Free Internet Italian Grammar

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Tiber Island -- site of first known habitation in Rome (click image for larger view)

By TKWukitsch, Rome, 1999 (Revised, Washington, DC, 2008)
Optimized for horizontal resolution of 1024 or higher.

Alphabet and Pronunciation
    Consonant Pairs

Sentences
    Conjunctions
        Coordinate Conjunctions (e, ma, and o)
        Intensified Coordination (both...and, etc.)
        Subordinate Conjunctions
    Subordinate Clauses
        Noun clauses
            Sequence of Tenses in Noun Clauses
            Direct and Indirect Address
        Adverbial Clauses
            Adverb Clauses of Time
            Cause and Effect
            Conditional Clauses
            Possibility
            Supposition
            Comparative Clauses
        Hypothetical Clauses:  Subjunctive After Se and Impersonal Expressions
        Other Clauses

Articles
    Definite Article
         Preposition-definite Article Contractions
    Indefinite Article
    Omission of the Article                                    Top of Page
    Partitive Construction (Plural  Article - "some")

Interjections

Prepositions
    Simple Prepositions
    Combined Forms/Contractions
    "Prepositioni Improprie"

Nouns
    Gender and Number
    Agreement
    Quantity in Nouns
    Non Count Nouns
    Noun/Adjective Suffixes
        Making Diminutives
        Making Augmentatives
        Making Pejoratives
        Other Noun/Adjective Suffixes

Adjectives and Adverbs
    Forming Adjectives
    Adjective Agreement
    Forming Adverbs
    Comparison of Adverbs and Adjectives
    Cardinal Adjectives: One, Every, Both, Many, Some, A Pair Or, A Few, Etc.
    Ordinal Numbers as Adjectives
    Indefinite Adjectives
    Negative Adjectives
    Possessives
    Demonstratives                                                  Top of Page

Pronouns
    Subject Pronouns
    Object Pronouns
    Disjunctive Pronouns
    Relative Pronouns
    Indefinite Pronouns
    Doubled Pronouns
    Imperative with Pronoun
    Pronominal and Adverbial Particles: "Ne", "ci", and "vi"

Negation

Verbs
    Conjugation:  Tense, Person, and Number
    First Conjugation (-are)
    Third Conjugation (-ire)
    Second Conjugation (-ere)
    Avere and Essere
        Avere
        Essere
    Indicative Mood
        Present Tense
        Future Tense
            Other Ways of Expressing the Future
        Imperfect Tense
        Simple Past Tense
        Compound or Perfect Tenses
            Compound Indicative                                 Top of Page
            Compound Subjunctive
        Present Perfect Tense
        Future Perfect Tense
        Pluperfect Tense
        Past Anterior or Preterite Perfect Tense
    Conditional Mood
        Present Conditional
        Past Conditional
    Subjunctive Mood
        Present Subjunctive
        Imperfect Subjunctive
        Perfect or Past Subjunctive
        Pluperfect Subjunctive
        Subjunctive Required in Dependent Clauses by Certain Verbs and Expressions
        Subjunctive after Se and Impersonal Expressions
    Imperatives
        Familiar Imperative (tu and voi)
        Polite form Imperative
    Reflexive Verbs
    Passive Voice
        Passive Conjugation
    Participles
    Infinitive
    Auxiliary Verbs
    Verbs Conjugated with Essere
    Irregular Verb List
    Polite vs. familiar forms
    Verb-Preposition Idioms                                  Top of Page

Questions
    Interrogative Pronouns
    Interrogative Adverbs

Punctuation Differences
    Periods in Abbreviations
    Comma in Expressions of Time
    Quotation Marks (le virgolette)

Prefixes and Suffixes
    Common Prefixes
    Common Suffixes

Numbers
    Cardinal Numbers
        Formation
        Ambiguity:  Billions, Trillions, etc.
        Collective Numbers (about ten, about twenty, etc., dozen)
            Forming Collective Numerals
        Mathematics
    Fractions
    Decimals (Frazione decimale)
    Multiplicative numbers (double, triple, etc.)
    Telephone numbers
    Ordinal Numbers
        Degree, Quality, or Position
        "To the Nth Power"                                       Top of Page

Time
    "What time is it? "
    Minutes
    Quarter Hours (and Thirds)
    "At what time?","When?"
    Time Expressions
    One Time, Two Times, many times, at times, sometimes, etc
    Days, months, seasons, years, dates
        Days of the Week
        Months
        SEASONS
        DATES
        Centuries

Idiomatic Verb Constructions
    Piacere <to be pleasing to/to like>
    Fare
        Weather
        Professions
        to "Have something done"
        Other Idiomatic Fare Expressions
    Avere in "To be hungry, thirsty, etc."
    Essere vs. Stare
        C'e and Ci sono
    Aver bisogno di and Bisognare
    Volere
    Dare
    Andare
    Sapere and Conoscere

The Italian Alphabet and pronunciation:

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a
as in mama
b
as in boy
c
as in cat, before a consonant or the vowels A, O, U
c
like CH in chip, before the vowels I or E
d
as in dollar
e
(open) as in elbow
e
(closed) as in egg
f
as in forest
g
as in girl, before consonants and the vowels A, O, U
g
like J in jump, before the vowels I or E
h
is silent
i
like the e in the English word ego
j
is only used in foreign words
k
is only used in foreign words
l
as in like
m
as in motor
n
as in nickel
o
(open) as in over
o
(closed) as in olive
p
as in picture
q
as in queen (as in English, followed by u)
r
with a slight trill
s
as the z in zebra
t
as in table
u
as in fruit
v
as in vine (but sometimes like a w in older words)
w
is only used in foreign words (the w sound can also be made, as in Latin, by using an oe combination)
x
as in box
y
is only used in foreign words
z
as in TS combination in pits or the DS combination in pads

 Consonant Pairs

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CH
before I or E is pronounced as a ck sound as in click
GH
before I or E is pronounced as a hard g sound as in gallop
RR
is "trilled" more than a single R
SS
is pronounced more like the S in English as in summer
ZZ
as in pizza
SCI or 
SCE
is pronounced as an SH sound as in sheet
SCA, SCU,
SCHI or 
SCHE
is pronounced as SK in ski
GN
almost always has the pronunciation of the NY combination as in vineyard
GU
is pronounced like a GW sound as in language

 Articles in Italian

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DEFINITE ARTICLE ("articolo determinativo"):
in italian has a number of different forms, depending on whether the noun it accompanies is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.  It also changes its form according to the initial letters of the word that follows it.
MASCULINE SINGULAR, before:
 
 
 
 single consonant:
il
"il teatro"
<the theater>
 double consonants:
lo
"lo specchio"
<the mirror>
 vowels:
l'
"l'orso"
<the bear>
 
 
 
 
MASCULINE PLURAL, before:
 
 
 
 single consonants:
i
"i denti"
<the teeth>
 double consonants:
gli
"gli  stivali"
<the boots>
 vowels:
gli
"gli alberghi"
<the hotels>
 
 
 
 
FEMININE SINGULAR, before:
 
 
 
 consonants:
la
"la casa"
<the house>
 vowels:
l'
"l' anima"
<the soul>
 
 
 
 
FEMININE PLURAL:
 
 
 
invariably:
le
"le regole"
<the rules>
 
"Z" and "X" count as double consonants ("DS" and "KS").
"Lo" and "la" elide (lose their vowels and take an apostrophe) before words beginning with a vowel.

Definite articles are used with nouns which are abstract, general or collective:
"la vita" <life>;
"l'oro" <gold>;
"la gente" <people>.

They are used with parts of the body and articles of clothing, where English would use a possessive adjective:
"le mani" <her hands>;
"le scarpe" <his shoes>.

Definite articles are also used with titles preceding a last name, except in direct address:
"Il signor Bianchi è di Firenze." <Mr. Bianchi is from Florence.>

BUT;
"Buon giorno, signor Bianchi" <Hello, Mr. Bianchi>.

Another important use of the definite article is with possessive adjectives:
"Ho perso il mio libro" <I lost my book>.

The INDEFINITE ARTICLES ("articoli indeterminativi")are:
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MASCULINE, before:
 
 
 
 single consonants:
un
"un teatro"
<a theater>
 double consonants:
uno
"uno specchio"
<a mirror>
 vowels:
un
"un orso"
<a bear>
 
 
 
 
FEMININE, before:
 
 
 
 consonants:
una
"una casa"
<a house>
 vowels:
un'
"un' anima"
<a soul>

Omission of the Article:

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The indefinite article is omitted after the verbs essere and diventare before nouns that indicate religion, profession, marital status, or titles:
Mario è dottore e Alfredo è avvocato.   (Mario is a doctor and Alfredo is a lawyer.)
Io sono cattolica e lui è protestante.   (I am Catholic and he is a Protestant.)

It is also omitted after che in exclamations:
Che bel uomo!   (What a handsome man!)
Che peccato!  (What a shame!)

The definite article is omitted after in with geographical terms if the terms are feminine and singular and not modified.
L'Emilia-Romagna è in Italia.   (Emilia-Romagna is in Italy.)

It is omitted with names of cities.
Conosci Milano?   (Do you know Milan?)
Avete mai visto Sorrento?  (Have you ever seen Sorrento?)

In some common expressions.
a sinistra  (to the left)
a destra  (to the right)
in cima  (on top)

"Some" or "any" is expressed in Italian in affirmative sentences by the partitive construction of di + the definite article.
Compro del formaggio e del pane.  (I buy some cheese and some bread.)
Abbiamo dei parenti in Italia.  (We have some relatives in Italy.)
Abbiamo comprato della carne.  (We bought some meat.)

Plural Indefinite Articles: The partitive construction:

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can be considered as the plural form of the indefinite article. It is never used in negative sentences and is often omitted in questions.
Non vendono pane qui.  (They don't sell bread here.)
Vuole carne o pesce?  (Does he want meat or fish?)

The partitive is also expressed with un po' di with singular nouns and alcuni,-ewith plural nouns:
Devo comprare un po'di verdura.  (I need to buy some vegetables.)
  (I want to buy some apples.)

Interjections:

An interjection is a word or expression often given increased emotive value in the stream of speech. Interjections are rarely used in formal or business writing. In print interjection is usually followed by an exclamation mark or a comma:

suvvia! = alas!
aiuto! = help!
hey! = hey!
oh! = wow!
ahi! = ouch!
bontà mia! = My goodness!

