Common Italian Verbs
Italian verbs are listed in the infinitive, the dictionary form. Every one ends in -are, -ere or -ire, and that ending decides how it changes.
The two you cannot avoid
-
essere
ES-seh-reh
-
to be
sono, sei, è
-
avere
ah-VEH-reh
-
to have
ho, hai, ha. The h is always silent
Everyday actions
-
andare
an-DAH-reh
-
to go
-
venire
veh-NEE-reh
-
to come
-
fare
FAH-reh
-
to do, to make
-
dire
DEE-reh
-
to say
-
vedere
veh-DEH-reh
-
to see
-
parlare
par-LAH-reh
-
to speak
-
mangiare
man-JAH-reh
-
to eat
-
bere
BEH-reh
-
to drink
-
abitare
ah-bee-TAH-reh
-
to live somewhere
-
lavorare
lah-voh-RAH-reh
-
to work
-
chiamarsi
kyah-MAR-see
-
to be called
mi chiamo, ti chiami, si chiama
Verbs that pair with another verb
-
potere
poh-TEH-reh
-
can, to be able to
posso, puoi, può
-
volere
voh-LEH-reh
-
to want
voglio, vuoi, vuole
-
dovere
doh-VEH-reh
-
must, to have to
-
sapere
sah-PEH-reh
-
to know a fact
-
conoscere
koh-NOH-sheh-reh
-
to know a person or place
Endings, and the age trap
For a regular -are verb like parlare, drop the ending and add -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano: parlo, parli, parla.
Italian usually drops the pronoun, because the ending already says who. Parlo italiano needs no io in front of it.
Age uses avere, not essere. Ho venti anni is literally I have twenty years. Sono venti anni is wrong and is one of the most common beginner mistakes.
Avere is also how you say you are hungry, thirsty or cold: ho fame, ho sete, ho freddo.
- Abito a Roma.I live in Rome.
- Ho ventidue anni.I am twenty-two.
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