The Subjunctive Mood in Italian
The subjunctive mood in Italian, known as congiuntivo, is commonly used in dependent clauses that are introduced by certain conjunctions and expressions, specifically to express:
- a doubt
- a desire
- a necessity
- a possibility
It has four tenses: present, past, imperfect, and past perfect. Here, I will focus on the imperfect subjunctive only. There are articles dedicated to the present subjunctive, past subjunctive, and past perfect subjunctive too, so go check them out!
Be careful with the use of the Italian subjunctive: learn the difference between congiuntivo presente and imperfetto!
Imperfect Subjunctive in Italian
Conjugation: Regular Verbs
As with all verb conjugations, in order to form the congiuntivo imperfetto (imperfect subjunctive in Italian), you have to drop the ending of the infinitive (-are, –ere, –ire) and add those of the corresponding tense.
In the case of the Italian present subjunctive, the endings vary for each of the three verb conjugations:
- -are as in parlare (to talk)
| Io parlassi | I talked |
| Tu parlassi | You talked |
| Lui/lei parlasse | He/she talked |
| Noi parlassimo | We talked |
| Voi parlaste | You talked |
| Loro parlassero | They talked |
- -ere as in credere (to think)
| Io credessi | I thought |
| Tu credessi | You thought |
| Lui/lei credesse | He/she thought |
| Noi credessimo | We thought |
| Voi credeste | You thought |
| Loro credessero | They thought |
- -ire as in sentire (to feel)
| Io sentissi | I felt |
| Tu sentissi | You felt |
| Lui/lei sentisse | He/she felt |
| Noi sentissimo | We felt |
| Voi sentiste | You felt |
| Loro sentissero | They felt |
You probably noticed that for io and tu the ending is the same.
Let me now give you some examples:
Vorrei che tu venissi stasera.
I’d like you to come tonight.
Sofia pensava che loro capissero tutto.
Sofia thought that they understood everything.
Mi sembrava che lei avesse il rafreddore.
It seemed that she had a cold.
Conjugation: Irregular Verbs
As always, there are some irregular verbs in Italian that follow specific conjugations: bere (to drink), dare (to give), dire (to say), and fare (to do).
| Bere | Dare | Dire | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io bevessi | Io dessi | Io dicessi | Io facessi |
| Tu bevessi | Tu dessi | Tu dicessi | Tu facessi |
| Lui/Lei bevesse | Lui/Lei desse | Lui/Lei dicesse | Lui/Lei facesse |
| Noi bevessimo | Noi dessimo | Noi dicessimo | Noi facessimo |
| Voi beveste | Voi deste | Voi diceste | Voi faceste |
| Loro bevessero | Loro dessero | Loro dicessero | Loro facessero |
And, of course, essere and avere. These auxiliary verbs are very important to conjugate the Italian congiuntivo trapassato, so make sure you know them by heart!
| Essere | Avere |
|---|---|
| Io fossi | Io avessi |
| Tu fossi | Tu avessi |
| Lui/Lei fosse | Lui/Lei avesse |
| Noi fossimo | Noi avessimo |
| Voi foste | Voi aveste |
| Loro fossero | Loro avessero |
When to use Congiuntivo Imperfetto
As you might know already, unlike other verb tenses, the Italian congiuntivo is always found in dependent clauses, which means it can never stand alone and always depends on the main clause it depends on.
This is the reason why it’s usually preceded by the conjunction che or se.
In Italian, we use the congiuntivo imperfetto in the following cases:
- To express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility:
Credevo che lui avesse ragione.
I thought that he was right.
Avevo paura che mia sorella perdesse il lavoro.
I was scared my sister lost her job.
- To express desire or hope:
Avrei voluto che tu arrivassi prima.
I wished that you arrived earlier.
- To express necessity or obligation:
Sarebbe giusto che parlasse lei al posto tuo.
It would be right if she spoke for you.
Se volesse, lo farebbe.
If he/she wanted, he/she would do it.
Introductory Phrases
Each tense of the congiuntivo mood is introduced by specific introductory verbs or phrases in a specific verb tense.
In the case of congiuntivo imperfetto, these verbs are conjugated either in the imperfetto, condizionale presente, or condizionale passato. This is because we use this verb tense when we are speaking in the past about actions that were currently ongoing in that moment.
Here are some of the possible introductory verbs you can find and use. Of course, there are many more, as long as they vehiculate doubts, uncertainty, etc…
- Pensare (to think)
- Credere (to believe)
- Sperare (to hope)
- Essere possibile che (to be possible that)
- Sembrare che (to seems that/like)
- A meno che non (unless)
- Affinché (so that)
- Prima che (before)
Here are some more examples:
Ho cambiato orari affinché tu venissi.
I changed my schedule so that you could come.
Quando eravamo piccoli ti aiutavo sempre con i compiti, a meno che io non fossi a lavoro.
When we were little I always helped you with your homework, unless I was at work.
Ero felice, prima che piovesse.
I was happy, before it rained.
Ready to Talk About Possibilities
Volevo che imparassi l’Italiano velocemente! (I wanted you to learn Italian fast!)
If you keep studying, I am sure you can! You are a step further in your Italian learning journey: I have just embarked the world of uncertainty. You can now express your desires, necessities, and express doubts.
So, practice the use of this verb tense and unlock new topics and conversations!
| io fossi | io stessi |
| tu fossi | tu stessi |
| lui/lei fosse | lui/lei stesse |
| noi fossimo | noi stessimo |
| voi foste | voi steste |
| loro fossero | loro stessero |
Let’s have a look at some examples:
Non pensavo che lei bevesse così tanto caffè.
I didn’t think she drank so much coffee.
Non credo che loro dessero tanta importanza a quello.
I don’t think they gave much weight to that.
Sinceramente pensavo che dicessi la verità.
Honestly, I thought you were telling the truth.
Lei vorrebbe che Mario fosse più aperto.
She’d like him to be more open-minded.
Mia mamma sperava che noi facessimo i compiti.
My mum hoped we would do our homework.
Credo che mio zio non stesse molto bene.
I think my uncle wasn’t feeling very well.
