Irregular verbs #

Verbi irregolari #

1. Essere (to be) #

• Present: Sono felice… finché non controllo il saldo del mio conto. – I am happy… until I check my bank balance.
• Past: Ero al lavoro, ma la mia mente era in vacanza. – I was at work, but my mind was on vacation.
• Future: Sarò in forma… forse… un giorno! – I will be in shape… maybe… one day!

2. Avere (to have) #

• Present: Ho fame ogni due ore come se fossi in allenamento per una maratona culinaria. – I’m hungry every two hours, like I’m training for a food marathon.
• Past: Ho avuto un’idea brillante… peccato che fosse alle 3 di notte e ora non la ricordo più. – I had a brilliant idea… too bad it was at 3 a.m. and now I can’t remember it.
• Future: Avrò un milione di euro… appena trovo una lampada magica. – I’ll have a million euros… as soon as I find a magic lamp.

3. Andare (to go) #

• Present: Vado in palestra… per fare finta di allenarmi e scattare qualche selfie. – I’m going to the gym… to pretend to work out and take a few selfies.
• Past: Sono andato al supermercato… e ho dimenticato quello che dovevo comprare. – I went to the store… and forgot what I needed to buy.
• Future: Andrò a correre… appena smette di piovere (forse tra un mese). – I’ll go for a run… as soon as it stops raining (maybe in a month).

4. Fare (to do/make) #

• Present: Faccio la lista delle cose da fare, poi faccio finta di non averla mai scritta. – I make a to-do list, then pretend I never wrote it.
• Past: Ho fatto una torta… che è uscita dal forno come un mattoncino. – I made a cake… that came out of the oven like a brick.
• Future: Farò del mio meglio… o almeno ci penserò seriamente. – I will do my best… or at least I’ll think about it seriously.

5. Dare (to give) #

• Present: Do consigli come se fossi un guru, ma non li seguo mai io stesso. – I give advice like a guru, but I never follow it myself.
• Past: Ti ho dato l’ultima fetta di pizza… ma solo perché ne avevo già mangiate quattro. – I gave you the last slice of pizza… but only because I’d already had four.
• Future: Darò una mano con il trasloco… appena il mio mal di schiena sparisce. – I’ll help with the move… as soon as my back pain disappears.

6. Stare (to stay/be) #

• Present: Sto bene, grazie… anche se sto cercando disperatamente il caffè. – I’m well, thanks… though I’m desperately searching for coffee.
• Past: Siamo stati in spiaggia… e ci siamo abbronzati come gamberi. – We stayed at the beach… and got sunburned like lobsters.
• Future: Starò calmo… ma solo se nessuno tocca il mio dessert. – I’ll stay calm… but only if no one touches my dessert.

7. Venire (to come) #

• Present: Vieni alla festa? C’è pizza gratis! – Are you coming to the party? There’s free pizza!
• Past: Sono venuto alla tua riunione… e ho dormito per metà del tempo. – I came to your meeting… and slept through half of it.
• Future: Verrò a trovarti… non appena finisco questa maratona su Netflix. – I’ll come visit you… as soon as I finish this Netflix marathon.

8. Dire (to say/tell) #

• Present: Dico sempre “domani inizio la dieta”… ma domani non arriva mai. – I always say “I’ll start the diet tomorrow”… but tomorrow never comes.
• Past: Mi hai detto che sarebbe stato facile… non so se ridere o piangere. – You told me it would be easy… I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
• Future: Ti dirò un segreto… appena lo scoprirò anch’io. – I’ll tell you a secret… as soon as I figure it out myself.

9. Sapere (to know) #

• Present: So tutto… soprattutto quando si tratta di serie TV. – I know everything… especially when it’s about TV series.
• Past: Non ho saputo rispondere… ma ho annuito come se capissi tutto. – I didn’t know the answer… but I nodded as if I understood everything.
• Future: Saprò cosa fare… appena Google me lo dirà. – I’ll know what to do… as soon as Google tells me.

10. Uscire (to go out) #

• Present: Usciamo stasera? O rimaniamo a casa a guardare serie? – Are we going out tonight? Or staying home to binge-watch series?
• Past: Sono uscito ieri… e oggi non mi sento più le gambe. – I went out yesterday… and today I can’t feel my legs.
• Future: Uscirò più tardi… se riesco a trovare la mia motivazione. – I’ll go out later… if I can find my motivation.

