Lesson 15.1: Regular Present Tense Verbs – The Well-Behaved Ones 👩🏫✅ #
Not all heroes wear capes — some just follow grammar rules.
Meet regular verbs in the present tense: the ones that don’t throw surprises (unlike essere, avere, and Geoff on a Monday morning).
The Three Regular Verb Endings #
In Italian, regular verbs fall into three lovely and predictable groups:
| Verb Ending | Example Verb | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| -are | parlare | to speak |
| -ere | vivere | to live |
| -ire | dormire | to sleep |
Let’s see how they work.
1. Conjugating -are Verbs (e.g. parlare) #
| Subject | Verb Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| io | parlo | I speak |
| tu | parli | you speak |
| lui/lei | parla | he/she speaks |
| noi | parliamo | we speak |
| voi | parlate | you all speak |
| loro | parlano | they speak |
✅ Bonus tip: Just remove -are and add the endings!
2. Conjugating -ere Verbs (e.g. vivere) #
| Subject | Verb Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| io | vivo | I live |
| tu | vivi | you live |
| lui/lei | vive | he/she lives |
| noi | viviamo | we live |
| voi | vivete | you all live |
| loro | vivono | they live |
3. Conjugating -ire Verbs (e.g. dormire) #
| Subject | Verb Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| io | dormo | I sleep |
| tu | dormi | you sleep |
| lui/lei | dorme | he/she sleeps |
| noi | dormiamo | we sleep |
| voi | dormite | you all sleep |
| loro | dormono | they sleep |
Geoff & Viktor Learn to Speak… and Sleep 😴 #
Geoff: Io parlo italiano!
Geoff: I speak Italian!
Viktor: Bravo! E io dormo… perché tu parli molto. 😆
Viktor: Good job! And I sleep… because you talk a lot. 😆
Geoff: Ma noi impariamo insieme, vero?
Geoff: But we’re learning together, right?
Viktor: Certo! Ma dopo, viviamo un po’ di silenzio?
Viktor: Of course! But afterwards, shall we live a little silence?
Try It Yourself #
Take three regular verbs and conjugate them fully:
- lavorare (to work)
- scrivere (to write)
- partire (to leave)
And don’t worry — these ones follow the rules. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Coming up next: Exercise 15.1 — Finally, grammar practice that won’t hurt your brain.