Ahi!  Mi sono rotto una gamba!  <Ouch! I broke my leg!>

Prepositions:

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Prepositions are invariable connecting words preceding elements in a sentence (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs) that show the relationship between other elements or other sentences:

La bicicletta di Paolo è rotta.  <Paolo's bicycle is broken.>
Mettilo sul tavolo.  <Put it on the table.>
Dopo averci detto tutto ciò, lui sparì.  <After telling us all that, he disappeared.>
Per quello che lei ci disse, cambiammo idea.  <Because of what she told us, we changed our mind.>

Simple Prepositions
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In Italian the basic or simple prepositions, are:

di         (of)
a          (at, to)
da        (from)
in         (in)
con      (with)
su        (on)
per      (for)
tra       (among, between)
fra       (among, between)
sotto   (under)
sopra   (over)

Scrivo a Piero.  <I'm writing to Piero.>

Poco lontano da qui, câè un ristorante.  <Not too far from here, there is a restaurant.>

Carlo è tra quella folla.  <Carlo is among that crowd.>

Some prepositions (a, da, di, in, su) contract and combine with the definite article to form a single word as shown in the chart below. (These are called preposizioni articolate.)

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al ristorante (to the restaurant)
Metti il libro sul tavolo.  (Put the book on the table.)
Metti il libro nellâarmadio.  (Put the book in the closet.)
Potrò vederti domani dalle 5 alle 7.  (I can see you tomorrow, from 5 to 7.)
Saltò giú dal secondo piano.  (He jumped from  the second floor.)
  ARTICLE
PREPOSITION
IL
LO
L'
LA
I
GLI
LE
A
AL
ALLO
ALL'
ALLA
AI
AGLI
ALLE
DI
DEL
DELLO
DELL'
DELLA
DEI
DEGLI
DELLE
DA
DAL
DALLO
DALL'
DALLA
DAI
DAGLI
DALLE
IN
NEL
NELLO
NELL'
NELLA
NEI
NEGLI
NELLE
SU
SUL
SULLO
SULL'
SULLA
SUI
SUGLI
SULLE
CON
COL
COLLO
(ARCHAIC)
COLL'
(ARCHAIC)
COLLA
(ARCHAIC)
COI
COGLI
(ARCHAIC)
COLLE
(ARCHAIC)

Along with the simple prepositions there is a group words, called preposizioni improprie which are actually adverbs, adjectives or rarely verbs, but often they function as prepositions:

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davanti        (in front of)
avanti          (in front of)
innanzi        (in front of)
dietro           (behind)
dentro         (inside)
oltre             (further)
presso         (by)
fuori             (outside)
sopra           (over)
sotto            (under)
su                 (on)
accanto       (near by)
attorno        (around)
intorno        (around)
prima            (before)
dopo             (after)
lungo           (along)
secondo      (in accordance with)
vicino           (near, close by)

Examples:
Vai fuori!  (Go out!) (adverb)
Starò fuori città per qualche giorno.  (I will be out of town for a few days.) (preposition)

Tu stai dietro.  (You stay behind.) (adverb)
Lâaltro è dietro la casa.  (The other is behind the house.) (preposition)

Mia nonna abita vicino.  (My grandmother lives near by.) (adverb)
La casa di mia nonna è vicina.  (My grandmother's house is close.) (adjective)
Mia nonna abita vicino a noi.  (My grandmother lives near us.) (preposition)

Nouns: Gender and agreement

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Gender and number

NOUNS ("sostantivi") can have two GENDERS ("generi"), masculine and feminine, and two NUMBERS, singular and plural.


Generally speaking, masculine nouns end in "-o" (plural "-i") and feminine nouns end in "-a" (plural "-e"):
"il libro" <the book>, "i libri" <the books>;
"la casa" <the house>, "le case" <the houses>.

There are exceptions:
Some feminine nouns end in "-o".  they either form the plural in "-i":
"la mano" <the hand>, "le mani" <the hands>;
or (if foreign loanwords ) remain unchanged,
"la foto" <the photograph>, "le foto" <the photographs>.

Some masculine nouns end in "-a"; they form their plural in "-i":
"il problema" <the problem>, "i problemi" <the problems>.

Some masculine nouns change their gender to feminine in the plural,  with a singular-type "-a" ending rather than the usual plural form "-e":
"l'uovo" <the egg> BUT "le uova" <the eggs>;
"il dito" <the finger> BUT "le dita" <the fingers>.

There are also a number of nouns which do not end in "-o" or "-a."
Nouns ending in "-e," whether masculine or feminine, invariably form the plural in "-i":
"il fiore" <the flower>, "I fiori" <the flowers>;
"la lezione" <the lesson>; "le lezioni"<the lessons>.

Nouns ending in "-i" or an accented vowel do not change in the plural:
"la crisi" <the crisis>, "le crisi" <the crises>;
"la virtù" <the virtue>, "le virtù" <the virtues>;
"la città" <the city>, "le città" <the cities>.

The same is true of one-syllable nouns, and of foreign loanwords ending in a consonant:
"il re" <the king>, "i re" <the kings>;
"il film" <the movie>, "i film" <the movies>.

Some nouns ending in "-a" or "-e" can be either masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the person being named by the noun:
"il pianista" <the male pianist>; "la pianista" <the female pianist>;
"il cantante" <the male singer>, "la cantante" <the female singer>.

Other nouns change their ending according to gender:
"l'attore" <the actor>, "l'attrice" <the actress>;
"il gallo" <the rooster>, "la gallina" <the hen>;
"il cameriere" <the waiter>, "la cameriera" <the waitress>.

There are also nouns that have both genders, but with a different meaning for each:
"il fine" <the purpose>, "la fine" <the conclusion>;
"il tema" <the topic>, "la tema" <fear>.

Agreement:

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A noun and its modifiers have the same gender and have number AGREEMENT.  If a noun is feminine, its modifiers will be feminine:
"una antica chiesa" <an old church>.

If a noun is plural, its modifiers will be plural:
"i capelli grigi" <gray hairs>.

Quantity in nouns:

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Below are examples of countable nouns. Pay special attention to the expressions of quantity in parentheses.  Those listed below are used only with countable nouns.

Expressions of Quantity            Countable Nouns
uno (one)                         studente (student)
ogni (every)                     libro (book)
ogni (every)                     stanza (room)
due (two)                         piante (plants)
entrambi (both)              ragazzi (boys)
un paio di (a pair of)           scarpe (shoes)
alcuni (some/few)           amici (friends)
molti (many)                   cani (dogs)
pochi (few)                      pesci (fish)
parecchi (quite a few/a lot)     amici (friends)
meno (fewer)                   vantagi (advantages)

Below are examples of noncountable nouns. The expressions of quantity preceding parentheses are used only with noncountable nouns.

Expressions of Quantity                   Noncountable  Nouns
un po' di (some/a little bit of)         caffè (coffee)
molto (a lot of)                      ghiaccio (ice)
molta (many)                           gente (people)

Cardinal adjectives -- one, two, several etc. -- are used with noncountable mass nouns (nouns of substance) only in a very restricted context and mean portion:
Vogliamo due caffè per favore.  (We want two coffees, please.)
Il cameriere ci ha portato un tè e un caffè.  (The waiter brought us one tea and one coffee.)

Noncount nouns:

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refer to things that cannot be counted. In English they do not usually take a definite aritcle, but in Italian they often do.

Whole groups of similar items :

il cibo (food)
la posta (mail)
la roba (stuff)
la spazzatura (garbage)

Fluids:

il caffè (coffee)
il tè (tea)
il latte (milk)
l'olio (oil)
la benzina (gas)
l'aceto (vinegar)

Solids:

il ghiaccio (ice)
il burro (butter)
il formaggio (cheese)
la carne (meat)
il legno (wood)
il sale (salt)
il pane (bread)

Gases:

l'aria (air)
lo smog (smog)
l'ossigeno (oxygen)

Particles:

il riso (rice)
il grano (grain)
la farina (flour)
lo zucchero (sugar)
la sabbia (sand)

Abstract nouns:

la bellezza (beauty)
l'educazione (education)
la salute (health)
l'aiuto (help)
la violenza (violence)

Sports, games, and activities:

il calcio (soccer)
il baseball (baseball)
il football (football)
il poker (poker)

Nature:

il tempo (weather)
la nebbia (fog)
la pioggia (rain)
la neve (snow)
il fuoco (fire)
la luce (light)
il vento (wind) -- but, figuratively, "i quatri venti" = "the Four Winds"

Noun/Adjective Suffixes:

Suffixes modify the meaning of the base word and can be used to form adjectives from nouns and vice versa.

Suffixes can be used to form diminutives, augmentatives, and pejoratives (depreciatives), but they should be coined cautiously:  many have preexisting figurative, slang, or sexual meanings.

Many other suffixes form adjectives from nouns and verbs, but most of these adjectives can stand alone as nouns -- the noun they modify can be an unspoken indefinite pronoun:  one or some.

Diminutives:

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In English, the diminutive endings -let and -ie (-y) are added to nouns to connote small size or endearment: pig, piglet, piggie. Italian uses the diminutive ending in the same way.

The final vowel of the noun is dropped before adding the diminutive suffix. In the feminine form the -o changes to -a.

-ino
uccello --> uccellino (little bird)
-icino
cuore --> cuoricino (little heart)
-etto
giovane --> giovanetto (little young man)
-ello
fontana --> fontanella (little fountain)
-olo
figlio --> figliolo (little son)
-uccio
bocca --> boccuccia (cute, little mouth)
-olino
radio --> radiolina (little radio)
-uzza
via --> viuzza (little street)
 
 
 
Sometimes diminutives connote a bad quality or contempt.
-uccio
casa --> casuccia (small, ugly house)
-etto
podere --> poderetto (worthless, little farm)
 
 
 
Some nouns change meaning and gender when a suffix is attached.
-ino
camera --> camerino (room --> changing room)
-ino
coda --> codino (tail--> pigtail)
 
Caution: codina (feminine) in some dialects means prostitute and codino (masculine) can be male prostitute if applied to a person.
 
N.B.:  coin diminutives cautiously -- many (including all of the above) have preexisting slang or figurative, including sexual, meanings.

