The Italian present participle (participio presente) is formed by replacing the infinitive ending with -ante for -are verbs and -ente for -ere and -ire verbs: cantare → cantante (singer), credere → credente (believer), seguire → seguente (following). It works as a noun or an adjective and changes only in the plural (cantanti, credenti), so it is not the same thing as the English -ing form, which Italian usually renders with the gerund or a relative clause.
Present Participle
In linguistics, the present participle is a non-finite verb form, meaning it has no subject it can be conjugated to, just like the gerund and the infinitive.
Present participles are derived from verbs but they behave as adjectives or nouns in a sentence indicating an ongoing or continuous aspect, as in “the crying baby”.
I personally do not like how the present participle is often explained in language sources. This is why I want to give you my personal and linguistic perspective on it.
Most of the time, you will read that the present participle corresponds to the -ing form in English. However, I tend to extend this definition to the words that end in -er as well.
Let me explain to you why I do so, with two examples I always give my students to show them what a present participle is in general: take the verb insegnare (to teach). A person who teaches is an insegnante (teacher), indicating an ongoing aspect of that person.
Or take the verb parlare (to speak). A person who speaks a language is a parlante (speaker) of that language, meaning he or she has that quality or skill over time.
If we generalize and say that the present participle in English is the -ing form only, we might mistake it for the Italian present progressive and we might not take nouns into account as present participle forms. Therefore, here I will provide you with both translations.
Italian Present Participle
Conjugation
In Italian, the participio presente (present participle) has three possible endings that depend on the conjugation of the verb:
- -are verbs end in -ante
- Example: cantare (to sing) → cantante (singer)
- -ere verbs end in -ente
- Example: credere (to believe) → credente (believer)
- -ire verbs end in -ente
- Example: seguire (to follow) → seguente (following)
- A few -ire verbs end in -iente instead: dormire (to sleep) → dormiente (sleeping), obbedire (to obey) → obbediente (obedient), provenire (to come from) → proveniente (coming from)
Let me give you some examples:
Ho buttato la scatola contenente le nostre foto.
I threw away the box containing our photos.
Mi sono bruciata con l’acqua bollente.
I burned myself with boiling water.
Suo padre fa il commerciante.
His father is a merchant.
Plural and Gender
The present participle has one form for masculine and feminine. It only changes in the plural:
- -ante becomes -anti: una storia interessante → due storie interessanti (an interesting story → two interesting stories)
- -ente becomes -enti: un uomo potente → due uomini potenti (a powerful man → two powerful men)
When it is a noun, the article shows the gender: il cantante and la cantante (the male and the female singer), l’insegnante (the male or female teacher). A few nouns also have a separate feminine form in -essa, such as lo studente → la studentessa. For the general rules, see my lesson on the plural of nouns and adjectives.
Use
As I mentioned before, the present participle in Italian can be used as an adjective or a noun.
When it is used as an adjective, it describes the noun it refers to and, of course, it agrees in gender and number.
Ho due storie interessanti da raccontarti.
I have two interesting stories to tell you.
There isn’t much to say when it is used as a noun, since it really behaves like one! No exceptions.
Marco è uno studente di matematica.
Marco is a math student.
Here, studente comes from studiare (to study).
Present Participles in Italian
Present Participles as Adjectives
| Italian Infinitive | English Infinitive | Italian Present Participle | English Present Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| bollire | to boil | bollente | boiling |
| brillare | to shine | brillante | brilliant |
| cadere | to fall | cadente | falling |
| commuovere | to move, to touch | commovente | moving, touching |
| derivare | to derive | derivante | deriving |
| potere | to be able, can | potente | powerful, potent |
| rinfrescare | to refresh | rinfrescante | refreshing |
| sorridere | to smile | sorridente | smiling |
| trasparire | to transpire | trasparente | transparent |
| vivere | to live | vivente | living |
Present Participles as Nouns
| Italian Infinitive | English Infinitive | Italian Present Participle | English Present Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| amare | to love | amante | lover |
| assistere | to assist | assistente | assistant |
| cantare | to sing | cantante | singer |
| comandare | to command | comandante | commander |
| commerciare | to trade, to deal | commerciante | trader, dealer |
| colorare | to color, to dye | colorante | dye |
| conservare | to preserve | conservante | preservative |
| correre | to run, to flow | corrente | current (water, electrical) |
| insegnare | to teach | insegnante | teacher |
| parlare | to speak | parlante | speaker |
| presiedere | to preside | presidente | president |
Examples
Let me now show you some more examples of Italian present participles:
È stata un’esperienza allucinante.
It was a shocking experience.
Ho visto una stella cadente!
I saw a shooting star (literally “a falling star”).
Vorrei una bibita rinfrescante.
I’d like a refreshing drink.
Laura ha un amante!
Laura has a lover!
La mia insegnante è sempre in ritardo.
My teacher is always late.
Il presidente non ha risposto a tutte le domande.
The president didn’t answer to all the questions.
Abbiamo una scatola contenente delle lettere.
We have a box that contains letters.
Questo è un uccello proveniente dall’America Latina.
This is a bird that comes from Latin America.
Repubblica è una parola derivante dal latino.
Republic is a word that derives from Latin.
Participio Presente vs Gerundio vs Participio Passato
In English, the -ing form does several jobs. Italian splits them across different forms, which is why learners mix them up. Here they are for the verb cantare:
| Form | Italian | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present participle (participio presente) | cantante | noun or adjective | È una cantante famosa. (She is a famous singer.) |
| Gerund (gerundio) | cantando | verb: how or while something happens | Ho imparato molte parole cantando. (I learned many words by singing.) |
| Present progressive | sto cantando | verb: an action in progress | Sto cantando sotto la doccia. (I’m singing in the shower.) |
| Past participle (participio passato) | cantato | verb in compound tenses | Ho cantato tutta la sera. (I sang all evening.) |
Each of these has its own lesson: read about the present gerund and the past participle, and see the present progressive mentioned above.
The Present Participle in Real Life
Many present participles have become ordinary words, and you will meet them on signs, forms and bills. Some common ones:
| Italian | English | Comes from |
|---|---|---|
| il conto corrente | current account (checking account) | correre (to run) |
| l’acqua corrente | running water | correre (to run) |
| il lavoratore dipendente | employee | dipendere (to depend) |
| i seguenti documenti | the following documents | seguire (to follow) |
| gli aventi diritto | those entitled (for example, to vote) | avere (to have) |
Formal and administrative writing also uses the participle more like a verb, with an object, as in una scatola contenente delle lettere above. In everyday speech, Italians would normally say una scatola che contiene delle lettere instead.
Common Mistakes with the Italian Present Participle
- Using it for an action in progress. Sto cantando means “I’m singing”, while Sono una cantante means “I’m a singer”.
- Forming it from any verb. Many verbs have no present participle in current use. When in doubt, use a relative clause with che: il film che finisce alle dieci (the film that ends at ten).
- Translating “the running boy” word for word. Italian says il ragazzo che corre (the boy who is running).
- Forgetting the plural. Adjectives in -ante and -ente end in -anti and -enti: storie interessanti, not storie interessante.
