Italian Verbal System
Italian has 21 verb tenses, grouped into 7 moods. That sounds like a lot, but in everyday Italian you will mostly use four of them: the presente, the passato prossimo, the imperfetto and the futuro semplice. The others cover more specific situations, and a few are rare.
Verb tenses are used to indicate the time and duration of an action or event. Italian verb tenses are distributed over 7 verb moods, which describe the speaker’s attitude toward the action. Four of these moods include finite verbs, while three include non-finite verbs.
Finite verbs are those that mandatorily display a subject which affects the verb conjugation in general. Examples of finite verb tenses are present, past, and future. Non-finite verb tenses are those that do not display any conjugation, like infinitive, gerund, and participle.
Let me first show you a general table that includes all the information I mentioned so far, and then I will guide you through an exhaustive explanation of these verb tenses:
| Mood | Tenses | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finite Verbs | Indicativo | Presente (Present), Passato Prossimo (Present Perfect), Imperfetto (Imperfect), Trapassato Prossimo (Past Perfect), Futuro Semplice (Simple Future), Futuro Anteriore (Future Perfect), Passato Remoto (Past Absolute), Trapassato Remoto (Remote Past) | Used to express factual statements and positive beliefs. |
| Congiuntivo | Presente, Imperfetto, Passato, Trapassato | Used to express doubts, wishes, uncertainty, or hypotheticals. | |
| Condizionale | Presente, Passato | Used to express what would happen under certain conditions. | |
| Imperativo | Presente | Used to give commands or make requests. | |
| Non-Finite Verbs | Infinito | Presente, Passato | The base form of the verb, used in dictionary entries and infinitive constructions. |
| Gerundio | Presente, Passato | Used to express continuous actions, often translated as the -ing form in English. | |
| Participio | Presente, Passato | Used in compound tenses and as adjectives. |
Before you keep reading, make sure you have a clear understanding of Italian verb conjugation!
How Many Verb Tenses Are There in Italian?
Counting the tenses in the table above, you get 8 (indicativo) + 4 (congiuntivo) + 2 (condizionale) + 1 (imperativo) + 2 (infinito) + 2 (gerundio) + 2 (participio) = 21 tenses. Of these, 15 are finite and 6 are non-finite.
Keep in mind the difference between the two words: the mood tells you the speaker’s attitude (a fact, a doubt, a wish, a command), while the tense tells you when the action happens.
Simple and Compound Tenses
Italian tenses are either simple or compound. A simple tense is one word, like parlo (I speak) or parlerò (I will speak). A compound tense has two parts: an auxiliary verb, avere or essere, plus the past participle, like ho parlato (I have spoken) or sono andato (I have gone). When the auxiliary is essere, the participle agrees with the subject: sono andata for a woman. To choose between the two auxiliaries, see the lesson on essere vs avere.
Every compound tense is built by putting the auxiliary in a particular simple tense:
| Compound tense | Auxiliary in the… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Passato prossimo | present | ho parlato (I have spoken) |
| Trapassato prossimo | imperfetto | avevo parlato (I had spoken) |
| Futuro anteriore | futuro semplice | avrò parlato (I will have spoken) |
| Trapassato remoto | passato remoto | ebbi parlato (I had spoken) |
| Congiuntivo passato | congiuntivo presente | abbia parlato (that I have spoken) |
| Congiuntivo trapassato | congiuntivo imperfetto | avessi parlato (that I had spoken) |
| Condizionale passato | condizionale presente | avrei parlato (I would have spoken) |
| Infinito passato | infinito presente | aver parlato (to have spoken) |
| Gerundio passato | gerundio presente | avendo parlato (having spoken) |
That makes 9 compound tenses and 12 simple ones.
Which Italian Verb Tenses Should You Learn First?
You do not need all 21 tenses to speak Italian. If you are learning the language, this is the order I suggest:
| Tense | What you use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Presente | what is happening now, habits and facts, and often the near future | Vivo a Roma. (I live in Rome.) |
| Passato prossimo | completed actions in the past, the main past tense in conversation | Ieri ho mangiato la pizza. (Yesterday I ate pizza.) |
| Imperfetto | past habits, descriptions and ongoing actions | Da bambino giocavo a calcio ogni giorno. (As a child I played soccer every day.) |
| Futuro semplice | what will happen | Domani andrò a Firenze. (Tomorrow I will go to Florence.) |
| Condizionale presente | polite requests and what would happen | Vorrei un caffè, per favore. (I would like a coffee, please.) |
| Imperativo | commands and requests | Passami il pane, per favore. (Pass me the bread, please.) |
After these, add the present subjunctive and the trapassato prossimo. The passato remoto is mostly a literary tense, although some Italians, especially in the south, also use it in speech. The trapassato remoto is very rare. Irregular verbs make every tense harder, so keep this list of irregular Italian verbs at hand. To talk about actions in progress, Italian also uses stare + the gerund: see the present progressive in Italian.
Italian Verb Tenses
Indicativo
- Presente
Used to express actions happening now or general truths. For example:
Io parlo italiano.
I speak Italian.
Io vado a scuola.
I go to school.
- Passato Prossimo
Used to describe actions that have been completed recently or have relevance to the present
Ho parlato con Maria.
I have spoken with Maria.
Sono andata al mercato.
I have gone to the market.
- Imperfetto
Used for actions that were ongoing in the past, habitual actions, or to set the scene in the past. My advice to distinguish between passato prossimo and imperfetto is to translate imperfetto with “used to”.
