – are in the infinitive, Group II- with ending – here And III group with ending – ire .
2. Declining verbs - a fairly large group of verbs in the Italian language, in which, when conjugated in certain tenses and persons, either the root of the word or its ending changes (sometimes both the root and the ending change at the same time). As an example, we can cite verbs of group III, in which the present tense is in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd person singular and in the 3rd person plural the suffix appears - isc :
io capisc o noi capiamo
tu capisc i voi capite
lui, lei capisc i loro capisc ono
The most common verbs in this group are: finire, capire, pulire, proibire, preferire, spedire etc.
3. Individual conjugation verbs in Italian - a group of verbs, each of which has its own own characteristics conjugations. The following main Italian verbs belong to this group: andare, avere, bere, dare, dire, dovere, essere, fare, morire, piacere, porre, potere, rimanere, salire, sapere, sceliere, sedere, spegnere, stare, tenere, tradurre, trarre, ushire, venire, volere. Since these verbs do not have any general rules, then you just need to remember their conjugation.
IV. Special verb forms in Italian
This group includes impersonal forms of the verb - participle and gerund, which you can learn about in detail in our next articles.
In the following articles we will continue to study Italian and look in more detail at topics related to verbs in Italian.
The Italians, like us, have one present tense, called Presente, and in general it is not very different in meaning from Russian. Serves to indicate:
1) actions or states in the present (at the time of speech). For example: Laura legge. – Laura is reading. Francesca and Stanca. – Francesca is tired.
2) something familiar, repetitive or something that has no expiration date:
La Terra gira intorno al Sole. – The Earth revolves around the Sun. Mangiamo sempre all'una e mezo. – We always eat at half past one.
3) events that will probably happen in the near future: Mia sorella parte domani. - My sister is leaving (will leave) tomorrow. This is especially true for colloquial speech.
4) also if talking about the future can be used to express a request, order or to express a desired or intended action (the latter is more common in questions): Tu torni a casa e mi telefoni. – (literally: You return home and call me) When you return home, call me. Andiamo al mare? - Shall we go to the sea? Are we going to the sea?
5) historical events and facts to bring us closer to the past, making it more expressive. The so-called Presente storico (historical present): Nel 1812 i francesi si avvicinano a Moscva. – In 1812, the French approached Moscow.
Like other languages, Italian has regular and irregular verbs. Of course, the majority are correct and, as the name suggests, they are conjugated according to certain rules. We'll talk about them a little below. Although there are fewer irregular verbs, they are all very important. We have already met some, these are essere (to be), fare (to do), avere (to have), andare (to go). As I learn the language, I will introduce new ones regular verbs, which you can’t do without.
We remember that pronouns (I, you, he...) will most often be omitted, they are optional in a sentence, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to do WITHOUT A VERB! It is he who conveys the meaning and at the end of it you can understand who exactly is performing the action. Therefore, the verb itself and its ending must be pronounced very, very clearly!
Depending on the ending of the infinitive (i.e. the verb sounds like: do, write, read, and I don’t do, we write, you read), regular verbs are divided into three types. The rule for working with everyone is the same: you need to remove the ending in the indefinite form and put the desired letter or letters depending on the face of the speaker. I think it will be clearer with examples.
I suggest watching an excellent video lesson with a native speaker. All explanations are in Italian, but they are very clear and understandable even to those who don’t know the language at all. I recommend watching the video and then attaching a text version that also describes special cases and exceptions. The video has a short introduction, so to skip it, start watching from 25 seconds. It used the Italian verbs salutare (to greet), scrivere (to write), and aprire (to open).
TO I conjugation include verbs that in the indefinite form (infinitive) end in -are, for example: entrare (enter), guardare (look), desiderare (desire), etc. In the 1st (we) and 2nd (you) person plural, the emphasis will fall on the ending, and in other cases on the root ( For clarity, I will write the accent letter in capital).
entr + are enter = entrare
Entr + o I'm entering = Enter
Entr +i you enter = Entri
Entr + a he/she enters = Entra
entr + iAmo we enter = entriAmo
entr + Ate you enter = entrAte
Entr + ano they enter = Entrano
Entr is the stem, are is the ending of the infinitive (indefinite form), the accent is marked with a capital letter.