Augmentatives

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Augnentative suffixes are added to a noun to indicate large size or exaggeration of a quality. A common one is -one.
-one
naso --> nasone (big nose -- or a person who has one)
-one
libro --> librone (big book)
 
Some feminine nouns when the -one suffix is attached change gender.
-one
la donna --> la donnone (big woman -- or too masculine or dominating, or a male transvestite)
-one
la febbre --> la febbrone (high fever -- or excitement, including sexual)
-one
la palla --> la pallone (soccer ball, or possibly male sexual arrousal without release)
-one
la stanza --> la stanzone (room large room)
 
N.B.:  coin augmentatives cautiously -- many have preexisting slang or figurative, including sexual, meanings.

Pejorative:

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The following suffixes convey the idea of ugliness or a bad quality:
-accio
ragazzo --> ragazzaccio (bad boy)
-astro
poeta --> poetastro (a terrible poet)
-ucolo
maestro --> maestrucolo (bad teacher)
-accione
uomo --> omaccione (ugly man)

Other Noun/Adjective Suffixes:

-aggine (-ness)
stupido --> stupidaggine (foolishness or a foolish act)
-aio (one who uses/makes/
             sells/is in charge of)
forno --> fornaio (baker)
-anza/enza (makes abstract)
vedova --> vedovanza (widowhood),  magnifico --> magnificenza (magnificence)
-ata (-ful)
         (a blow by means of)
         (an action)
cucchiai --> cucchiaiata (spoonful)
pugnale --> pugnalata (dagger stab)
cabrare (to zoom): cabrata (zooming or aerobatics)
-ere/ore (one who does)
banco --> banchiere (banker),  conquista --> conquistatore
-eria (place where)
libro --> libreria (bookstore)
-ero (changes noun to adjective)
guerra -->guerriero (warlike)
-eto/-eta (grove/orchard)
pina --> pineta (pine grove/forest)
-ia (arts or sciences)
       (marks abstactions)
geologia (geology)
maestro --> maestria (masterliness/mastery)
-iccio (-ish)
rosso --> rossicio (reddish one or reddish as an adjective)
-oso (characterized by)
rocco --> roccoso (rocky)
-ta' (-ty)
fraternita' (fraternity)
-ura
bravo --> bravura (something worth of a"bravo")
alto --> altura (heights/highlands)
-uta (adjective-forming)
barba --> barbuta  (bearded)

CONTRACTIONS:

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The definite articles form CONTRACTIONS ("contrazioni") with the prepositions
"a" <to, at, in>,
"di" <of, from, by, about>,
"da" <of, by, from, with>,
"in"  <in, to>,
"su" <on>, and
"con" <with>:
  ARTICLE
PREPOSITION
IL
LO
L'
LA
I
GLI
LE
A
AL
ALLO
ALL'
ALLA
AI
AGLI
ALLE
DI
DEL
DELLO
DELL'
DELLA
DEI
DEGLI
DELLE
DA
DAL
DALLO
DALL'
DALLA
DAI
DAGLI
DALLE
IN
NEL
NELLO
NELL'
NELLA
NEI
NEGLI
NELLE
SU
SUL
SULLO
SULL'
SULLA
SUI
SUGLI
SULLE
CON
COL
COLLO
(ARCHAIC)*
COLL'
(ARCHAIC)
COLLA
(ARCHAIC)
COI
COGLI
(ARCHAIC)
COLLE
(ARCHAIC)

*Modern Italian uses separate words in place of archaic forms:  e.g., "con lo" vice "collo."
ADJECTIVES

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Forming Adjectives:
Some adjectives are formed from verbs by adding the suffix -nte.
Such adjectives are actually archaic forms of the present participle.
ardere (to burn) ---> ardente (hot)
fortificare (to fortify) ---> fortificante (fortifying)

Other adjectives are derived from the past participles of verbs.
scrivere (to write) --> scritto (written)
contorcere (to twist) --> contorto (twisted)

Adjectives are sometimes formed from nouns by adding the suffixes -so (English -ous) and -ico (English -ic).
miracolo(miracle) --> miracoloso (miraculous)
letargo (lethargy) --> letargico (lethargic)

ADJECTIVES agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

Regular adjectives with separate masculine and feminine forms end in -o (m.) and -a (f.) in the singular, -i (m.) and -e  (f.) in the plural:
"Il battello è bianco" <The boat is white>;
"La colomba ha un'ala bianca" <The dove has a white wing>;
"I miei denti sono bianchi" <My teeth are white>;
"Le mie scarpe sono bianche" <My shoes are white>.
    (Note that the letter "h" inserted in bianchi and bianche is there to keep the "hard" sound of the "c".)

Regular adjectives with identical masculine and feminine forms have a singular ending "-e" and a plural ending "-i":
"un vestito verde" <a green dress>;
"una mela verde" <a green apple>;
"dei alberi verdi" <some green trees>;
"delle tartaruge verdi" <some green turtles>.

N.B. Adjectives describing colors by means of nouns do not change form to show gender or number:
"la rosa" <the rose>, "rosa" <pink>, "dei fiori rosa" <some pink flowers>;
"la viola" <the violet>, "viola" <purple>, "un vestito viola" <a purple dress>.

Other adjectives describing colors that are invariable are:
"arancione" <orange>, "marrone" <brown>, "blu" <blue>,

If an adjective follows two nouns, it takes a plural form;
if one of the nouns is masculine, the adjective must be masculine plural:
"un vestito e una camicia rossi" <a red dress and a red shirt>.
    (also note the difference between rossa = red and rosa = pink.)

If the adjective precedes two nouns, however, it agrees with the closest one:
"rosse camicie e vestiti" <red shirts and dresses>.

The POSITION of adjectives follows certain rules.  Generally speaking, adjectives which describe or differentiate FOLLOW the nouns they modify:
"una fontana magnifica" <a magnificent fountain>;
"la mano destra" <the right hand>.

Adjectives PRECEDE the nouns they modify when they express an essential or characteristic quality, and when they limit or quantify:
"un piccolo asino" <a small donkey>;
"le poche case" <the few houses>;
"alcuni romanzi" <some novels>.

Some adjectives change meaning when they precede the noun,  taking on a figurative sense:
"un uomo povero" <a poverty-stricken man> but "un pover' uomo" <an unfortunate fellow>.

ADVERBS:

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Forming Adverbs:
ADVERBS of manner are usually formed by adding the suffix "-mente" to adjectives in their feminine singular form:
"esatta" <exact>, "esattamente"<exactly>.

"Buono" <good> and "cattivo" <bad> have special adverbial forms:
"bene" <well> and "male" <badly>.

Some singular masculine adjectives are used adverbially:
"Parlo piano" <I am speaking softly>;
"Abitano vicino" <They live nearby>;
"Sempre risponde giusto" <She always answers correctly>.

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES:

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The COMPARATIVE form of adjectives and adverbs is expressed by preceding them with "più" <more> or "meno" <less>:
"alto" <tall>, "più alto" <taller>;
"diligentemente" <diligently>, "meno diligentemente" <less diligently>.

The complete comparison is usually expressed with "di" <than> before nouns or pronouns and "che" <than> before modifiers:
"Giovanni è più vecchio di te" <John is older than you>;
"La lezione è più istruttiva che divertente" <The lesson is more informative than entertaining>.

The RELATIVE SUPERLATIVE of adjectives is expressed by preceding the comparative form with the definite article:
"il più giovane" <the youngest>;
"la meno veloce" <the least rapid>;
"i meno intelligenti" <the least intelligent>;
"le più attive" <the most active>.
(The definite article is not repeated if it already precedes the noun:
"la ragazza più intelligente" <the smartest girl>.)

The ABSOLUTE SUPERLATIVE of an adjective (indicating degree rather than comparison) is regularly formed by adding the suffix "-issimo," which is then inflected like a regular adjective:
"un libro utilissimo" <a very useful book>;
"una donna bellissima" <a very beautiful woman>.

 The ABSOLUTE SUPERLATIVE of adverbs is formed by adding "-issimamente" to the stem of adverbs ending in "-mente" but "-issimo" to the stems of other adverbs:
-issimamente -- "lentamente" <slowly>, "lentissimamente" <very slowly>;
-issimo -- "spesso" <often>, "spessissimo" <very often>.

Adjectives and adverbs are sometimes doubled to express an absolute superlative:
"parla piano piano" <speak very softly>

Comparisons of Equality:
To form the comparison of equality with adjectives, use:

Tanto (as, so) + adjective + quanto (as) + noun
Angela e tanto bella quanto sua sorella.  <Angela is as beautiful as her sister.>

or:

Cosi (as, so) + Adjective + come (as)
Angela e cosi bella come sua sorella.  <Angela is as beautiful as her sister.>

(To form the comparison of equality with nouns, only tanto...quanto is used, and these words must agree with the nouns they modify:
Lui vende tanti libri quante reviste.  <He sells as many books as magazines.>)

Comparisons of superiority or inferiority:
when two charcteristics or qualities of one person are being compared, use:
(Someone is) piu (more) or meno (less) + adjective + che (than) + adjective.

When comparing two persons or things, use:
(Someone or something is) piu (more) or meno (less) + adjective + di (someone or something else.)

In addition to the
regular (piu, il piu) forms, there are some irregular adjective comparisons:

Alto (high)
superiore (higher)
il superiore (highest)
supremo (very high)
Basso (low)
inferiore (lower)
l' inferiore (lowest)
infimo (very low)
Buono (good)
migliore (better)
il migliore (best)
ottimo (very good)
Cattivo (bad)
peggiore (worse)
il peggiore (worst)
pessimo (very bad)
Grande (large)
maggiore (older)
il maggiore (oldest)
massimo (very large)
Piccolo (small)
minore (younger)
il minore (youngest)
minimo (very small)
The two forms of comparison usually differ in meaning, and the differences are learned through experience and may differ regionally (piu grande <bigger> vs. maggiore <older>.)

There are similar irregular adverb comparisons:

Bene (well)
meglio (better)
il meglio (best)
ottimamente (excellently)
Male (badly)
peggio (worse)
il peggio (worst)
pessimamente (very badly)
Molto (much)
piu (more)
il piu (most)
moltissimo (very much)
Poco (little)
meno (less)
il meno (least)
pochissimo (very little)
 
The piu, il piu (and meno, il meno) forms of comparison are irregular adverb forms modifying base form adjectives:
il piu (adverb) grande (adjective) = <the most large> = <the biggest>

As in English, Combinations  and doubling are also used for of emphasis and for special meanings:
il piu maggiore di maggiore <the oldest of the oldest>
meno il superiore <a little less than perfect>
maggiore maggiore <much older>

POSESSIVES

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POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES ("aggettivi possessivi") and POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi possessivi") are usually compound forms which include a definite article that is not translated into English.