Parlavo con lui ogni giorno.
I used to speak with him every day.
Andavo spesso al parco.
I often went to the park.
- Trapassato Prossimo
Used to express an action that occurred before another past action.
Avevo parlato con lei prima della riunione.
I had spoken with her before the meeting.
Ero andato a casa sua prima del film.
I had gone to his house before the movie.
- Futuro Semplice
Used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
Parlerò con il professore domani.
I will speak with the professor tomorrow.
Andrò in Italia l’anno prossimo.
I will go to Italy next year.
- Futuro Anteriore
Used to describe actions that will have been completed by a certain future point.
Avrò parlato con lui entro domani.
I will have spoken with him by tomorrow.
Sarò andato via quando arriverai.
I will have gone when you arrive.
- Passato Remoto
Used for actions completed in the distant past, primarily in literary contexts.
Parlai con lui ieri.
I spoke with him yesterday.
Andai al mare l’anno scorso.
I went to the sea last year.
- Trapassato Remoto
Used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the distant past, primarily in literary contexts. It is a very rarely used verb tense in Italian, so do not worry about it too much! You will find it in a clause introduced by dopo che, appena or quando, with the passato remoto in the main clause.
Dopo che ebbi parlato con lui, uscii.
After I had spoken with him, I went out.
Appena fu arrivato, cominciò a lavorare.
As soon as he had arrived, he started working.
Congiuntivo
- Presente
Used to express doubts, wishes, emotions, or hypothetical situations in the present. The introductory verb is in the indicativo presente.
Spero che tu parli con lui.
I hope that you speak with him.
Spero che tu stia bene.
I hope that you are good.
- Imperfetto
Used to express doubts, wishes, emotions, or hypothetical situations in the past. The introductory verb is in the indicativo passato prossimo or imperfetto.
Volevo che tu parlassi con lui.
I wanted that you spoke with him.
Ho sperato fino all’ultimo che fosse uno scherzo.
I hoped until the end that it was a joke.
- Passato
Used to express doubts, wishes, emotions, or hypothetical situations that have already occurred. The introductory verb is in the indicativo presente.
Spero che tu abbia parlato con lui.
I hope that you have spoken with him.
Spero che tu sia andato al mercato.
I hope that you have gone to the market.
- Trapassato
Used to express doubts, wishes, emotions, or hypothetical situations that had occurred before another past action. The introductory verb is in the indicativo passato prossimo or imperfetto.
Speravo che tu avessi parlato con lui.
I hoped that you had spoken with him.
Ho pensato che vi foste incontrati.
I thought that you had met.
Condizionale
- Presente
Used to express what would happen under certain conditions. It is typically used as the English second conditional.
Parlerei con lui se potessi.
I would speak with him if I could.
Andrei al mare se facesse caldo.
I would go to the sea if it were warm.
- Passato
Used to express what would have happened under certain conditions. It is typically used as the English third conditional.
Avrei parlato con lui se fossi stata lì.
I would have spoken with him if I had been there.
Sarei andato a casa se avessi saputo.
I would have gone home if I had known.
Imperativo
- Presente
Used to give commands or make requests.
Parla con lui!
Speak with him!
Vai via!
Go away!
Infinito
- Presente
This is the base form of the verb, used in dictionary entries and infinitive constructions. It is typically used after the modal verbs volere, dovere, potere, and sapere. The present infinitive is the verb tense that is used for subjects, while in English this role is played by gerunds -ing verbs.
Voglio parlare.
I want to speak.
Mangiare è la cosa migliore del mondo.
Eating is the best thing in the world.
- Passato
Used to express actions that have occurred before the action of the main verb.
Dopo aver parlato, è partito.
After having spoken, he left.
Dopo essere andato via, ha chiamato.
After having gone away, he called.
Gerundio
- Presente
Used to express continuous actions, often translated as the -ing form in English, or the means by which something has been obtained. It is commonly used in combination with the verb stare to express the progressive -ing in Italian.
Sto parlando con lui.
I am speaking with him.
Ho superato l’esame studiando molto.
I passed the exam by studying hard.
- Passato
Used to express continuous actions that occurred before the action of the main verb.
Avendo parlato con lui, me ne sono andato.
Having spoken with him, I left.
Essendo andato via, ha chiamato.
Having gone away, he called.
Participio
- Presente
Used as an adjective or a noun, and only rarely as a verb. It is not used to form compound tenses. It ends in -ante for -are verbs and in -ente for -ere and -ire verbs.
Il bambino sorridente mi ha salutato.
The smiling child greeted me.
Il cantante è molto famoso.
The singer is very famous.
- Passato
Used in compound tenses and as adjectives.
Ho parlato con lui.
I have spoken with him.
Sono andato a casa.
I have gone home.
Italian Verb Tenses: Frequently Asked Questions
How many tenses does Italian have?
Italian has 21 tenses in 7 moods: 15 finite tenses and 6 non-finite ones.
What is the most used Italian tense?
The presente is the most used, followed by the passato prossimo, which is the main past tense in conversation.
Does Italian have a present continuous?
Yes. It is formed with stare and the gerund, like Sto parlando (I am speaking). See the present progressive in Italian.
Where can I learn how to conjugate the verbs?
The guide to Italian verb conjugation explains the endings of regular verbs, and this page shows how the tenses fit together.
