These are 100 useful Italian verbs for everyday life, the next step after the most common ones, from essere d'accordo to collezionare. Learn five first: succedere (to happen), restare (to stay), preferire (to prefer), controllare (to check) and preoccuparsi (to worry). Below: verbs that add -isc-, reflexive verbs like fidarsi, and the prepositions these verbs need.
- Words
- 100 verbs, in the infinitive
- Includes
- reflexive verbs and set phrases
- Variety
- Standard Italian
- Level
- A2–B1
100 useful Italian verbs
Verbs are in the infinitive. Some entries are phrases (essere d'accordo, prendere in prestito, chiudere a chiave), because Italian needs more than one word for them. The Contos web app uses this pack for flashcard review.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| essere d'accordo | to agree |
| permettere | to allow |
| apparire | to appear |
| evitare | to avoid |
| prendere in prestito | to borrow |
| confrontare | to compare |
| lamentarsi | to complain |
| coprire | to cover |
| attraversare | to cross |
| consegnare | to deliver |
| descrivere | to describe |
| distruggere | to destroy |
| sviluppare | to develop |
| sparire | to disappear |
| scoprire | to discover |
| applaudire | to clap |
| dubitare | to doubt |
| sognare | to dream |
| scappare | to escape |
| esistere | to exist |
| fallire | to fail |
| riempire | to fill |
| piegare | to fold |
| crescere | to grow |
| indovinare | to guess |
| appendere | to hang |
| odiare | to hate |
| nascondere | to hide |
| immaginare | to imagine |
| migliorare | to improve |
| aumentare | to increase |
| ridurre | to reduce |
| bussare | to knock |
| sdraiarsi | to lie down |
| sollevare | to lift |
| accendere | to light |
| sposarsi | to marry |
| misurare | to measure |
| mescolare | to mix |
| notare | to notice |
| riconoscere | to recognise |
| versare | to pour |
| esercitarsi | to practise |
| preferire | to prefer |
| preparare | to prepare |
| promettere | to promise |
| proteggere | to protect |
| tirare | to pull |
| spingere | to push |
| raggiungere | to reach |
| consigliare | to recommend |
| suggerire | to suggest |
| rifiutare | to refuse |
| rilassarsi | to relax |
| togliere | to remove |
| sostituire | to replace |
| risparmiare | to save money |
| spendere | to spend money |
| gridare | to shout |
| sussurrare | to whisper |
| cucire | to sew |
| assaggiare | to taste |
| risolvere | to solve |
| legare | to tie |
| fidarsi | to trust |
| salutare con la mano | to wave |
| desiderare | to wish |
| preoccuparsi | to worry |
| incartare | to wrap |
| succedere | to happen |
| seguire | to follow |
| restare | to stay |
| vincere | to win |
| controllare | to check |
| arrampicarsi | to climb |
| accettare | to accept |
| aggiungere | to add |
| chiudere a chiave | to lock |
| significare | to mean |
| cuocere al forno | to bake |
| piantare | to plant |
| scherzare | to joke |
| mentire | to tell a lie |
| salutare | to greet |
| avvertire | to warn |
| spegnere | to switch off |
| stare in piedi | to stand |
| litigare | to argue |
| parcheggiare | to park |
| splendere | to shine |
| annullare | to cancel |
| restituire | to give back |
| radersi | to shave |
| stirare | to iron |
| fischiare | to whistle |
| sbucciare | to peel |
| dare da mangiare | to feed |
| scavare | to dig |
| spazzare | to sweep |
| collezionare | to collect |
Preferisco, sparisco: which verbs add -isc-?
A group of -ire verbs slip -isc- between the stem and the ending in the present tense, in every form except noi and voi. From this list, preferire, sparire, suggerire, sostituire and restituire work this way.
| Person | preferire (to prefer) | sparire (to disappear) | scoprire (to discover, no -isc-) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | preferisco | sparisco | scopro |
| tu | preferisci | sparisci | scopri |
| lui, lei, Lei | preferisce | sparisce | scopre |
| noi | preferiamo | spariamo | scopriamo |
| voi | preferite | sparite | scoprite |
| loro | preferiscono | spariscono | scoprono |
There is no rule that tells you which group a verb belongs to, so learn the io form with the infinitive. Coprire, cucire, seguire and avvertire in this list have no -isc-.
Poi corre fuori, sale sulla moto e sparisce nella strada.From The Secret Recipe Book of Bakers' Street, chapter 1 (A2)
Lamentarsi, fidarsi, preoccuparsi: how do these reflexive verbs work?
Nine verbs in this list end in -si: lamentarsi, sdraiarsi, sposarsi, esercitarsi, rilassarsi, fidarsi, preoccuparsi, arrampicarsi and radersi. The -si becomes mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si in front of the verb, and the past tense takes essere.
Non ti preoccupare, ci penso io.
Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
Non preoccuparti is equally correct.
Mi fido di te.
I trust you.
Fidarsi di: the person you trust comes after di.
Si lamenta sempre del rumore.
She's always complaining about the noise.
Si sono sposati l'anno scorso.
They got married last year.
Sposarsi is to get married; sposare qualcuno is to marry someone: ha sposato Luca.
Mi esercito ogni giorno.
I practise every day.
Radersi is correct for to shave, but in conversation most men say farsi la barba: mi faccio la barba.
Which prepositions do these verbs need?
English and Italian often attach different prepositions to the same verb, or none where the other has one.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| bussare alla porta | to knock on the door |
| essere d'accordo con qualcuno | to agree with someone |
| prendere in prestito da qualcuno | to borrow from someone |
| consigliare di fare qualcosa | to recommend doing something |
| promettere di fare qualcosa | to promise to do something |
| dubitare di qualcosa | to doubt something |
| preoccuparsi per qualcuno | to worry about someone |
Quella sera, Giulia cucina un piatto di pasta e bussa alla porta di Fatima.False friends and double meanings
- fallire is to fail at a plan, or for a business to go bankrupt. Failing an exam is essere bocciato or non passare l'esame.
- risparmiare is to save money or energy; saving a file is salvare.
- salutare is to greet and also to say goodbye: mi ha salutato can mean either.
- accendere is to light and to switch on; spegnere is to switch off or put out.
- restare and succedere take essere in the past: sono restata a casa, cosa è successo?
Chiara resta sola nel salone e mette in ordine le sedie.Read an Italian story at A2 and watch these verbs move the plot: tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you say "What happened?" in Italian?
Cosa è successo? or, more compactly, Cos'è successo? Succedere takes essere in the past. For something happening right now, ask Cosa succede? or Che succede?
Does fallire mean to fail an exam?
No. Fallire is to fail at an attempt, or for a company to go bust. For an exam, say sono stato bocciato (I was failed) or non ho passato l'esame. To pass is passare or superare.
How do you say "I agree" in Italian?
Sono d'accordo. To agree with someone, add con: sono d'accordo con te. To disagree, put non in front: non sono d'accordo. The phrase uses essere, never avere.
Is it preoccuparsi per or preoccuparsi di?
Both exist. Per is usual for people and situations you worry about: mi preoccupo per mia figlia. Di is common before an infinitive or for taking care of something: non preoccuparti di questo.