Let's take another verb as an example:
aspett +are wait = aspettare
aspEtt +o I'm waiting = aspEtto
aspEtt +i are you waiting = aspEtti
aspEtt +a he/she is waiting = aspEtta
aspett +iAmo we are waiting = aspettiAmo
aspett + Ate you are waiting = aspettAte
aspEtt + ano they are waiting = aspEttano
aspett – base, are – ending of an indefinite form, capital letter indicates a stressed syllable.
In the –are group, there are a few more special cases.
The first is verbs that end in — care And — gare. To maintain the pronunciation of “k” and “g” in the 2nd person singular (you) and 1st person plural (we) you need the help of a silent letter h. After all, if we simply add the endings of these persons to the stem, we will get the combinations: -ci, -ciamo, or -gi and -giamo which are according to the rules (see “Italian pronunciation: brief description phonetics") will be read as "chi" and "chyamo" or "ji" and "jamo", so you should use the silent h– to produce the sounds “ki”, “kyamo” or “gi” and “gyamo”. Let's look at an example:
pag + are pagare pay = pagare
pag + o pago I'm crying = pago
pag + h+i paghi you pay = paghi
pag + a paga he/she pays = paga
pag + h+iamo paghiamo we pay = paghiamo
pag + ate pagate you pay = pagate
pag + ano pagano they pay = pagano
Another example for clarity:
cerc + are cercare search = cercare
cerc + o cerco I'm looking for = cerco
cerc + h+i cherchi you are looking for = cerchi
cerc + a cerca he/she is looking for = cerca
cerc + h+iamo looking for cerchiamos = cerchiamo
cerc + ate cercate you are looking for = cercate
cerc + ano cercano they are looking for = cercano
The second special case is verbs ending in — iare, where “i” is last letter root, and “are” is the ending. The “i” of the stem will appear before the endings of the 2nd person singular. numbers (you, ending – i) and 1st person plural. numbers (we, ending - iamo). Let's look at the example of the verbs cominciare (to begin) and studiare (to study, teach).
cominci + are begin = cominciare
cominci +o I'm starting = comincio
cominci +i you're starting = cominci
cominci +a he/she starts = comincia
cominci +iamo we are starting = cominciamo
cominci +ate you start = cominciate
cominci +ano they start = cominciano
studio + are to study, to teach = studiare
studio +o I study, I teach = studio
studio + i you study, teach = studi
studio + a he/she studies, teaches = studia
studio + iamo we study, we teach = studiamo
studio + ate you study, teach = studiate
studio +ano they study, teach = studiano
However, if the "i" of the stem is percussion, it will be saved:
sci + are skiing = sciare
sci + o I ski = scio
sci + i do you ski = scii
sci + a he/she skis = scia
sci + iamo we go skiing = sciiamo
sci + ate you ski = sciate
sci + ano they are skiing = sciano
Co. II conjugation include verbs that end in the infinitive in - ere: leggere (read), vendere (sell), vedere (see), scrivere (write), etc. For verbs that end in -cere, -gere, with some exceptions, the spelling will not change, and there will be no need to add a silent h, but everything needs to be pronounced according to the rules (for example, the verb leg here(read) I will show you using transcription in Russian letters):
legg +o leggo I read = leggo
legg +i leggi are you reading = leggi
legg + e legge he/she reads = legge
legg + iamo leggiamo we read = leggiamo
legg + ete leggete you are reading = leggete
legg + ono leggono they read = leggono
More examples:
vend +ere sell = vendere
vend +o I sell = vendo
vend + i you sell = vendi
vend + e he/she sells = vende
vend +iamo we sell = vendiamo
vend + ete you sell = vendete
vend +ono they sell = vendono
ved +ere see = vedere
ved +o I see = vedo
ved +i you see = vedi
ved +e he/she sees = vede
ved +iamo we see = vediamo
ved +ete you see = vedete
ved +ono they see = vedono
Verbs III conjugation in the indefinite form they end in -ire. Most of these verbs take an additional syllable – isc between the root and endings in all persons singular (I, you, he/she) and in the 3rd person plural (they):
prefer + ire preferire prefer = preferire
prefer + isc + o I prefer preferisco = preferisco
prefer +isc +i preferisci you prefer = preferisci
prefer + isc + e prefirishe he/she prefers = preferisce
prefer + iamo preferiamo we prefer = preferiamo
prefer + ite preferite you prefer = preferite
prefer + isc + ono preferiscono they prefer = preferiscono
fin +ire finire to finish = finire
fin + isc + o I'm graduating from finisco = finisco
fin +isc +i finishes you finish = finisci
