The four Italian modal verbs are volere (to want), potere (can, to be able to), dovere (must, to have to) and sapere (to know how to). In the imperfect they are regular and become volevo, potevo, dovevo and sapevo.
This lesson shows the full imperfect conjugation, what it means with modal verbs, and when to choose it over the passato prossimo.
What are “Potere”, “Volere”, “Dovere” and “Sapere” in Italian?
Volere (to want), potere (to can/be able to), dovere (to have to), and sapere (to know) are Italian modal verbs. These verbs are irregular verbs that indicate a modality, like probability, ability, obligation, necessity…
Just like in English, Italian modal verbs are always followed by a verb in the infinitive tense.
Voglio mangiare la pizza.
I want to eat pizza.
Possiamo venire con voi?
Can we come with you?
Dovete andare a casa.
You have to go home.
Simona sa sciare molto bene.
Simona can ski very well.
Given their use, they are classified as auxiliary verbs, like essere and avere. For this reason, these verbs can be conjugated in all verb tenses. In this lesson, I will show you the the imperfetto.
Italian Modal Verbs in the Present (for Comparison)
In the present tense the modal verbs are irregular, which is why the regular imperfect comes as a relief. Here are the present forms for comparison:
| Subject | volere | potere | dovere | sapere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | voglio | posso | devo | so |
| Tu | vuoi | puoi | devi | sai |
| Lui/Lei | vuole | può | deve | sa |
| Noi | vogliamo | possiamo | dobbiamo | sappiamo |
| Voi | volete | potete | dovete | sapete |
| Loro | vogliono | possono | devono | sanno |
The uses of each verb in the present are explained in the lesson on how to use Italian modal verbs, and the other irregular forms are in the irregular present tense lesson.
Imperfect Tense of “Potere”, “Volere”, “Dovere” and “Sapere”
What is Imperfetto
Imperfetto is one of the tenses that we have in Italian to talk about the past. Specifically, it refers to:
- Continued and prolonged actions that happened in the past
- Habits and repeated actions in the past
- Factual conditions in the past
- Descriptions in the past
La piazza prima era molto piccola.
Before, the square was very small.
Laura non stava molto bene ieri.
Laura wasn’t very well yesterday.
Noi andavamo sempre in Messico d’estate.
We would always go to Mexico in the summer.
Cosa dicevi ieri su mio fratello?
What were you saying yesterday about my brother?
What I always tell my students to make it easier is to translate imperfetto with the English “used to”.
Imperfetto of Modal Verbs
As I mentioned before, modal verbs are generally irregular. However, not all irregular Italian verbs display irregularities in all verbs tenses. In fact, the conjugation of the imperfetto of these verbs is actually regular and consistent.
- volere
| Italian | Translation |
| Io volevo | I wanted |
| Tu volevi | You wanted |
| Lui/Lei voleva | He/She wanted |
| Noi volevamo | We wanted |
| Voi volevate | You wanted |
| Loro volevano | They wanted |
La scorsa estate io volevo andare al mare.
Last summer, I wanted to go to the beach.
Cosa volevi dirmi ieri?
What did you want to tell me yesterday?
- potere
| Italian | Translation |
| Io potevo | I could |
| Tu potevi | You could |
| Lui/Lei poteva | He/She could |
| Noi potevamo | We could |
| Voi potevate | You could |
| Loro potevano | They could |
Da piccoli, non potevamo uscire con i nostri amici.
When we were little, we couldn’t go out with our friends.
L’anno scorso potevo lavorare da casa.
Last year, I could work from home.
- dovere
| Italian | Translation |
| Io dovevo | I had to |
| Tu dovevi | You had to |
| Lui/Lei doveva | He/She had to |
| Noi dovevamo | We had to |
| Voi dovevate | You had to |
| Loro dovevano | They had to |
Cosa dovevate dirci ieri?
What did you have to tell us yesterday?
Angelo doveva pulire la casa e non l’ha fatto.
Angelo had to clean the house, but he didn’t do it.
- sapere
| Italian | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io sapevo | I knew |
| Tu sapevi | You knew |
| Lui/Lei sapeva | He/She knew |
| Noi sapevamo | We knew |
| Voi sapevate | You knew |
| Loro sapevano | They knew |
Da bambina non sapevo sciare.
When I was a child I couldn’t ski.
Sapevo giocare a carte, ora non mi ricordo.
I could play cards, now I do not remember.
What the Imperfect Means With Modal Verbs
With modal verbs, the imperfetto often describes a wish, a possibility or a duty in the past without saying whether it actually happened. These are the most common uses:
| Use | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Wish or intention | Volevo andare al mare, ma pioveva. | I wanted to go to the beach, but it was raining. |
| Ability or permission | Da piccolo non potevo uscire la sera. | When I was little, I could not go out in the evening. |
| Duty not carried out | Dovevo studiare, ma ero stanco. | I was supposed to study, but I was tired. |
| Knowledge | Sapevo che eri qui. | I knew you were here. |
| Polite request | Volevo un caffè, per favore. | I would like a coffee, please. |
| Reproach | Potevi dirmelo! | You could have told me! |
| Reproach | Dovevi avvisarmi. | You should have warned me. |
Volevo as a Polite Request
Italians often use volevo to ask for something politely, especially in shops, bars and offices. It sounds softer than voglio, even though the action is happening now:
Volevo chiederti un favore.
I wanted to ask you a favor.
Volevo sapere a che ora chiude il museo.
I wanted to know what time the museum closes.
Imperfetto or Passato Prossimo With Modal Verbs?
This is the choice that confuses learners the most. The imperfetto describes the wish, ability or duty. The passato prossimo tells you that the action was carried out or that a decision was made:
| Verb | Imperfetto | Passato prossimo |
|---|---|---|
| volere | Volevo restare. I wanted to stay. | Ho voluto restare. I chose to stay (and I stayed). |
| potere | Potevo uscire. I could go out (I was allowed to). | Sono potuto uscire. I managed to go out. |
| dovere | Dovevo lavorare. I had to work (maybe I did not). | Ho dovuto lavorare. I had to work (and I did). |
| sapere | Sapevo la verità. I knew the truth. | Ho saputo la verità. I found out the truth. |
Practice: Complete With the Imperfetto
- Da bambino non ___ (potere) guardare la TV la sera.
- Noi ___ (volere) partire presto, ma c’era traffico.
- Tu ___ (dovere) chiamarmi ieri!
- Loro non ___ (sapere) parlare inglese.
Answers:
- Da bambino non potevo guardare la TV la sera. (As a child I could not watch TV in the evening.)
- Noi volevamo partire presto, ma c’era traffico. (We wanted to leave early, but there was traffic.)
- Tu dovevi chiamarmi ieri! (You were supposed to call me yesterday!)
- Loro non sapevano parlare inglese. (They did not know how to speak English.)