The forms of the possessive adjective are:

MASCULINE
SINGULAR
MASCULINE
PLURAL
FEMININE 
SINGULAR
FEMININE 
PLURAL
MEANINGS
il mio
i miei
la mia
le mie
<my>
il tuo
i tuoi
la tua
le tue
<your> familiar
il suo
i suoi
la sua
le sue
<his,her> or 
<your> polite
il nostro
i nostri
la nostra
le nostre
<our>
il vostro
i vostri
la vostra
le vostre
<your> familiar
il loro
i loro
la loro
le loro
<their,theirs> or 
<your> polite
 
Possessive pronouns are identical in form to possessive adjectives; the difference is in meaning.  Where the possessive adjective "il mio" means "my," for example, the possessive pronoun "il mio" means "mine": "le tue scarpe e le mie" <your shoes and mine>.

It is important to note that possessives agree in gender and number with the thing possessed, rather than with the possessor:
"i miei amici" <my friends>
"la loro automobile" <their car>.

If ambiguity results from the use of possessives, possession may be expressed by means of "di" with a disjunctive pronoun: "la sua valigia" <his or her or your suitcase>; "la valigia di lui" <his suitcase>.

If the possessor is also the subject of the sentence,  "proprio" may be used instead of "suo" or "loro":
"Giovanni porta la propria valigia" <John carries his own suitcase>.
"Proprio" MUST be used after impersonal expressions:
"Bisogna portare le proprie valige" <One must carry one's own pieces of luggage>.

When referring to articles of clothing and parts of the body, the definite article is regularly used instead of the possessive adjective:
"le scarpe" <her shoes>; "la testa" <his head>.

Demonstratives:

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The DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES ("aggettivi dimostrativi") are:
singular 
masculine
plural
masculine
singular 
feminine
plural 
feminine
meanings
questo
questi
questa
queste
<this> <these>
quello
quelli
quella
quelle
<that> <those>
codesto
codesti
codesta
codeste
<that> <those>
 
"Codesto" refers to something near the person being spoken to, but itis falling into disuse: "quello" is replacing it.

"Questa" is sometimes shortened to "sta" and contracted with the noun it modifies:
"questa sera" <this evening>, "stasera" <this evening>.

There is elision of "questo," "questa," and "quella" before a noun beginning with a vowel:
"quest'aereo" <this airplane>;
"quest'aula" <this classroom>;
"quell'autostrada" <that highway>.

Demonstratives agree in gender and number with the nouns
they modify, and always precede them:
"questo libro" <this book>;
"quella casa" <that house>.

The DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi dimostrativi") are identical in form to the demonstrative adjectives, but mean "this one," "that one," etc.  They are used alone, but refer back to something mentioned earlier (the antecedent) and agree with it in number and gender:
"Questa casa è bianca e quella è nera" <This house is white and that one is black>.

Pronouns:

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SUBJECT PRONOUNS ("pronomi") are often omitted, since the verb form indicates the subject:
"Ho freddo" <I'm cold>.

When subject pronouns are used, it is for purposes of emphasis,  clarification or courtesy:
"Io ho freddo" <I, for my part, am cold>;
"Lui detesta il film" <He hates the movie>;
"Vorrebbe Lei venire con me?" <Would you like to come with me?>.

The subject pronouns are:

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Singular
Plural
1st person
io <I>
noi <we>
2nd person familiar
tu <you>
voi <you all>
2nd person polite
Lei <you>
Loro <you all>
3rd person
lui <him>
loro <them>
 
lei <her>
loro <them>
 
esso <it (m,)>
essi <them (m.)>
 
essa <it (f.)>
esse <them (f.)>
Note that second person polite form pronouns are capitalized.
In literary usage, "eghli"is sometimes used for "lei" <him>; "ella" is sometimes used for "lei" <her>.  Such usage is mainly literary.

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OBJECT PRONOUNS are either direct or indirect, and cannot stand alone without a verb.  The direct object receives the action of the verb directly while the indirect object is indirectly affected by it.  With the exception of "loro," they PRECEDE the conjugated verb:

"Ti ho visto ieri" <I saw you yesterday>;
"gli ho dato il mio numero di telefono" <I gave him my phone number>.

The forms of the direct and indirect object pronouns are:
 
 

Singular
Direct
indirect
1st
mi <me>
mi <to me>
2nd familiar
ti <you>
ti <to you>
2nd polite
La <you>
Le <to you>
3rd masculine
lo <him/it>
gli <to him/to it>
3rd feminine
la <her/it>
le <to her/to it>
 
 
 
Plural 
Direct
Indirect
1st
ci <us>
ci <to us>
2nd familiar
vi <you>
vi <to you>
2nd polite masculine
Li <you>
Loro <to you>
2nd polite femimine
Le <you>
Loro <to you>
3rd masculine
li <them>
loro <to them>
3rd feminine
le <them>
loro <to them>
 
With the exception of "loro," pronouns regularly precede the conjugated verb, but they are attached to infinitives (which drop the final "-e"), participles and familiar commands:
"Sono venuto per vederlo" <I have come to see it>;
"Sto chiamandolo" <I am calling him>;
"Ascoltami" <Listen to me!>.

In a compound (perfect) infinitive, the pronoun is attached to the auxiliary verb:
"averti chiamato" <having called you>.

Some one-syllable familiar commands double the first consonant of the object pronoun:
"Dimmi" <Tell me!>.

"Lo" is used as a neuter pronoun referring back to a general idea or situation:
"Vale la pena --  Sì, lo so!" <It's worth the trouble-- Yes, I know it!>.

When direct and indirect pronouns are used together, the indirect pronoun comes first.  "Loro" is the exception to this rule; it always follows the verb:
"Lo disse loro" <He said it to them>.

Before "lo," "la," "li," "le," and "ne," the indirect object pronouns change their form as follows:
 

mi --> me:
"Giovanni me lo diede"
<John gave it to me>
ti --> te:
"Te lo ho comprato"
<I bought it for you>
ci --> ce:
"Ce lo dà"
<He gives it to us>
vi --> ve: 
"Ve l'ho detto ieri"
<I said it to you yesterday>
gli--> glie:
"Glieli manderò"
<I'll send them to him>
gli --> glie:
"Glielo dicono"
<They say it to her>
 
Note that "glie" combines with the direct object pronoun.

The 3rd person reflexive pronoun singular and plural "si" changes to "se" before a direct object pronoun:
"Si lava la faccia?  Sì, se la lava." <Does he wash his face? Yes, he washes it>

After prepositions, the following DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS are used:

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Singular
Plural
1st person
me <me/myself>
noi <us/ourselves>
2nd person familiar
te <you/yoursef>
voi <you all/yourselves>
2nd person polite
Lei <you>
Loro <you>
3rd person
lui <him>
loro <them>
 
lei <her>
loro <them>
 
esso <it(m.)>
essi <them (m.)>
 
essa <it (f.)>
esse <them (f.)>
 
se <yourself/himself>
se <youselves/themselves>
 
se <heself/itself/oneself>
se <yourselves/themselves>
 
These pronouns, also known as stressed pronouns ("pronomi tonici"),are used most frequently as objects of prepositions. "Parla a me?" <Are you speaking to me?>  "Preferisco lavorare per lei" <I prefer to work for her>.

Relative pronouns:

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RELATIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi relativi") introduce a subordinate clause and represent persons or things mentioned previously.  They can function as either subject or object pronouns without any change in form.

The most common relative pronouns are:

1) "che" or "il quale" <who, which, that>, referring to a specific antecedent:
"L'uomo che hai visto è italiano" <The man you saw is Italian>;
"Giulia, la quale è italiana, non parla inglese" <Julia, who is Italian, doesn't speak English>;

2) "quel che," "quello che" or "ciò che" <what>, referring to an unspecified antecedent:
"Quel che ha fatto non m'interessa" <What she did doesn't interest me>;
"Non so quello che ha fatto" <I don't know what she's done>;
"Fa ciò che vuole" <She does what she wants>;

3) the impersonal pronoun "chi" <the one who/whom>:
"Chi ride vince" <He who laughs wins>.
 

After a preposition, the invariable pronoun "cui" is used in place of "che":
"Ecco la signora di cui parlai" <Here is the woman of whom I spoke>.

Indefinite Pronouns:

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Such pronouns refer to indefinite (sometimes unknown) persons or things or to indefinite quantities:

Poco fa qualcuno ha bussato alla porta.<Not too long ago somebody knocked at the door..

A nessuno è permesso di parcheggiare lâauto in quella strada.<Nobody is permitted to park the car on that street.>

Chiunque può farlo.<Anybody can do it.>

Tutto è possibile in questa situazione.<Everything is possible in this situation.>

Se ti regalano molti libri ricordati che ne vorrei alcuni anchâio.<If they donate many books to you, remember that I would like some too.>

Tutti applaudirono.<All of them clapped their hands.>

The following indefinite pronouns become indefinite adjectives when they accompany a noun:
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poco (little)
alquanto (pretty much)
tanto (much)
altrettanto (as much)
molto (much)
troppo (too much)
tutto (all)
ciascuno (each)
altro (other)
vario (various)
tale (such)

Ho bisogno di molti soldi. (adjective)  <I need a lot of money.>

Quanto costano questi bicchieri? Me ne servono molti. (pronoun)  <How much are these cups? I need many of them.>

Ho pochi soldi. (adjective)  <I have little money.>

Devo controllare quanti soldi ho. Ne ho pochi. (pronoun) <I need to check how much money I've got. I don't have much.>

Non mi è piaciuto nessun vestito tra quelli che ho visto. (adjective).  (I didn't like any of those dresses that I saw.)

