Italian grammar · Beginner (A1)

Present tense: regular verbs

How to form the present tense of regular -are, -ere and -ire verbs, and when to use it.

Three groups of verbs

The infinitive is the basic form of a verb, like “to speak”. Italian infinitives end in -are, -ere or -ire. To make the present tense, take off that ending to find the stem (parl-, prend-, dorm-) and add the endings for each person.

Some -ire verbs, such as (to understand) and (to finish), add -isc- in all forms except and . In the form the stress stays on the stem, not the ending: is said PAR-la-no.

Person	(speak)	(take)	(sleep)	(understand)


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Small spelling changes

Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before i to keep the hard sound: (to look for) gives , ; (to pay) gives , .

Verbs ending in -iare don't double the i: (to eat) gives , ; (to study) gives .

Cerchi qualcosa?Are you looking for something?
Paghiamo alla cassa.We pay at the till.
Studi a Bologna?Do you study in Bologna?

When to use the present

The present tense covers “I speak”, “I'm speaking” and “I do speak”. It is also very common for plans in the near future, usually with a time word.

With (since, for) it describes something that started in the past and is still going on. English uses “have been” here.

Lavoro in banca.I work in a bank.
Che cosa leggi?What are you reading?
Domani partiamo per Venezia.Tomorrow we're leaving for Venice.
Studio l'italiano da due anni.I've been studying Italian for two years.

Happening right now: stare + gerund

To stress that something is going on at this very moment, use + the gerund (the “-ing” form): (I'm working right now). The gerund of -are verbs ends in -ando (), and of -ere and -ire verbs in -endo (, ). gives , gives and gives .

Use it only for actions in progress. For habits and for the future, use the simple present: (I work in a bank), (I'm working tomorrow).

Cosa stai facendo?What are you doing?
Non posso parlare, sto guidando.I can't talk, I'm driving.
I bambini stanno dormendo.The children are sleeping.