“Servire” in Italian
The Italian verb servire means “to need”, “to be useful” and “to serve”. Its most common use is to say what you need: Mi serve una penna means “I need a pen”. Word for word it is “a pen is useful to me”, so the thing you need is the subject of the verb and you are the indirect object.
Servire is a regular verb of the third conjugation –ire and can generally be translated into English as “to need”. However, its structure is very different from the structure of English verb “to need”.
The Italian verb servire has the same syntactic construction as sembrare, piacere and mancare, therefore you need to master indirect pronouns to use it.
Have a look at the sentence below:
Mi serve la farina per fare la pizza.
I need flour to make pizza.
Now, let me show you its structure and uses.
The Italian Servire
Structure
In English, the person who needs someone or something is the subject of the sentence, and the needed object or person is the direct object of the sentence.
In Italian it is the opposite: when expressing the feeling of needing someone or something, the verb is conjugated with the entity that is needed and the indirect object represents the person who experience the need.
This means that you need either an indirect pronoun or the preposition “a” to introduce the object. Let me show you how to do that.
A me / Mi serve un euro.
I need one euro.
As you can see, the subject of the sentence is what is needed, in this case one euro, and the person who needs it is the indirect object pronoun mi(to me).
Let me now show you the other indirect pronouns:
- mi / a me : (lit.) to me
- ti / a te: (lit.) to you
- gli-le / a lui-a lei: (lit.) to him/to her
- ci / a noi: (lit.) to us
- vi / a voi : (lit.) to you
- gli / a loro: (lit.) to them
Remember! If you want to use someone’s name you need the preposition “a”.
Here is an example:
Questa penna serve a Maria.
Maria needs this pen.
Conjugation
Given its structure, the verb servire is conjugated to what is needed and the indirect pronoun changes according to who experiences the need. This means that the verb can usually be found in the third person singular or plural.
Ti serve questo libro per l’esame
You need this book for the exam
Ci servono due chili di pasta per la cena di stasera.
We need two kilos of pasta for tonight’s dinner
In the first case, the subject of the sentence is “questo libro”, therefore the verb is conjugated in the third person singular. In the second case, the subject of the sentence is “due chili di pasta”, therefore the verb is conjugated in the third person plural.
Let me show you the conjugation of the verb in the main verb tenses, so you can use it as you… need!
Presente (present), imperfetto (imperfect), passato prossimo (present perfect), and futuro (future simple).
Present tense
| Presente | |
| io | servo |
| tu | servi |
| lui, lei, Lei | serve |
| noi | serviamo |
| voi | servite |
| loro | servono |
Imperfect
| Imperfetto | |
| io | servivo |
| tu | servivi |
| lui, lei, Lei | serviva |
| noi | servivamo |
| voi | servivate |
| loro, Loro | servivano |
Simple future
| Futuro Semplice | |
| io | servirò |
| tu | servirai |
| lui, lei, Lei | servirà |
| noi | serviremo |
| voi | servirete |
| loro, Loro | serviranno |
In compound tenses, like passato prossimo, it takes the auxiliary verb essere (to be) and means something more similar to “be useful”.
Ti sono serviti i miei appunti?
Were my notes useful to you?
Remember, in compound tenses that take essere, the participle must agree in gender and number with subject.
Mi sono servite molto le tue ricette.
Your recipes were very useful to me.
Servire in Other Tenses
Because the verb agrees with what is needed, you will mostly use the third person. Here are the forms you need in the main tenses:
| Tense | Singular (one thing needed) | Plural (several things needed) |
|---|---|---|
| Present | serve | servono |
| Imperfect | serviva | servivano |
| Present perfect | è servito / è servita | sono serviti / sono servite |
| Simple future | servirà | serviranno |
| Present conditional | servirebbe | servirebbero |
| Present subjunctive | serva | servano |
Ieri mi serviva un ombrello.
Yesterday I needed an umbrella.
Domani mi servirà la macchina.
Tomorrow I’ll need the car.
Mi servirebbe un consiglio.
I could use some advice. (polite)
Non credo che ti serva altro.
I don’t think you need anything else.
The conditional mi servirebbe is a very common polite way to ask for something. After verbs of opinion like credo che, the verb goes in the present subjunctive: serva.
How to use “Servire” in Italian
- The main use of the verb servire is to express need. When this is the case, we use the structure as detailed before.