fin +isc +e finishe he/she finishes = finisce
fin + iamo finiamo we are finishing = finiamo
fin + ite finite you graduate = finite
fin + isc + ono finiscono they graduate = finiscono
There are much fewer third conjugation verbs that do not take an additional syllable -isc-, but among them there are quite important ones, for example, aprire (to open), partire (to leave), dormire (to sleep), fuggire (to run away), offrire (to give), sentire (to feel), vestire (to put on), soffire (to suffer), servire (to serve), divertire (to entertain), cucire (to sew). They will change as follows:
part +ire to leave = partire
part +o I'm leaving = parto
part + i you're leaving = parti
part + e he/she is leaving = parte
part + iamo we're leaving = partiamo
part + ite you're leaving = partite
part +ono they are leaving = partono
A special small group of verbs that ends in –urre. Let’s look at how such verbs are inflected using the example of tradurre (translate):
trad + urre translate = tradurre
trad + uco I translate traduco = traduco
trad + uci traduchi you translate = traduci
trad + uce traduce he/she translates = traduce
trad + uciamo traduciamo we translate = traduciamo
trad + ucete traducete you translate = traducete
trad + ucono they translate traducono = traducono
Although it seems that there are a lot of rules, in fact, not everything is so complicated. The main thing is practice!
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Conjugating Italian verbs is a serious, voluminous topic, but not particularly complicated. Here, as in the Russian language, this part of speech is multifunctional. And the main thing is to remember some of its features and learn the rules, then the process of mastering Italian will go much faster.
Specifics of verbs
This is the first thing I would like to talk about. Verbs in Italian form a whole class of specific words, and in sentences they usually act as a predicate. They have person, number, voice, tense and, of course, mood. Having understood how all of the above affects the formation of words, you can begin to study such a topic as conjugating Italian verbs.
Return forms are distinguished by the particle “si”. Verbs can also be intransitive or transitive - it all depends on their meaning. The second of those indicated has which gives an answer to indirect ones (these include all, with the exception of “what?” and “who?”). You also need to remember that in Italian the nominal forms are often used - gerund, participle and infinitive.
Present tense
It should be noted that the conjugation of Italian verbs is especially difficult because there are too many different variations of forms. But in this language, as in Russian, there is only one present tense, and it is called Presente. It serves to denote a state or action in the present tense. For example, “lei mangia” - “she eats.” Presente also defines something repetitive or habitual. Let’s say “Le lezioni iniziano alle 9:00” - “classes start at 9:00”. Another definition of form includes events that are about to happen: “Mia mamma tornerà domani” - “my mother will return tomorrow.” These phrases are typical for everyday conversations. If we are talking about the future, then verbs are used to express the action that is expected. For example, “Andiamo in un Negozio?” - “Shall we go to the store?” And the last thing you need to learn about conjugating Italian verbs in this case is the rule about Presente storico, about the historical present. Here is an example of using this rule: “Nel 1812 i francesi si avvicinano a Moscva.” Translated this means historical fact, i.e. - “In 1812, the French approached Moscow.”
Infinitives
The conjugation of verbs in Italian also depends on which category the given part of speech belongs to. They are divided into incorrect and correct - as in English, German, etc. You need to know them, because as you learn the language, more and more new verbs are introduced, and you won’t be able to do without them. By the way, pronouns are most often omitted. Based on this, the rule is determined - the ending of the verb must be pronounced clearly. Depending on how the infinitive ends (that is, the part of speech itself sounds like: “drink”, “eat”, “walk”, and not “I drink”, “we eat”, “you walk”), the correct verbs are also divided into three types. But there is only one rule for them - you must forget about the ending in an indefinite form, and put the necessary letter in its place. There may be several of them, it all depends on the face of the person speaking.
