The Present Participle: Italian Grammar Lesson 241

Key Takeaways

The present participle in Italian, known as participio presente, can function as both an adjective and a noun.
Italian present participles have specific endings: -ante for -are verbs, -ente for -ere and -ire verbs.
Examples include cantante (singer) from cantare (to sing) and insegnante (teacher) from insegnare (to teach).
When used as an adjective, the present participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
As a noun, the present participle functions independently, as seen in examples like studente (student) from studiare (to study).

Stefano's Insights

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Ah, il participio presente, quel piccolo genio della grammatica che si comporta sia da aggettivo che da sostantivo! È come un camaleonte linguistico. In italiano, il participio presente si forma aggiungendo -ante o -ente a seconda della coniugazione del verbo. Ad esempio, 'cantare' diventa 'cantante' e 'credere' diventa 'credente'. Spesso si confonde con il gerundio inglese, ma attenzione: il nostro participio può trasformarsi in sostantivi come 'insegnante' o 'parlante'. Una volta, durante una lezione, un mio studente ha detto che il participio presente è come un supereroe: sempre in azione e pronto a descrivere o a diventare un nome. E aveva ragione! Non sottovalutatelo, è un vero asso nella manica per arricchire il vostro italiano.

Ah, the present participle, that little genius of grammar that acts as both an adjective and a noun! It's like a linguistic chameleon. In Italian, the present participle is formed by adding -ante or -ente depending on the verb conjugation. For example, 'cantare' becomes 'cantante' and 'credere' becomes 'credente'. It's often confused with the English gerund, but beware: our participle can turn into nouns like 'insegnante' or 'parlante'. Once, during a lesson, a student of mine said the present participle is like a superhero: always in action and ready to describe or become a noun. And he was right! Don't underestimate it, it's a real ace up your sleeve to enrich your Italian.

Quick facts

What is the Italian equivalent of the English -ing form?

The Italian present participle functions similarly to the English -ing form, often used as adjectives or nouns.

How do you form the present participle for –are verbs in Italian?

For –are verbs, replace the infinitive ending with –ante (singular) or –anti (plural).

What endings are used for –ere and –ire verbs in the Italian present participle?

Replace the infinitive endings with –ente (singular) or –enti (plural) for both –ere and –ire verbs.

Can you give an example of an –are verb in present participle form?

Cantare (to sing) becomes cantante (singer) in singular and cantanti in plural.

How can the present participle be used as an adjective in Italian?

Present participles like "cadente" (falling) describe nouns, e.g., "una stella cadente" (a falling star).

What is a common Italian present participle adjective from the verb bollire?

Bollente (boiling), used to describe something extremely hot, like water.

How is "amante" used as a present participle noun in Italian?

"Amante" means lover, derived from the verb "amare" (to love), commonly used in personal contexts.

What is the Italian present participle for "assistant" and its verb origin?

"Assistente" comes from "assistere" (to assist), often used in professional settings like medical or administrative roles.

How can "proveniente" function as a linking word in Italian?

"Proveniente" means "that comes from," used to indicate origin, such as "uccello proveniente dall’America Latina" (bird from Latin America).

Can you provide an example sentence using "contenente" in Italian?

"Abbiamo una scatola contenente delle lettere" translates to "We have a box containing letters," showing its use to connect related nouns.

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Main Article

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 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 a 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: finire (to finish) → finente (finishing)

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.

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.

Key Terms and Concepts

Participio Presente

The Italian present participle acts as a non-finite verb form functioning as adjectives or nouns, emphasizing ongoing aspects, like insegnante (teacher) from insegnare (to teach).

-are, -ere, -ire verb endings

Italian verbs are categorized into three conjugations: -are verbs ending in -ante, -ere verbs in -ente, and -ire verbs also in -ente.

Adjective function of present participles

Present participles describe nouns, agreeing in gender and number, like bollente (boiling) in 'acqua bollente' (boiling water).

Noun function of present participles

When used as nouns, present participles like studente (student) from studiare (to study) behave grammatically like regular nouns.

Present participles vs. present progressive

Present participles should not be confused with the Italian present progressive, as they can form nouns and adjectives unlike the progressive aspect.

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Words

cantantesinger

credentebeliever

insegnanteteacher

studentestudent

correntecurrent

partentedeparting

viaggiantetraveler

dormientesleeping

viventeliving

scriventewriting

Phrases

cantantesinger

credentebeliever

parlantespeaking

viventeliving

studentestudent

amantelover

entranteentering

uscenteexiting

correnterunning

leggentereading

Sentences

Il bambino sorridente gioca nel parco.

The smiling child plays in the park.

La ragazza è un'ottima cantante.

The girl is an excellent singer.

I credenti si riuniscono ogni domenica.

The believers gather every Sunday.

Ho visto le foglie cadenti durante la passeggiata.

I saw the falling leaves during the walk.

Gli studenti parlanti italiano partecipano al concorso.

The Italian-speaking students participate in the competition.

Match the Phrases

Memory game

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Crossword

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Answers

FAQs

What is the present participle in Italian?

The Italian present participle is the equivalent of the English -ing form. It can also be used as a noun, an adjective, or can be used for linking words.