Sì, ho visto I vestiti, ma non mi è piaciuto nessuno. (pronoun)  <Yes, I saw the dresses, but I didnât like any of them.>

The following indefinite pronouns can be used only and exclusively as pronouns:
Uno/-a, (a person), indicates a single person, but sometimes can be used in the plural:
Ha telefonato uno, che voleva parlarti.   <Somebody called who wanted to talk to you.>

Ho ascoltato le opinioni degli uni e degli altri.  <I listened to the opinions of different people (the "ones" and the others).>

Qualcuno/qualcuna, <somebody> is used only in the singular.
Qualcuno ha bussato alla porta.  <Somebody knocked at the door.>

Ho preparato dei panini. Prendine qualcuno.<I fixed some sandwiches. Have some.>

Ognuno/ognuna <each one/every>, is used only in the singular
Ognuno darà il suo contributo.  <Each person will give his/her own contribution.>

Chiunque <anybody, whoever> is only used in the singular and refers only to people.
Chiunque potrebbe farlo.   <Anybody could do it.>

Chicchessia <whoever>, used only in the singular, refers only to people.
Non ho paura di chiccessia.  <I'm not afraid of anybody.>

Qualcosa <something> is invariable and refers to things in general.
Dimmi qualcosa delle tue vacanze.  (Tell me something about your vacation.>

Niente or nulla (nothing), is also invariable.
Non ho paura di niente.  <I'm not afraid of anything.>  (Notice the use of the double negative )

Negative Pronouns:

nessuno        (nobody, none)
alcuno          (none)
 

Doubled Pronouns (Pronomi doppi):

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When both the direct and indirect object are expressed by pronouns:
The indirect object pronoun always is first,
The -i ending of mi, ti, ci, and vi indirect object pronouns changes to -e,
An -e is added to gli, glie form and the direct objec pronoun are written as one word.
      \direct
indirect\
lo
la
li
le
ne
mi
me lo
me la
me li
me le
me ne
ti
te lo
te la
te li
te le
te ne
gli, le, Le
glielo
gliela
glieli
gliele
gliene
ci
ce lo
ce la
ce li
ce le
ce ne
vi
ve lo
ve la
ve li
ve le
ve ne
...loro o gli
lo... loro
glielo
la... loro
gliela
li... loro
glieli
le... loro
gliele
ne... loro
gliene
Both pronouns are always before the verb:
Te lo regalo. Ve ne ho parlato. Glieli manderò. Me li hai comprati?

unless the verb is an infinitive, in which case they are attaged as suffixes to the infinitive:
E' importante parlargliene
(exceptions to the exception: Voglio/Posso/So/Devo parlargliene or Gliene voglio/posso/so/devo parlare.)

or an imperative, where they are also attached to the verb form
Diglielo! Compramelo!

Imperative with Pronoun:

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Pronouns are always attached to the end of imperatives:
Andiamoci! Non fatelo! Compramelo! Parlagli! (but also Parla loro!) Svegliati! Alziamoci!

Negative imperatives (tu) alow two constructions:
Non andarci! or Non ci andare! - Non comprarmelo! or Non me lo comprare!

Negation:

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A verb is negated by preceding it with "non."  When there is an object pronoun in front of the verb, "non" comes before the object pronoun:
"Non mi telefona" <He doesn't call me>.

A negative response, as in English, may consist of the single word "No":
"Lei parla italiano?-- No" <Do you speak Italian?-- No>.

Double negatives are standard in Italian:
"Non vedo nessuno" <I don't see nobody = anybody>.

Verbs "i verbi":

Conjugation:  tense, person, and number

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There are three verb CONJUGATIONS ("coniugazione") in Italian, identified by the endings of the infinitives:
First Conjugation
-are
"parlare"
<to talk>
Second Conjugation
-ere
"vendere"
<to sell>
Third Conjugation
-ire
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
There are four SIMPLE TENSES:
PRESENT:
"Parlo"
<I speak>
FUTURE:
"Parlerò"
<I will speak>
IMPERFECT:
"Parlavo"
<I used to speak>
SIMPLE PAST:
"Parlai"
<Ispoke>
 
There are four COMPOUND TENSES:
PRESENT PERFECT:
"Ho parlato"
<I have spoken, I spoke>
-
"Sono arrivato"
<I have arrived, I arrived>
FUTURE PERFECT:
"Avrò parlato"
<I will have spoken>
-
"Sarò arrivato"
<I will have arrived>
PLUPERFECT:
"Avevo parlato"
<I had spoken>
 -
"Ero arrivato"
<I had arrived>
PAST ANTERIOR:
"Ebbi parlato"
<I had spoken>
 -
"Fui arrivato"
<I had arrived>
 
The pluperfect is sometimes called the past perfect or first past perfect; the past anterior is sometimes called the preterite perfect or second past perfect.

There are four verbal MOODS or modes ("modi"):

INDICATIVE (stating a fact):  "Parlo italiano" <I speak Italian>

SUBJUNCTIVE (expressing an attitude):  "Credo che lei parli italiano" <I think she speaks Italian>

CONDITIONAL (indicating a possibility):  "Gli studenti parlerebbero italiano, se potessero"
        <The students would speak Italian if they could>

IMPERATIVE (giving a command):  "Parla italiano!" <Speak Italian!>

The conjugated forms of verbs agree with the person and number of the subject.  There are two NUMBERS (singular and plural) and three PERSONS.  First person is the speaker; second person is the one spoken to; third person is the one spoken
about.

1ST PERSON: 
io parlo  <I speak>
noi parliamo  <we speak>
2ND PERSON: 
tu parli  <you speak>
voi parlate  <you speak>
3RD PERSON: 
lei parla  <she speaks>
loro parlano  <they speak>
 
The "Lei/Loro" (polite "you") form of address is second person but uses third person verb forms.

First Conjugation:

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Present Infinitive                               Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive)
      parlare (to talk)                                    avere parlato
Present Participle                              Past Participle
      parlando                                                 parlato, -ata, -ati, -ate
 
Present
 
Present
Perfect
io
parlo
-
ho Parlato
tu
parli
-
hai parlato
lui/lei
parla
-
ha Parlato
noi
parliamo
-
abbiamo parlato
voi
parlate
-
avete parlato
loro
parlano
-
hanno parlato
 
 
Imperfect
 
Pluperfect
(Past Perfect)
io
parlavo
-
avevo parlato
tu
parlavi
-
avevi parlato
lui/lei
parlava
-
aveva parlato
noi
parlavamo
-
avevamo parlato
voi
parlavate
-
avevate parlato
loro
parlavano
-
avevano parlato
 
 
Future
 
Future Perfect
(Future Anterior)
io
parlerò
-
avrò parlato
tu
parlerai
-
avrai parlato
lui/lei
parlerà
-
avrà parlato
noi
parleremo
-
avremo parlato
voi
parlerete
-
avrete parlato
loro
parleranno
-
avranno parlato
 
 
Simple
past
 
Preterite Perfect
(Past Anterior)
io
parlai
-
ebbi parlato
tu
parlasti
-
avesti parlato
lui/lei
parlò
-
ebbe parlato
noi
parlammo
-
avemmo parlato
voi
parlaste
-
aveste parlato
loro
parlarono
-
ebbero parlato
 
 
-Present
Subjunctive
 
Past
Subjunctive
io
parli
-
abbia parlato
tu
parli
-
abbia parlato
lui/lei
parli
-
abbia parlato
noi
parliamo
-
abbiamo parlato
voi
parliate
-
abbiate parlato
loro
parlino
-
abbiano parlato
 
 
Imperfect
Subjunctive
 
Past Perfect
Subjunctive
io
parlassi
-
avessi parlato
tu
parlassi
-
avessi parlato
lui/lei
parlasse
-
avesse parlato
noi
parlassimo
-
avessimo parlato
voi
parlaste
-
aveste parlato
loro
parlassero
-
avessero parlato
 
 
Present
Conditional
 
Past
Conditional
io
parlerei
-
avrei parlato
tu
parleresti
-
avresti parlato
lui/lei
parlerebbe
-
avrebbe parlato
noi
parleremmo
-
avremmo parlato
voi
parlereste
-
avreste parlato
loro
parlerebbero
-
avrebbero parlato
 
 
Present Imperative
tu
parla
Lei 
parli
voi
parlate
Loro
parlino

Second Conjugation

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Present Infinitive                               Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive)
     vendere (to sell)                                      avere venduto
Present Participle                              Past Participle
     vendendo                                                  venduto, -uta, -uti, -ute
 
Present
 
Perfect
(Passato Prossimo)
io
vendo
-
ho venduto
tu
vendi
-
hai venduto
lui/lei
vende
-
ha venduto
noi
vendiamo
-
abbiamo venduto
voi
vendete
-
avete venduto
loro
vendono
-
hanno venduto
 
 
Imperfect
 
Pluperfect
(PastPerfect)
io
vendevo
-
avevo venduto
tu
vendevi
-
avevi venduto
lui/lei
vendeva
-
aveva venduto
noi
vendevamo
-
avevamo venduto
voi
vendevate
-
avevate venduto
loro
vendevano
-
avevano venduto
 
 
Future
 
Future Perfect
(Future anterior)
io
venderò
-
avrò venduto
tu
venderai
-
avrai venduto
lui/lei
venderà
-
avrà venduto
noi
venderemo
-
avremo venduto
voi
venderete
-
avrete venduto
loro
venderanno
-
avranno venduto
 
 
Simple Past
(Historic)
 
Past Anterior
io
vendei
-
ebbi venduto
tu
vendesti
-
avesti venduto
lui/lei
vendè
-
ebbe venduto
noi
vendemmo
-
avemmo venduto
voi
vendeste
-
aveste venduto
loro
venderono
-
ebbero venduto
 
 
Present
Subjunctive
 
Past
Subjunctive
io
venda
-
abbia venduto
tu
venda
-
abbia venduto
lui/lei
venda
-
abbia venduto
noi
vendiamo
-
abbiamo venduto
voi
vendiate
-
abbiate venduto
loro
vendano
-
abbiano venduto
 
 
Imperfect
Subjunctive
 
Past Perfect
Subjunctive
io
vendessi
-
avessi venduto
tu
vendessi
-
avessi venduto
lui/lei
vendesse
-
avesse venduto
noi
vendessimo
-
avessimo venduto
voi
vendeste
-
aveste venduto
loro
vendessero
-
avessero venduto
 
 
Present
Conditional
 
Past
Conditional
io
venderei
-
avrei venduto
tu
venderesti
-
avresti venduto
lui/lei
venderebbe
-
avrebbe venduto
noi
venderemmo
-
avremmo venduto
voi
vendereste
-
avreste venduto
loro
venderebbero
-
avrebbero venduto
 
 
PresentImperative
tu
vendi
Lei
venda
voi
vendete
Loro
vendano

Third Conjugation

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Present Infinitive                               Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive)
     dormire (to sleep)                                    avere dormito
Present Participle                              Past Participle
     dormendo                                                 dormito, -ita, -iti, -ite
 
