Here are 100 everyday Italian verbs in the infinitive, from essere and avere to decidere. Learn these five first: essere (to be), avere (to have), fare (to do, to make), andare (to go) and volere (to want). All five are irregular, so their present tense comes first below, followed by sapere vs conoscere, piacere and the past tense.
- Words
- 100 verbs, in the infinitive
- Endings
- -are, -ere and -ire
- Variety
- Standard Italian
- Level
- A1–A2
100 common Italian verbs
Verbs are given in the infinitive, the dictionary form. Sedersi and the other verbs ending in -si are reflexive. The Contos web app uses this pack for flashcard review.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| essere | to be |
| avere | to have |
| fare | to do |
| andare | to go |
| venire | to come |
| dire | to say |
| parlare | to talk |
| sapere | to know |
| pensare | to think |
| vedere | to see |
| volere | to want |
| usare | to use |
| trovare | to find |
| dare | to give |
| spiegare | to explain |
| lavorare | to work |
| telefonare | to phone |
| provare | to try |
| chiedere | to ask |
| avere bisogno di | to need |
| sentire | to feel |
| uscire | to go out |
| mettere | to put |
| aiutare | to help |
| iniziare | to start |
| mostrare | to show |
| giocare | to play |
| correre | to run |
| traslocare | to move house |
| abitare | to live |
| credere | to believe |
| portare | to bring |
| scrivere | to write |
| sedersi | to sit down |
| perdere | to lose |
| pagare | to pay |
| incontrare | to meet |
| imparare | to learn |
| cambiare | to change |
| capire | to understand |
| mangiare | to eat |
| bere | to drink |
| dormire | to sleep |
| aprire | to open |
| chiudere | to close |
| comprare | to buy |
| vendere | to sell |
| aspettare | to wait |
| leggere | to read |
| passeggiare | to go for a walk |
| cucinare | to cook |
| lavare | to wash |
| amare | to love |
| piacere | to like |
| ricordare | to remember |
| dimenticare | to forget |
| viaggiare | to travel |
| arrivare | to arrive |
| tornare | to come back |
| continuare | to continue |
| scegliere | to choose |
| mandare | to send |
| indossare | to wear |
| piangere | to cry |
| ridere | to laugh |
| ballare | to dance |
| cantare | to sing |
| nuotare | to swim |
| guidare | to drive |
| pulire | to clean |
| finire | to finish |
| svegliarsi | to wake up |
| alzarsi | to get up |
| ascoltare | to listen |
| cercare | to look for |
| prendere | to take |
| insegnare | to teach |
| studiare | to study |
| costruire | to build |
| visitare | to visit |
| sorridere | to smile |
| volare | to fly |
| saltare | to jump |
| cadere | to fall |
| lanciare | to throw |
| tradurre | to translate |
| riposarsi | to rest |
| contare | to count |
| tagliare | to cut |
| disegnare | to draw |
| rispondere | to answer |
| entrare | to enter |
| pianificare | to plan |
| riparare | to repair |
| toccare | to touch |
| condividere | to share |
| festeggiare | to celebrate |
| invitare | to invite |
| ringraziare | to thank |
| decidere | to decide |
Essere, avere and the irregular verbs you need on day one
The most frequent Italian verbs are also the most irregular. Learn their present tense as a block before anything else.
| Verb | io | tu | lui, lei, Lei | noi | loro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| essere (to be) | sono | sei | è | siamo | sono |
| avere (to have) | ho | hai | ha | abbiamo | hanno |
| fare (to do, make) | faccio | fai | fa | facciamo | fanno |
| andare (to go) | vado | vai | va | andiamo | vanno |
| volere (to want) | voglio | vuoi | vuole | vogliamo | vogliono |
| venire (to come) | vengo | vieni | viene | veniamo | vengono |
| dire (to say) | dico | dici | dice | diciamo | dicono |
| sapere (to know) | so | sai | sa | sappiamo | sanno |
The h in ho, hai, ha and hanno is silent; it only separates ha (has) from a (to). Avere does a lot of work English gives to "be": ho vent'anni (I'm twenty), ho fame (I'm hungry), ho freddo (I'm cold). It also gives you "to need":
Ha bisogno di una casa.Potere (can) and dovere (must) are not in the list but you will use them constantly: posso, puoi, può; devo, devi, deve. Both take a plain infinitive: posso entrare? (may I come in?). The 100 useful everyday verbs are the next step.
Sapere or conoscere: which "to know"?
The list gives sapere for "to know", but Italian has a second verb. Sapere is for facts and skills: so dove abita (I know where she lives), sai nuotare? (can you swim?). Conoscere is for people, places and things you are familiar with: conosco Marco, conosci Roma?
Marco non sa cosa dire.Conosce Vittorio da trent'anni, dice.Which verbs work differently from English?
Piacere: the thing you like is the subject
Mi piace il caffè is literally "coffee pleases me". With a plural thing the verb goes plural, mi piacciono i gatti, and with an action it takes the infinitive, mi piace leggere. To say you don't like something: non mi piace.
Capisco, finisco: -ire verbs with -isc-
Some -ire verbs add -isc- in the present, except with noi and voi: capire gives capisco, capisci, capisce, capiamo, capite, capiscono. From this list, finire, pulire and costruire follow it; dormire, aprire, sentire and uscire do not.
Sono andata, ho mangiato: avere or essere in the past
Most verbs form the past with avere: ho mangiato, ho letto. Verbs of movement or change of state use essere, and their ending agrees: andare, venire, uscire, arrivare, tornare, entrare, cadere give sono andato (a man) and sono andata (a woman). Reflexive verbs like sedersi and svegliarsi use essere too: mi sono seduto.
Non capisco.
I don't understand.
Mi piace leggere la sera.
I like reading in the evening.
Siamo arrivati ieri sera.
We arrived last night.
Gioco a tennis e suono la chitarra.
I play tennis and the guitar.
Giocare is for games and sports; for instruments Italian uses suonare.
Ti telefono domani.
I'll phone you tomorrow.
Telefonare a qualcuno, so the pronoun is ti, not te.
See these verbs at work in a short Italian story: tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
What are the most important Italian verbs to learn first?
Essere (to be), avere (to have), fare (to do, make), andare (to go), volere (to want), potere (can) and dovere (must). They are all irregular and appear in almost every conversation, so learn their present tense by heart before the regular verbs.
When do you use essere or avere in the past tense?
Most verbs use avere: ho visto, ho comprato. Verbs of movement or change of state (andare, arrivare, uscire, diventare) and all reflexive verbs use essere, and the past participle agrees with the subject: è uscita, siamo tornati.
What is the difference between sapere and conoscere?
Sapere is to know a fact or how to do something: so che è vero, so cucinare. Conoscere is to know a person or a place, or to meet someone for the first time: ho conosciuto Luca ieri.
How do you say "I like" in Italian?
Mi piace + a singular noun or a verb (mi piace la pizza, mi piace ballare), and mi piacciono + a plural noun (mi piacciono i film italiani). The thing you like is the subject of the verb.