The present infinitive: Italian grammar lesson 237

The present infinitive in Italian can be used as a subject, can follow verbs, can be used for giving instructions, and is frequently employed when giving orders.

Let’s learn how to structure it and when to use it!

Start here

You’ll receive my free resources together with my best offers! Opt out at any time.

Summary

In this article, we've explored the present infinitive in Italian and how to use it in various contexts.

The present infinitive is the base form of a verb in its unconjugated state. In Italian, there are three types of infinitive verbs, ending in -are, -ere, and -ire.

The infinitive can be used as the subject of a sentence, and it is usually translated into English with a verb ending in -ing.

Certain verbs such as volere, potere, and dovere are typically followed by a verb in the infinitive.

Some verbs instead, require a preposition before the infinitive, such as andare a and cercare di.

The infinitive is also commonly used in giving instructions or orders, especially in recipes or directions. When giving negative orders in Italian, non is placed before the infinitive verb.

Understanding the present infinitive is essential for anyone learning the Italian language as it is the foundation of all verb conjugations.

What is the present infinitive?

A verb is a word that refers to an action, and the infinitive is its base form. In other words, the infinitive is the unconjugated form of a verb.

In Italian, there are three types:

  1. verbs ending in –are such as mangiare (to eat), cantare (to sing), andare (to go).
  2. verbs ending in –ere such as bere (to drink), cadere (to fall), rimanere(to stay).
  3. verbs ending in –ire such as dormire(to sleep), venire(to come),  morire (to die).

Let’s take the verb mangiare as an example. We could translate it into English in two different ways:

  • to eat
  • eating

Its translation depends on the context, and it’s the same with all the other verbs.

Italian infinitive

How to use the infinitive as a subject?

In Italian, we can use the infinitive as the subject of a sentence, as in the examples below:

Leggere è bellissimo!

Reading is beautiful.

Andare in Spagna è il mio sogno.

Going to Spain is my dream.

Capire questo concetto mi sembra impossibile.

Italian study time calculator

Are you in a hurry? Find out how long it will take you to reach your target level of Italian with my free calculator.

It only takes 3 minutes!

Just fill out this simple form to find your ideal study schedule and get on the right track.

I’ll create your free lifetime account to store your study plan so that you may review it at any time. I’ll take you to your dashboard where you’ll find all my free resources.

On your dashboard, you’ll get to take some of my courses for free. I’ll also send you my best offers and free resources by email. You may opt out at any time.

Yes, all this is free for you!

   
Your language skills
How would you rate your skills in your native language? is required.
Were you raised bilingual (or more)? is required.
Have you ever reached an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language? is required.
Have you ever reached an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language? is required.

Namely French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Romanian.

How old are you? is required.
Create a study schedule
Your current Italian level is required.
Set the target level higher than your current one.
Elementary: Can communicate in simple and routine tasks.
Intermediate: Can deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling.
Upper-intermediate: Can interact regularly without strain with native speakers.
Your target Italian level is required.
Set the target level higher than your current one.
Deadline is required.
Based on your weekly time commitment, you need extra days to meet the deadline.
Example: your next trip to Italy.
Deadline is required.
In order to meet your deadline, you need to commit extra hours/week.

Yes! If you follow the plan, you'll be speaking Italian at Advanced level by .

Intensive
Intensive

In the intensive plan, you commit 2 hours per day.

Diversify your study activities to cover all the language skills that you need: speaking, listening, writing, and reading.

Even though you could argue that more your study, the faster you learn, I wouldn't recommend studying more than a couple of hours a day because the gain from extra time gradually gets smaller.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Regular
Intensive

With a regular plan, you practice 1 hour a day, every day.

Taking 2 live 1-on-1 lessons per week with a qualified teacher or an experienced native tutor is a good pace to practice speaking and get feedback.

This plan is the closest to the one I follow myself and I can assure that you'll make steady progress.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Free
Intensive

There's plenty of free resources online to make the free plan viable.

You need to substitute paid 1-on-1 tutoring with language exchange with native speakers or find other venues to practice speaking. This can be time-consuming and you need to make up for lack of guidance with self-study.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Get your results

You're almost there!