Present
 
Perfect
(Passato Prossimo)
io
dormo
-
hodormito
tu
dormi
-
haidormito
lui/lei
dorme
-
hadormito
noi
dormiamo
-
abbiamodormito
voi
dormite
-
avetedormito
loro
dormono
-
hannodormito
 
 
Imperfect
 
Pluperfect
(Past Perfect)
io
dormivo
-
avevo dormito
tu
dormivi
-
avevi dormito
lui/lei
dormiva
-
aveva dormito
noi
dormivamo
-
avevamo dormito
voi
dormivate
-
avevate dormito
loro
dormivano
-
avevano dormito
 
 
Future
 
Future Perfect
(Future Anterior)
io
dormirò
-
avrò dormito
tu
dormirai
-
avrai dormito
luilei
dormirà
-
avrà dormito
noi
dormiremo
-
avremo dormito
voi
dormiete
-
avrete dormito
loro
dormiranno
-
avranno dormito
 
 
Simple Past
(Historic)
 
Past Anterior
io
dormii
-
ebbi dormito
tu
dormisti
-
avesti dormito
lui/lei
dormì
-
ebbe dormito
noi
dormimmo
-
avemmo dormito
voi
dormiste
-
aveste dormito
loro
dormirono
-
ebbero dormito
 
 
Present
Subjunctive
 
Past
Subjunctive
io
dorma
-
abbia dormito
tu
dorma
-
abbia dormito
lui/lei
dorma
-
abbia dormito
noi
dormiamo
-
abbiamo dormito
voi
dormiate
-
abbiate dormito
loro
dormano
-
abbiano dormito
 
 
Imperfect
subjunctive
 
Past Perfect
Subjunctive
io
dormissi
-
avessi dormito
tu
dormissi
-
avessi dormito
lui/lei
dormisse
-
avesse dormito
noi
dormissimo
-
avessimo dormito
voi
dormiste
-
aveste dormito
loro
dormissero
-
avessero dormito
 
 
Present
Conditional
 
Past
Conditional
io
dormirei
-
avrei dormito
tu
dormiresti
-
avresti dormito
lui/lei
dormirebbe
-
avrebbe dormito
noi
dormiremmo
-
avremmo dormito
voi
dormireste
-
avreste dormito
loro
dormirebbero
-
avrebbero dormito
 
 
Present Imperative
tu
dormi
Lei
dorma
voi
dormite
Loro
dormano

Avere and Essere:

Avere (to have)
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Present
Imperfect
Simple
Past
Future
Present 
subjunctive
Imperfect
Subjunctive
Conditional
 
Gerund 
 present:
io
ho
avevo
ebbi
avrò
abbia
avessi
avrei
 
   avendo
tu
hai
avevi
avesti
avrai
abbia
avessi
avresti
 
 
lui/
lei
ha
aveva
ebbe
avrà
abbia
avesse
avrebbe
 
 
noi
abbiamo
avevamo
avemmo
avremmo
abbiamo
avessimo
avremmo
 
Past
participle:
voi
avete
avevate
aveste
avrete
abbiate
aveste
avreste
 
   avuto
loro
hanno
avevano
ebbero
avranno
abbiano
avessero
avrebbero
 
 

essere (to be)

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Present 
Imperfect
Simple
Past
Future
Present
subjunctive
Imperfect
Subjunctive
Conditional
 
Gerund
present:
io
sono
ero
fui
sarò
sia
fossi
sarei
 
   essendo
tu
sei
eri
fosti
sarai
sia
fossi
saresti
 
 
lui/
lei
è
era
fu
sarà
sia
fosse
sarebbe
 
 
noi
siamo
eravamo
fummo
saremo
siamo
fossimo
saremmo
 
Past 
participle:
voi
siete
eravate
foste
sarete
siate
foste
sareste
 
   stato
loro
sono
erano
furono
saranno
siano
fossero
sarebbero
 
 

The PRESENT tense ("presente"):

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of regular verbs is formed by adding a set of personal endings to the verb stem.

 
First conjugation
 
 
Second conjugation
 
 
"parlare"
<to speak>
 
"vendere"
<to sell>
io
parl-o
<I speak
 
vend-o
<I sell>
tu
parl-i
<you speak>
 
vend-i
<you sell>
lei
parl-a
<she speaks>
 
vend-e
<she sells>
noi
parl-iamo
<we speak>
 
vend-iamo
<we sell>
voi
parl-ate
<you speak>
 
vend-ete
<you sell>
loro
parl-ano
<they speak>
 
vend-ono
<they sell>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Third conjugation
 
 
Third (-isco) congugation
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
"pulire"
<to clean>
io
dorm-o
<I sleep>
 
pul-isco
<I clean>
tu
dorm-i
<you sleep>
 
pul-isci
<you clean>
lei
dorm-e
<she sleeps>
 
pul-isce
<she cleans>
noi
dorm-iamo
<we sleep>
 
pul-iamo
<we clean>
voi
dorm-ite
<you sleep>
 
pul-ite
<you clean>
loro
dorm-ono
<theysleep>
 
pul-iscono
<theyclean>
 
The present tense can have the sense of the English present progressive:
"scrive" <she is writing>.

The present tense is also used in conversation to refer to actions which will take place in the immediate future.

It is occasionally used in literature to replace the past tense, lending an immediacy to the narrative (vivid present).

The FUTURE tense ("futuro"):

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is formed on the basis of a future stem, which is the same as the infinitive (dropping the final "-e"), except that the A of 1st conjugation -AR verbs changes to E.  Identical personal endings are used for all three conjugations:

 
FIRST CONJUGATION
 
 
SECOND CONJUGATION
 
 
"parlare"
<tospeak>
 
"vendere"
<to sell>
 
future stem:  parler-
 
 
future stem:  vender-
 
io
Parler-ò
<I will speak>
 
vender-ò
<I will sell>
tu
parler-ai
<you will speak>
 
vender-ai
<you will sell>
lei
parler-à
<she will speak>
 
vender-à
<she will sell>
noi
parler-emo
<we will speak>
 
vender-emo
<we will sell>
voi
parler-ete
<you will speak>
 
vender-ete
<you will sell>
loro
parler-anno
<they will speak>
 
vender-anno
<they will sell>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD CONJUGATION
 
 
 
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
 
 
 
future stem:  dormir-
 
 
 
 
io
dormir-ò
<I will sleep>
 
 
 
tu
dormir-ai
<you will sleep>
 
 
 
lei
dormir-à
<she will sleep>
 
 
 
noi
dormir-emo
<we will sleep>
 
 
 
voi
dormir-ete
<you will sleep>
 
 
 
loro
dormir-anno
<they will sleep>
 
 
 
 
In addition to expressing future time, the future tense is used to express uncertainty or probability in the present:  "Saranno le cinque" <It must be around five o'clock>.

Other ways of expressing the future:

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The present tense in Italian can be used to express actions intended or planned for the near future.  Words denoting future time such as "domani (tomorrow)," "stasera (this evening)," etc., are usual but not necessary indicators of this construction.
Vieni con noi [domani sera]?   (Are you coming with us [tomorrow evening]?)
No, mi dispiace -- [domani sera] lavoro.  (No, I'm sorry -- I'm working [tomorrow evening].)

The future tense is often used in Italian to make a guess about something in the present. This is called the future of possibility.
Che ore saranno?  (What time could it be?)  Saranno le due.  (It could be around two.)
Di chi è questo libro?  (Whose book is this?)  Sarà di Sergio.  (It might be Sergio's.)

The IMPERFECT tense ("imperfetto"):

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of regular verbs is formed by replacing the final "_re" of the infinitive form with personal endings.  Those endings always begin with the letter "v" and are identical for all three conjugations.

 
FIRST CONJUGATION
 
 
SECOND CONJUGATION
 
 
"parlare" 
<to sell>
 
"vendere" 
<to sell>
 
imperfect stem: parla
 
 
imperfect stem: vende
 
io
parla--vo
<I used to speak>
 
vende--vo
<I sold>
tu
parla--vi
<you used to speak>
 
vende--vi
<you sold>
lei
parla--va
<she used to speak>
 
vende--va
<she sold>
noi
parla--vamo
<we used to speak>
 
vende--vamo
<we sold>
voi
parla--vate
<you used to speak>
 
vende--vate
<you sold>
loro
parla--vano
<they used to speak>
 
vende--vano
<they sold>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD CONJUGATION
 
 
 
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
 
 
 
perfect stem: dormi-
 
 
 
 
io
dormi-vo
<I was sleeping>
 
 
 
tu
dormi-vi
<you were sleeping>
 
 
 
lei
dormi-va
<she was sleeping>
 
 
 
noi
dormi-vamo
<we were sleeping>
 
 
 
voi
dormi-vate
<you were sleeping>
 
 
 
loro
dormi-vano
<they were sleeping>
 
 
 
 
The imperfect tense describes a situation in the past, or an action which was ongoing or repeated.  For this reason, it is sometimes called the past descriptive.

The SIMPLE PAST tense ("passato remoto"):

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of regular verbs is formed by adding personal endings directly to the verb stems.  Each conjugation has a separate set of endings:

 
FIRST CONJUGATION
 
 
SECOND CONJUGATION
 
 
"parlare" 
<to speak>
 
"vendere" 
<to sell>
io
parl-ai
<I spoke>
 
vend-ei
<I sold>
tu
parl-asti
<you spoke>
 
vend-esti
<you sold>
lei
parl-ò
<she spoke>
 
vend-è
<she sold>
noi
parl-ammo
<we spoke>
 
vend-emmo
<we sold>
voi
parl-aste
<you spoke>
 
vend-este
<you sold>
loro
parl-arono
<they spoke>
 
vend-erono
<they sold>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD CONJUGATION
 
 
 
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
 
 
io
Dorm-ii
<I slept>
 
 
 
tu
dorm-isti
<you slept>
 
 
 
lei
dorm-ì
<she slept>
 
 
 
noi
dorm-immo
<we slept>
 
 
 
voi
dorm-iste
<you slept>
 
 
 
loro
dorm-irono
<they slept>
 
 
 
Second conjugation -ERE verbs have the following alternate endings (unless the verb stem ends in "-t", as with "pot-ere"):
io vend-etti; lei vend-ette; loro vend-ettero.

The simple past tense narrates an action with a beginning and an end.  For this reason, it is sometimes called the past historic.  It is also called the preterite, or the past absolute.

The COMPOUND or PERFECT TENSES:

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are formed with the auxiliary verb "avere" or "essere" and the past participle of the main verb.