11. Potere (to be able/can) #

• Present: Posso mangiare tutta la pizza? Certo, se non mi guardi male! – Can I eat all the pizza? Sure, if you don’t give me the side-eye!
• Past: Non ho potuto resistere… e ho comprato quell’ennesimo gadget inutile. – I couldn’t resist… and bought yet another useless gadget.
• Future: Potrò finalmente dormire… il giorno in cui non avrò sveglie. – I’ll finally be able to sleep… the day I have no alarms.

12. Volere (to want) #

• Present: Voglio un gelato… ma la bilancia non sarà d’accordo. – I want ice cream… but the scale won’t agree.
• Past: Ho voluto essere produttivo… ma il divano ha avuto la meglio. – I wanted to be productive… but the couch won.
• Future: Vorrò delle ferie… subito dopo le ferie. – I’ll want a vacation… right after my vacation.

13. Dovere (to have/must) #

• Present: Devo andare in palestra… ma il mio letto dice il contrario. – I have to go to the gym… but my bed says otherwise.
• Past: Abbiamo dovuto fare le pulizie… ma solo perché aspettavamo ospiti. – We had to clean… but only because guests were coming over.
• Future: Dovrò fare la spesa… prima o poi, se voglio cenare. – I’ll have to go grocery shopping… sooner or later, if I want dinner.

Why Do We Use ‘ho’ and ‘sono’ in the Past Tense? #

Learning Italian grammar can feel like cooking pasta al dente: a bit of pressure, but worth it! If you’re wondering why Italians switch between “ho” and “sono” in the past tense, let’s dive in (without overcooking it).

In Italian, “ho” (from avere) and “sono” (from essere) are like your grammar sidekicks. They help form the past tense (passato prossimo) in ways that even native speakers might shrug about. Here’s the scoop:

1. Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs #

• Transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) go with avere (ho, hai, ha, etc.). It’s like they’re ready to pass something around – usually an object!

  Example:
  Ho mangiato la pizza. – I ate the pizza.
  Here, mangiato directly affects pizza, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t be affected by pizza? 🍕

• Intransitive verbs (verbs without a direct object) are often loners and prefer essere (sono, sei, è, etc.), as they don’t need a buddy (aka, a direct object).

  Example:
  Sono uscito. – I went out.
  Uscire (to go out) is a free spirit, so it uses essere to keep things moving along.

2. Movement, Change of State, and Reflexive Verbs #

Essere steps in when there’s action, transformation, or a little self-reflection (yes, Italian grammar is deep like that).

• Movement verbs (think andare – to go, venire – to come, uscire – to go out). If there’s a journey involved, you’re with essere.

  • Example:
    Sono andato a casa. – I went home.
    Just me, going home – not taking anything or anyone with me. Simple!

• Change of state verbs (like nascere – to be born, morire – to die, diventare – to become). If there’s transformation, essere takes the stage.

  • Example:
    È nato ieri. – He was born yesterday.
    Quite a change of state – from nothing to a full human!

• Reflexive verbs (verbs where the action turns back on the subject, like svegliarsi – to wake up). Think of these as verbs that like to look in the mirror.

  • Example:
    Mi sono svegliato tardi. – I woke up late.
    Yep, essere is here too, helping with our late (and often reluctant) start to the day. ☕️

3. Gender and Number Agreement with Essere #

Here’s where essere really shows its Italian flair: the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject. So, be ready to match!

Examples:

• Sono andato (masculine singular) vs. Sono andata (feminine singular)
• Siamo andati (masculine plural) vs. Siamo andate (feminine plural)

With avere, though, the past participle doesn’t worry about matching anyone’s gender or number. It’s easygoing like that.

Example:
Ho mangiato (I ate) – same form whether you’re male or female, young or old. A real crowd-pleaser.

Quick Summary #

• Avere (ho, hai, ha, etc.) is used for most verbs with direct objects – the ones that affect something else.
  Example: Ho letto un libro. – I read a book.

• Essere (sono, sei, è, etc.) is for verbs of movement, change of state, and reflexive verbs – think travel, transformation, or talking to yourself.
  Example: Sono arrivato/a. – I arrived.