After you submit this form, you'll receive the results in your mailbox and will see the study schedule based on your level and the plan that you selected.

These questions below are not used to create your study plan, but I'd love to know more to make my service more relevant to you!

What's your reason for learning Italian? is required.
How long have you been studying Italian? is required.
What are you struggling with? is required.
Gender is required.
Your first name is required.
You'll receive the results together with my best free resources to learn faster. You may opt out at any time.

1000s of happy learners on their way to fluency

Understanding this concept seems impossible to me.

As you can see, in this case, the English equivalent is a verb ending in -ing.

How to use the infinitive in Italian

How to use verbs followed by infinitives?

The infinitive is sometimes preceded by another verb.

It’s the same in English. Think of the following two sentences:

  • I prefer to go home.
  • She likes to read.

Like in English, certain verbs in Italian trigger the infinitive. Let’s see which ones!

Volere, potere, dovere

Volere (to want), potere (can or to be able to), and dovere (must or to have to) are special verbs because they’re usually followed by a verb in the infinitive.

Have a look at the examples below:

Voglio andare a casa.

I want to go home.

Puoi venire con me?

Can you come with me?

Dovete studiare!

You have to study!

Verbs that need a preposition

Prepositions are short words like di and a. And in Italian, certain verbs are followed by them, and the verb is in the infinitive.

Here’s the structure: conjugated verb + preposition + infinitive verb.

These are some of these kinds of verbs:

  • Andare a: to go
  • Cominciare a: to start
  • Continuare a: to carry on
  • Credere di: to think
  • Cercare di: to try
  • Finire di: to finish

Let’s review some examples:

Vado a fare la spesa.

I’m going to do the grocery.

Cerca di capire.

Try to understand.

Ho finito di lavorare.

I finished working.

When to use the infinitive in Italian

How to give instructions with the infinitive?

We can also use the Italian infinitive for giving instructions.

Free Guide
How to Learn Languages Fast

Is very common in recipes:

Cuocere per tre ore.

Cook for three hours.

Tagliare la cipolla a fette.

Cut the onion into slices.

Lavare e asciugare l’insalata.

Wash and dry the lettuce.

How to form the infinitive in Italian

Practice with Quizlet

Here's a set of flashcards and quizzes to practice this grammar topic.

How to give orders with the infinitive?

We use the imperative to give orders or instructions.

In Italian, when we want to give someone an order using the negative form, we simply follow this rule:

  • non + infinitive verb

Here are some examples:

Non venire troppo tardi!

Don’t come too late!

Non parlare con la bocca piena!

Don’t talk with your mouth full!

Non leggere senza gli occhiali!

Don’t read without glasses!

the Italian infinitive

Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano's courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

FAQs on The present infinitive: Italian grammar lesson 237

What is the present infinitive?

It's the base form of a verb. In Italian there are 3 types: verbs ending in -are, -ere, and -ire.

How to use the infinitive?

It can be used as a subject (corresponding to -ing in English), to give instructions, and to give orders using the negative form (non + infinitive).

How to use verbs followed by the infinitive?

The infinitive is added to other verbs such as "volere", "potere", "dovere", and verbs that need a preposition (verb+preposition+infinitive).

Stefano

Italian language tutor, course author, and polyglot. After learning 12 languages, I can tell you that we all master languages by listening and mimicking. With my method, you'll be speaking Italian from Lesson 1.

Follow me to fluency​

Receive my free resources once a week together with my best offers! No need to look around, just tell me where to send everything.

Follow me to fluency

Receive my free resources once a week together with my best offers! No need to look around, just tell me where to send everything.

Opt out at any time.

Leave a Reply

Share:

Read more about Italian grammar lessons

Still translating in your head?

Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano’s courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!
Try my courses for free​
ripeti con me mockup sm

Let me show you around

How long to fluency?

Find out how long it will take you to master Italian!
Get on the right track in 3 minutes.

dolce vita logo

We're already friends!

Coming from Luca and Marina?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
all language resources

We're already friends!

Coming from All Language Resources?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
GRAB A COUPON NOW, REDEEM IT LATER
50% OFF

To receive free resources once a week together with my best offers, just tell me where to send everything. Opt out at any time.