First conjugation
So, the conjugation table for Italian verbs can clearly explain how to correctly change a particular word. For example, “asperettare” - to wait. It's quite simple:
- Aspetto - I'm waiting;
- Aspetti - you are waiting;
- Aspetta - he/she is waiting;
- Aspettiamo - we are waiting;
- Aspettate - you are waiting’
- Aspettano - they are waiting.
Indeed, understanding the conjugation is quite simple. It is enough to highlight the base (in this case it is “aspett”), and add endings that are characteristic of a particular person.
Auxiliary verbs
There are only two of these: “to be” and “to have” (“essere” and “avere”, respectively). It should be noted that it is important to study this conjugation of Italian verbs. “Essere” can be taken as an example. In these two cases, the rule characteristic of the previous one does not apply (that is, with the selection of the stem and the addition of the ending). Here you just need to remember everything:
- Sono discepolo (I am a student);
- Sei cuoco (you are the cook);
- Lui e medico (he is a doctor);
- Lei e tedesca (she is German);
- Noi siamo colleghi (we are colleagues);
- Voi siete italiani (you are Italians);
- Loro sono russie (they are Russians).
Second conjugation
This group includes those verbs whose infinitives end in “ere”. For example, “spendere” - “to spend”. Again, it’s easier to present everything in table form:
- io spendo (I spend);
- tu spendi (you spend);
- egli spende (he spends);
- noi spendiamo (we spend);
- voi spendete (you spend);
- essi/loro spendono (they spend).
The principle is the same as in the case of the first conjugation - stem + ending. The most important thing to remember when studying this topic is golden rule, the essence of which is a clear and otherwise the Italian will be perplexed if he suddenly hears from the lips of his interlocutor “Io preferisci” (instead of “preferisco”), which he will understand as “I prefer.” The endings are the whole point, so you need to pay attention to them first.
Third conjugation
The last one existing in this language. The third conjugation of Italian verbs (verbi italiani) in the indefinite form has the ending “ire”. Take, for example, the verb “finire” (“to finish, complete”). In this case, you will need to use an additional syllable that sounds like “isc”. It must stand between the ending of the word and its root, and in the singular persons without exception (she, he, you and I), as well as in the third plural (that is, they). Using the example of the proposed verb, it would look like this:
- Finisco - I'm finishing;
- Finisci - you finish;
- Finisce - he/she finishes;
- Finiamo - we are finishing;
- Finite - you are finishing;
- Finiscono - they are finishing.
Irregular verbs
They should be identified separately, as this is an important topic. Conjugating irregular Italian verbs involves changing the stem of the word - the endings remain the same. A few words should be given as examples. Andare - to come, fare - to do, bere - to drink, cuciere - to sew, sedere - to sit, and usciere - to go out. You can consider the first of these, again presenting it sequentially:
- Io vado (I am coming);
- Tu vai (you are coming);
- Lei/lui/lei va (he/she is coming);
- Noi andiamo (we are coming);
- Voi andate (you arrive);
- Loro vanno (they are coming).
That is, education irregular verbs you need to remember, as in the case of I must say, quite a lot, and you will have to work hard to memorize them all. The topic of irregular verbs is one of the least favorite for many people who study Italian (and any other language, there are always plenty of them, and you need to remember everything), but it is integral. After all, in order to speak a language so that the speaker can understand Italy, it is necessary to speak it sufficiently. And without the irregular verbs used in everyday life constantly, there’s no way around it.
Pronunciation
And finally, a few words about pronunciation. A little earlier it was said that the meaning of the sentence, in principle, depends on how clearly the word and its ending were pronounced. In fact, this is true. In general, the Italian language is quite simple in terms of pronunciation. It does not contain letters and sounds that might be unusual for a Russian person (unlike German or Polish), but there are some features. For example, consonants must be pronounced loudly and energetically. The Italian language does not tolerate “chewed” sounds; it is extremely precise, clear, impulsive and expressive. Intonation should also be expressed clearly. By the way, the Italian language is also simple in that you don’t need to study the specifics of constructing questions. It can be set by changing the intonation. For example, “Hai fame?” - “Hai fame!” - “Are you hungry?” - “You're hungry!” In conclusion, I would like to say that everyone has the power to learn Italian, the most important thing is desire and, of course, enough time to become familiar with all the topics.
