Present Tense of Regular Verbs

In Italian, the present tense is used to talk about daily activities and routines. It is an essential verb form to master as it is widely used in everyday conversation. In this guide, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense.

Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Present Tense

To conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, follow these steps:

1. Identify the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive form is the base form of the verb, ending in -are, -ere, or -ire.

2. Remove the infinitive ending to find the verb stem. For -are verbs, remove the -are ending; for -ere verbs, remove the -ere ending; for -ire verbs, remove the -ire ending.

3. Add the appropriate endings to the verb stem, depending on the subject pronoun.

   • -are Verbs:

     • io (I): o
     • tu (you, singular): i
     • lui/lei (he/she): a
     • noi (we): iamo
     • voi (you, plural): ate
     • loro (they): ano

   • -ere Verbs:

     • io (I): o
     • tu (you, singular): i
     • lui/lei (he/she): e
     • noi (we): iamo
     • voi (you, plural): ete
     • loro (they): ono

   • -ire Verbs:

     • io (I): o
     • tu (you, singular): i
     • lui/lei (he/she): e
     • noi (we): iamo
     • voi (you, plural): ite
     • loro (they): ono

Examples

Let's see some examples of regular verbs in the present tense:

• Mangiare (to eat):

  • io mangio (I eat)
  • tu mangi (you eat)
  • lui/lei mangia (he/she eats)
  • noi mangiamo (we eat)
  • voi mangiate (you eat)
  • loro mangiano (they eat)

• Fare (to do/make):

  • io faccio (I do/make)
  • tu fai (you do/make)
  • lui/lei fa (he/she does/makes)
  • noi facciamo (we do/make)
  • voi fate (you do/make)
  • loro fanno (they do/make)

• Aprire (to open):

  • io apro (I open)
  • tu apri (you open)
  • lui/lei apre (he/she opens)
  • noi apriamo (we open)
  • voi aprite (you open)
  • loro aprono (they open)

Tips

• Pay attention to the spelling changes that may occur in some verbs when conjugated in the present tense. For example, in verbs ending in -care or -gare, the -c or -g will change to -ch or -gh to maintain the correct pronunciation. For instance, pagare (to pay) becomes io pago (I pay) and mangiare (to eat) becomes io mangio (I eat).

• Don't forget to use the appropriate subject pronouns before the verb forms to clarify the subject of the sentence.

• Practice regularly and expose yourself to authentic Italian content to reinforce your understanding of the present tense and expand your vocabulary.

Now that you have learned how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, you can confidently express yourself when talking about daily activities and routines. Keep practicing and incorporating these verbs into your conversations to strengthen your grasp of the language.