Mi serve una valigia nuova, la mia si è rotta.
I need a new piece of luggage, mine broke.
However, in Italian there is also another way to express needs. For example, you might already be familiar with the expression avere bisogno di.
Ho bisogno di due melanzane per preparare il sugo.
I need two aubergines to prepare the sauce.
- Another way we can use this verb is with the structure servire a. This expression is used to describe the purpose of something. In this case, the verb is conjugated as usual and is followed by an infinitive verb (infinito), as in the sentence below:
Le forbici servono a tagliare.
Scissors are for cutting.
Sometimes, you can find the preposition per rather than a.
Il mestolo serve per servire le zuppe.
The ladle is used to serve soup.
- The last use of this verb is a transitive use, to literally mean “to serve”, as in serving someone in a restaurant. In this case, since it is used as a transitive verb, it has a very easy and standard structure:
Il cameriere serve la carne.
The waiter serves the meat.
Servire: Common Phrases
These are the sentences with servire you will hear most often in Italy:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Che cosa ti serve? | What do you need? |
| Ti serve una mano? | Do you need a hand? |
| Serve aiuto? | Do you need help? (general) |
| A cosa serve? | What is it for? |
| Non serve a niente. | It’s useless. / There’s no point. |
| Non serve che tu venga. | You don’t need to come. |
| Si serva pure! | Please, help yourself! (formal) |
The last phrase comes from the reflexive verb servirsi (to help oneself, to use). It is also used in the sense of “to use”: Per lavoro mi servo di un portatile (For work I use a laptop).
Servire vs Avere Bisogno di
Both express need, and both are correct. Servire puts the focus on the thing you need and is very common in everyday speech, while avere bisogno di puts the person first and is also used for feelings and emotional needs.
| Servire | Avere bisogno di |
|---|---|
| Mi serve un caffè. (I need a coffee.) | Ho bisogno di un caffè. (I need a coffee.) |
| Mi serve tempo. (I need time.) | Ho bisogno di tempo. (I need time.) |
| Mi servi domani. (I need you tomorrow, for a task.) | Ho bisogno di te. (I need you, emotionally.) |
Common Mistakes With Servire
- Making yourself the subject. Io servo una penna means “I serve a pen”. Say Mi serve una penna.
- Forgetting the agreement. The verb agrees with what is needed: Mi serve un libro, but Mi servono due libri.
- Using the wrong auxiliary. When servire means “to need” or “to be useful”, it takes essere: Mi è servito. When it means “to serve”, it takes avere: Il cameriere ha servito il vino (The waiter served the wine). See the lesson on essere vs avere.
- Using a tonic pronoun without a. Serve me is wrong. Say Mi serve or A me serve.
Practice: Complete With Servire
Complete the sentences with the correct form of servire:
- Mi ___ una penna. (present)
- Ci ___ due biglietti. (present)
- Ieri ti ___ la macchina? (imperfect)
- Domani non mi ___ niente. (simple future)
- Le forbici ___ a tagliare. (present)
- Mi ___ un consiglio. (conditional, polite)
Answers: 1. serve, 2. servono, 3. serviva, 4. servirà, 5. servono, 6. servirebbe.
Servire: Frequently Asked Questions
What does servire mean in Italian?
It means “to need” (mi serve), “to be useful or used for” (serve a) and “to serve” (il cameriere serve).
Is servire a regular verb?
Yes. It is a regular verb of the third conjugation, and it follows the same pattern as sentire or dormire in most tenses.
How do you say “I need” with servire?
Use the indirect pronoun for the person and the verb in agreement with what you need: mi serve (one thing) or mi servono (several things).
What is the participle of servire?
It is servito. With the meaning “to need”, the participle agrees with the thing needed: mi sono servite le tue ricette.
Is servire the same as Spanish servir?
They are related and both can mean “to serve” or “to be useful”, but Italian mi serve is used to say “I need”, which Spanish usually says with necesitar.
Ti è Servito?
Was This Useful?
I am sure you needed this article to better understand the Italian verb servire. Being able to express needs in Italian is essential for effective communication in both everyday and formal contexts.
Whether you’re chatting with friends asking for help, describing a role or purpose, or telling what a waiter or waitress gave you at the restaurant, “servire” is incredibly useful.
If you need anything, never hesitate to ask!