"Avere" is used with transitive verbs, and with many intransitive verbs which express an action:
"Non l'ho visto" <I haven't seen him>;
"Ho parlato" <I have spoken>.
The past participle does not agree with the subject, although it agrees with a preceding direct object:
"Non l'ho vista" <I haven't seen her>.

"Essere" is used with reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs, and verbs which express a change or continuance in a certain state:
"Mi sono lavato" <I washed myself>;
"Ci siamo parlati" <We have spoken to one another>;
"Eravate partite" <You women had left>.
Notice that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.

There are four compound tenses in the INDICATIVE mood:
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PRESENT PERFECT:
"Ho parlato"
<I have spoken, I spoke>
 
"Sono arrivato"
<I have arrived, I arrived>
FUTURE PERFECT:
"Avrò parlato"
<I will have spoken>
 
"Sarò arrivato"
<I will have arrived>
PLUPERFECT:
"Avevo parlato"
<I had spoken>
 
"Ero arrivato"
<I had arrived>
PAST ANTERIOR:
"Ebbi parlato"
<I had spoken>
 
"Fui arrivato"
<I had arrived>
 
The present perfect uses a present tense auxiliary;
the future perfect uses a future tense auxiliary;
the pluperfect uses an imperfect auxiliary;
the past anterior uses a simple past auxiliary.

The pluperfect is sometimes called the past perfect or first past perfect;
the past anterior is sometimes called the preterite perfect or second past perfect.
 

There are two compound tenses in the SUBJUNCTIVE mood:

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PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE:
"Abbia parlato"
<I have spoken>
 
"Sia arrivato"
<I have arrived>
PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE:
"Avessi parlato"
<I had spoken>
 
"Fossi arrivato"
<I had arrived>

There is one compound tense in the CONDITIONAL mood:

PAST CONDITIONAL:
"Avrei parlato"
<I would have spoken>
 
"Sarei arrivato"
<I would have arrived>

The PRESENT PERFECT tense ("passato prossimo"):

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is formed with a present tense auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.  It often should be translated by the English simple past rather than the English perfect tense which it resembles:

"L'ho fatto per te" <I did it for you>.

The present perfect tense describes an action which occurred at a definite time in the past.
io
ho
parlato
<I have spoken, I spoke>
tu
hai
parlato
<you have spoken, you spoke>
lei
ha
parlato
<she has spoken, she spoke>
noi
abbiamo
parlato
<we have spoken, we spoke>
voi
avete
parlato
<you have spoken, you spoke>
loro
hanno
parlato
<they have spoken, they spoke>
 
 
 
 
io
sono
arrivato
<I have arrived, I arrived>
tu
sei
arrivato
<you have arrived, you arrived>
lei
è
arrivata
<she has arrived, she arrived>
noi
siamo
arrivati
<we have arrived, we arrived>
voi
siete
arrivati
<you have arrived, you arrived>
loro
sono
arrivate
<they (f.) have arrived, they arrived>
The FUTURE PERFECT tense ("futuro anteriore"):
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is formed with a future tense auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.  It describes an action which will occur in the future prior to another future event or situation, and must often be translated by the English present tense:
"Quando avrai finito,  ceneremo" <When you have finished, we will eat supper>.

The future perfect may also indicate conjecture or possibility with regard to a past event:
"Sarà andato al teatro" <He probably went to the theater>.

io
avrò
parlato
<I will have spoken>
tu
avrai
parlato
<you will have spoken>
lei
avrà
parlato
<she will have spoken>
noi
avremo
parlato
<we will have spoken>
voi
avrete
parlato
<you will have spoken>
loro
avranno
parlato
<they will have spoken>
 
 
 
 
io
sarò
arrivato
<I will have arrived>
tu
sarai
arrivato
<you will have arrived>
lei
sarà
arrivata
<she will have arrived>
noi
saremo
arrivati
<we will have arrived>
voi
sarete
arrivati
<you will have arrived>
loro
saranno
arrivate
<they (f.) will have arrived>

The PLUPERFECT or past perfect tense ("trapassato prossimo"):

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is formed with an auxiliary in the imperfect tense and a past participle of the main verb.  It is sometimes called the first past perfect, to distinguish it from the past anterior (the second past perfect).  It describes an action which occurred in the past prior to another past event or situation.
io
avevo
parlato
<I had spoken>
tu
avevi
parlato
<you had spoken>
lei
aveva
parlato
<she had spoken>
noi
avevamo
parlato
<we had spoken>
voi
avevate
parlato
<you had spoken>
loro
avevano
parlato
<they had spoken>
 
 
 
 
io
ero
arrivato
<I had arrived>
tu
eri
arrivato
<you had arrived>
lei
era
arrivata
<she had arrived>
noi
eravamo
arrivati
<we had arrived>
voi
eravate
arrivati
<you had arrived>
loro
erano
arrivate
<they (f.) had arrived>

The PAST ANTERIOR or preterite perfect tense ("trapassato remoto"):

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is formed with an auxiliary in the simple past tense along with a past participle of the main verb.  It is sometimes called the second past perfect, to distinguish it from the pluperfect tense (the first past perfect).


The past anterior is a literary tense, not used in conversation.  Like the pluperfect, it describes an action which took place in the past prior to another past action (in the simple past tense), and must be introduced by
"quando" <when>,
"dopo che" <after> or
"appena" <as soon as>:
"Quando avesti finito, cenammo" <When you had finished, we ate supper>.

io
ebbi
parlato
<I had spoken>
tu
avesti
parlato
<you had spoken>
lei
ebbe
parlato
<she had spoken>
noi
avemmo
parlato
<we had spoken>
voi
aveste
parlato
<you had spoken>
loro
ebbero
parlato
<they had spoken>
 
 
 
 
io
fui
arrivato
<I had arrived>
tu
fosti
arrivato
<you had arrived>
lei
fu
arrivato
<she had arrived>
noi
fummo
arrivati
<we had arrived>
voi
foste
arrivati
<you had arrived>
loro
furono
arrivate
<they (f.) had arrived>

The CONDITIONAL mood ("condizionale"):

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is used to express a doubt, a wish, or a possibility.
Che cosa avremmo devuto fare?  <What should we have done?>
Vorrei un panino di prosciutto.  <I would like a hame sandwich.>
Gli studenti parlerebbero italiano, se potessero.  <The students would speak Italian if they could.>

The conditional is also used in reported speech.  In English, the conditional is used for reported speech with a past tense verb of saying ("She said she would come") and the future tense is used for reported speech with a present tense verb of saying ("She says she will come").

In Italian, though, the present conditional is used with a present tense verb of saying:
"Dice che verrebbe" <She says she would come>.

The past conditional is used with a past tense verb of saying:
"Disse che sarebbe venuta" <She said she would have come>.

The Present conditional is based on the future stem, and adds identical personal endings to all three conjugations:
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FIRST 
CONJUGATION
"parlare" 
<to speak>
future stem: 
parler-
 
io
parler-ei
<I would speak>
tu
parler-esti
<you would speak>
lei
parler-ebbe
<she would speak>
noi
parler-emmo
<we would speak>
voi
parler-este
<you would speak>
loro
parler-ebbero
<they would speak>
 
 
 
SECOND
CONJUGATION
"vendere" 
<to sell>
future stem: 
vender-
 
io
vender-ei
<I would sell>
tu
vender-esti
<you would sell>
lei
vender-ebbe
<she would sell>
noi
vender-emmo
<we would sell>
voi
vender-este
<you would sell>
loro
vender-ebbero
<they would sell>
 
 
 
THIRD
CONJUGATION
"dormire"
<to sleep>
future stem: 
dormir-
 
io
dormir-ei
<I would sleep>
tu
dormir-esti
<you would sleep>
lei
dormir-ebbe
<she would sleep>
noi
dormir-emmo
<we would sleep>
voi
dormir-este
<you would sleep>
loro
dormir-ebbero
<they would sleep>

The PAST CONDITIONAL ("condizionale passato") is a perfect tense using the conditional of the auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.

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io
avrei
parlato
<I would have spoken>
tu
avresti
parlato
<you would have spoken>
lei
avrebbe
parlato
<she would have spoken>
noi
avremmo
parlato
<we would have spoken>
voi
avreste
parlato
<you would have spoken>
loro
avrebbero
parlato
<they would have spoken>
 
 
 
 
io
sarei
arrivato
<I would have arrived>
tu
saresti
arrivato
<you would have arrived>
lei
sarebbe
arrivata
<she would have arrived>
noi
saremmo
arrivati
<we would have arrived>
voi
sareste
arrivati
<you would have arrived>
loro
sarebbero
arrivate
<they (f.) would have arrived>

The SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo"):

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indicates a subjective attitude toward the action or situation described by the verb.  It is used to express an opinion or an uncertainty:
"Penso che dorma" <I think he's sleeping>;
"Che abbia venduto la macchina?"  <I wonder if he sold his car?>

It is also used after verbs of emotion, and of willing or hindering an event:
"Ho paura che sia troppo tardi" <I am afraid it may be too late>;
"Desidero che venga con me" <I want her to come with me>.

The subjunctive is always used after impersonal constructions ("It is...") and for the polite imperative ("Lei"):
"Bisogna che venda la sua macchina" <It is necessary for him to sell his car>;
"Parli piano" <Speak slowly/more literally: "If you would speak slowly>.

The subjunctive has four tenses: present, perfect, imperfect and pluperfect.
 

The PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo presente") is formed as follows:

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First 
Conjugation
 
 
Second 
Conjugation
 
 
"parlare"
<to speak>
 
"vendere"
<to sell>
io
parl-i 
<I speak>
 
vend-a
<I sell>
tu
parl-i
<you speak>
 
vend-a
<you sell>
lei
parl-i
<she speaks>
 
vend-a
<she sells>
noi
parl-iamo
<we speak>
 
vend-iamo
<we sell>
voi
parl-iate
<you speak>
 
vend-iate
<you sell>
loro
parl-ino
<they speak>
 
vend-ano
<they sell>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD
CONJUGATION
 
 
THIRD (-isco) 
CONJUGATION 
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
"pulire" 
<to clean>
io
dorm-a
<I sleep>
 
pul-isca 
<I clean>
tu
dorm-a
<you sleep>
 
pul-isca
<you clean>
lei
dorm-a 
<she sleeps>
 
pul-isca
<she cleans>
noi
dorm-iamo
<we sleep>
 
pul-iamo
<we clean>
voi
dorm-iate
<you sleep>
 
pul-iate
<you clean>
loro
dorm-ano
<they sleep>
 
pul-iscano
<they clean>

 

The IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo imperfetto") is formed by adding personal endings to the imperfect stem.  The endings are identical for all three conjugations:
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FIRST
CONJUGATION
 
 
SECOND 
CONJUGATION
 
 
"parlare"
<to speak>
 
"vendere"
<to sell>
 
imperfect stem: parla-
 
 
imperfect stem: vende-
 
io
parla-ssi
<I used to speak>
 
vende-ssi
<I sold>
tu
parla-ssi
<you used to speak>
 
vende-ssi
<you sold>
lei
parla-sse
<she used to speak>
 
vende-sse
<she sold>
noi
parla-ssimo
<we used to speak>
 
vende-ssimo
<we sold>
voi
parla-ste
<you used to speak>
 
vende-ste
<you sold>
loro
parla-ssero 
<they used to speak>
 
vende-ssero
<they sold>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD 
CONJUGATION
 
 
 
 
 
"dormire"
<to sleep>
 
 
 
 
imperfect stem: dormi-
 
 
 
 
io
dormi-ssi
<I was sleeping>
 
 
 
tu
dormi-ssi
<you were sleeping>
 
 
 
lei
dormi-sse
<she was sleeping>
 
 
 
noi
dormi-ssimo
<we were sleeping>
 
 
 
voi
dormi-ste
<you were sleeping>
 
 
 
loro
dormi-ssero
<they were sleeping>
 
 
 

 

The PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE or PAST SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo passato") consists of the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.
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io
abbia
parlato
<I have spoken, I spoke>
tu
abbia
parlato
<you have spoken, you spoke>
lei
abbia
parlato
<she has spoken, she spoke>
noi
abbiamo
parlato
<we have spoken, we spoke>
voi
abbiate
parlato
<you have spoken, you spoke>
loro
abbiano
parlato
<they have spoken, they spoke>
 
 
 
 
io
sia
arrivato
<I have arrived, I arrived>
tu
sia
arrivato
<you have arrived, you arrived>
lei
sia
arrivata
<she has arrived, she arrived>
noi
siamo
arrivati
<we have arrived, we arrived>
voi
siate
arrivati
<you have arrived, you arrived>
loro
siano
arrivate
<they (f.) have arrived, they arrived>

The PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo trapassato") consists of the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb.

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io
avessi
parlato
<I had spoken>
tu
avessi
parlato
<you had spoken>
lei
avesse
parlato
<she had spoken>
noi
avessimo
parlato
<we had spoken>
voi
aveste
parlato
<you had spoken>
loro
avessero
parlato
<they had spoken>
 
 
 
 
io
fossi
arrivato
<I had arrived>
tu
fossi
arrivato
<you had arrived>
lei
fosse
arrivata
<she had arrived>
noi
fossimo
arrivati
<we had arrived>
voi
foste
arrivati
<you had arrived>
loro
fossero
arrivate
<they (f.) had arrived>

 

Verbs and expressions that require the subjunctive in a dependent clause express:

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Emotion (joy, hope, sorrow, fear):
Sono contenta che lei lavori.  (I'm happy she is working.)
Temiamo che piova.  (We're afraid it's raining.)

A wish or command:
La maestra vuole che gli studenti ascoltino.  (The teacher wants the students to listen.)
Voglio che tu lavori.  (I want you to work.)

An opinion:
Penso che siano ricchi.  (I think they are rich.)
Crede che Caterina abbia torto.  (He thinks that Caterina is wrong.)

Doubt or uncertainty:
Non siamo sicuri che Angelo capisca.  (We're not sure Angelo understands.)
Dubita che Cristina arrivi.  (He doubts (that) Cristina will arrive.)

Expectation:
Aspettiamo che lui venga.  (We are waiting for him to come.)

Verbs that express advising, permitting, forbidding, ordering, such as suggerire, ordinare, comandare, lasciare, permettere, proibire, raccomandare can be followed by two different constructions having the same meaning.
Permetti che io legga.  (Will you let me read?)
Mi permitti di leggere.  (Will you let me read?)

Subjunctive after Se and Impersonal Expressions:

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A hypothetical sentence (periodo ipotetico) consists of two clauses:  a dependent clause introduced by se (if) indicating a condition, a possibility, or a hypothesis: and an independent clause indicating the result of the condition. A hypothetical sentence can express real situations, probable situations, and improbable situations.
Real:
Se vanno in Italia, visitano molte città.  (If they go to Italy, they (will) visit many cities.)
Probable:
Se andassero in Italia, visiterebbero molte città.  (If they went to Italy, they would visit many cities.)
Improbable:
Se fossero andati in Italia, avrebbero visitato molte città.  (If they had gone to Italy, they would have visited many cities.)

When unlikely situations are described, the se clause is in the imperfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional:
Se lui avesse una macchina, andrebbe in montagna.  (If he had a car, he would go to the mountains.)

When impossible situations are described, the se clause is in the past perfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional, usually the conditional perfect:
Se avesse studiato, avrebbe superato l'esame.  (If she had studied, she would have passed the test.)

The subjunctive is used in a dependent clause and is introduced by che after impersonal verbs and expressions that express doubt, uncertainty, emotion.
E' importante che lei finisca il progetto.  (It is important that she finishes the project.)
E' probabile che siano partiti.   (It's probable that they left.)

All impersonal verbs and expressions are followed by a verb in the infinitive if the verb has no expressed subject.
Expressed subject
E' importante che tu parta.  (It's important that you leave.)
Unexpressed subject
E' importante partire.  (It's important to leave.)

Imperative:

Strictly speaking, the imperative mood is only used for second person ("you") familiar commands.  For the other persons, the subjunctive mood is used as a "polite imperative."

Familiar ("tu" and "voi") positive commands are expressed by using the present indicative form, except that the imperative singular of first conjugation -ARE verbs ends in "-a" instead of "-i":

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FIRST CONJUGATION
 
 
SECOND CONJUGATION
 
tu
parla
 <speak!>
 
vendi
<sell!>
voi
parlate
<speak!>
 
vendete
<sell!>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THIRD CONJUGATION
 
 
THIRD (-isco) CONJUGATION
 
tu
dormi
<sleep!>
 
pulisci
<clean!>
voi
dormite
<sleep!>
 
pulite
<clean!>
 
The NEGATIVE of familiar singular commands is expressed with the infinitive form
"Non parlare" <Don't talk!>;
"Non vendere la tua macchina" <Don't sell your car>;
"Non dormire" <Don't sleep>.

This is also the form used in written instructions (public signs, recipes, etc.), where it has a polite, impersonal sense:
"Non fumare" <No smoking>.
 

The polite forms of the second person ("Lei/Loro") and the first person plural ("noi") use the present subjunctive for commands:

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FIRST 
CONJUGATION
 
 
Lei
parli
<you should speak>
Loro
parlino
<you all should speak>
noi
parliamo
<let's speak>
 
 
 
SECOND 
CONJUGATION
 
 
Lei
venda
<you should sell>
Loro
vendano
<you all should sell>
noi
vendiamo
<let's sell>
 
 
 
THIRD 
CONJUGATION
 
 
Lei
dorma
<you should sleep>
Loro
dormano
<you all should sleep>
noi
dormiamo
<let's sleep>

The REFLEXIVE VERB ("verbo riflessivo")

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expresses an action in which the subject is also the object:
"Mi lavo" <I wash myself>.

Reflexive verbs are conjugated with reflexive pronouns which normally precede the finite verb form but are attached to infinitives, adverbial participles (usually called gerunds) and affirmative commands:
"Mi lavo" <I wash myself>;
"lavarsi" <to wash oneself>;
"lavandoci" <washing ourselves>;
"Lavati" <Wash yourself!>.

Reflexive verbs can also express RECIPROCAL actions:
"Si parlano" <They speak to each other>.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS have the same form as direct object pronouns except in the third person, where the invariable form is "si".

 
SINGULAR
 
PLURAL
 
First person
mi
<myself>
ci
<ourselves>
2nd familiar
ti
<yourself>
vi
<yourselves>
2nd polite
si
<yourself>
si
<yourselves>
Third person
si
<him/her/itself>
si
<themselves>

The Passive voice:

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In the PASSIVE VOICE, a verb is turned around so that its object becomes the grammatical subject.  When the agent (doer) of the action is specified, the passive voice is expressed by the following construction:
SUBJECT + "essere" + past participle + "da" + AGENT
"Questa lettera è stata scritta da Paolo"   <This letter was written by Paul>

Since the past participle acts as a predicate adjective  (following the verb "is") in this construction, it agrees in gender and number with the subject.

If the passive subject is a thing and the doer is not mentioned, then a construction called the "SI PASSIVANTE" may be used.  This passive reflexive construction is formed with the pronoun "si":
"Qui si vendono molti libri" <Many books are sold here>.

"Si" is also used as an impersonal pronoun (like the English "one" or "they"> to form IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS with an indefinite subject:
"Qui si mangia bene" <One eats well here>.

In compound tenses, impersonal "si" constructions must be conjugated with "essere" as the auxiliary, even when the verb would otherwise be conjugated with "avere":
"Qui si è lavorato molto" <They worked very hard here>.

If the verb is normally conjugated with "essere," then the past participle has a plural form:
"Si è abituati al lavoro" <They got used to the work>.

Passive conjugation:

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lodare (to praise)
 
 
Present Infinitive
 
Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive)
        essere lodato (to be praised)
 
        essere stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e
Present Participle
 
Past Participle
        essendo lodato/-a/-i/-e
 
        essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e
 
 
 
Present
 
 
Perfect
(Passato Prossimo)
io
sono
lodato
 
sono
stato lodato
tu
sei
lodato
 
sei
stato lodato
lui/lei
è
lodato
 
è
stato lodato
noi
siamo
lodato
 
siamo
stato lodato
voi
siete
lodato
 
siete
stato lodato
loro
sono
lodato
 
sono
stato lodato
 
 
 
Imperfect
 
 
Pluperfect
(Past Perfect)
io
ero
lodato
 
ero
stato lodato
tu
eri
lodato
 
eri
stato lodato
lui/lei
era
lodato
 
era
stato lodato
noi
eravamo
lodato
 
eravamo
stato lodato
voi
eravate
lodato
 
eravate
stato lodato
loro
erano
lodato