Most Difficult Rule in Italian
When learning Italian, many learners find certain grammar rules especially challenging. As a linguist and Italian teacher, I’ve noticed that around 80% of my students identify congiuntivo as the hardest rule to master.
Unlike the indicative mood, which states facts or certain information, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood that is used to express doubt, uncertainty, desire, or hypothetical scenarios.
This abstract nature makes it difficult to grasp, particularly for native English speakers who rarely encounter such a structure in their own language.
It really does requires a mental shift to use and while English speakers use it subtly, Italian relies heavily on it to convey nuance and emotion in everyday conversation.
However I will confess you something: even Italians get it wrong sometimes!
Why the Subjunctive is So Tough
Unfamiliar Territory for English Speakers
In English, the use of the subjunctive mood is limited. You can encounter it in phrases like “I suggest that he go” or “If I were you”.
However, although these verbs are subjunctive verbs in all and all, they are just like other verb conjugations, which makes learning them quite easy.
For this very reason, many native English speakers don’t consciously use or recognize it. In Italian, on the other hand, we have specific verb conjugation patterns that need to be learned for us to properly use it.
For example, have a look at this common sentence:
Penso che tu abbia ragione.
I think you are right.
Here, abbia is the present subjunctive of avere (to have). If you used the present indicative hai, the sentence would sound odd to an Italian ear, and to be honest, also slightly ungrammatical.
Complex Conjugation Patterns
As I mentioned before, the main reason why learning the Italian subjunctive is hard is because it has its own conjugation patterns. This means that you have to learn a new verb paradigm, which is specific of this verb tense.
Learners need to remember specific endings for regular and irregular verbs across its four verb tenses: present, imperfect, past, and past perfect. This can feel overwhelming, especially with irregular verbs, as you can see below:
Lui vuole he io vada a casa presto.
He wants me to go home early. (lit: he wants that I go home early)
Spero che tu possa uscire domani.
I hope that you can go out tomorrow.
Credo che lui faccia il cuoco.
I think that he is a cook (lit: I think that he does the cook)
Nuance in Context
Last but not least reason why I think the subjunctive mood is tricky, it is that it is used to convey specific meanings, and these specific meanings are quite abstract. It is as if I asked you to think about something that does not exist. How can you do that?
Specifically, in Italian we rely on the subjunctive to indicate uncertainty or subjectivity, like:
È possibile che piova domani.
It’s possible that it might rain tomorrow.
Tips for Mastering the Subjunctive
Practice With Common Expressions
Start with phrases where the subjunctive is commonly used:
Spero che tu stia bene.
I hope you are well.
Voglio che tu sappia la verità.
I want you to know the truth.
These everyday phrases help build comfort with the forms in a natural context.
Pair Verbs With the Subjunctive
Many verbs – or expressions – which express doubt, emotion, or subjectivity are often followed by the subjunctive. My advice is that you learn what these verbs are, so you can sort of predict when to use the congiuntivo.
- Credere (to believe)
- Pensare (to think)
- Sperare (to hope)
- Desiderare (to desire/wish)
- Dubitare (to doubt)
- Temere (to fear)
- Volere (to want)
- Preferire (to prefer)
- Immaginare (to imagine)
- Aspettarsi (to expect)
- Consigliare (to advise)
- Suggerire (to suggest)
- È possibile (it is possible)
- È probabile (it is probable)
- È sicuro (it is sure)
These verbs are typically followed by the relative pronoun che and then the subjunctive form of the verb in the dependent clause. For example:
Credo che lui abbia finito il lavoro.
I believe he has finished the work.
Temevo che non funzionasse.
I feared it wasn’t working.
È probabile che il ristorante sia chiuso.
It is probable that the restaurant is closed.
Ero sicura che avesse preso il treno.
I was sure s/he took the train.
Focus on Irregular Forms
Irregular verbs are considered irregular because they significantly deviate from the standard conjugation patterns. Irregularities do not affect their endings, but their root.
In order to learn these irregular verbs, the only thing you can do is dedicate enough time to memorizing them. In fact, when it comes to memorizing irregular verbs, it is as if you were memorizing vocabulary.
These verbs are aleatory: all you can do to master Italian irregular verb is to learn them by heart. Here, I will show you 5 common verbs that are irregular in the subjunctive mood:
Essere (to be)
| Subject | Presente | Passato | Imperfetto | Trapassato |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | sia | sia stato | fossi | fossi stato |
| Tu | sia | sia stato | fossi | fossi stato |
| Lui/Lei | sia | sia stato | fosse | fosse stato |
| Noi | siamo | siamo stati | fossimo | fossimo stati |
| Voi | siate | siate stati | foste | foste stati |
| Loro | siano | siano stati | fossero | fossero stati |
Avere (to have)
| Subject | Presente | Passato | Imperfetto | Trapassato |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | abbia | abbia avuto | avessi | avessi avuto |
| Tu | abbia | abbia avuto | avessi | avessi avuto |
| Lui/Lei | abbia | abbia avuto | avesse | avesse avuto |
| Noi | abbiamo | abbiamo avuto | avessimo | avessimo avuto |
| Voi | abbiate | abbiate avuto | aveste | aveste avuto |
| Loro | abbiano | abbiano avuto | avessero | avessero avuto |
Andare (to go)
| Subject | Presente | Passato | Imperfetto | Trapassato |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | vada | sia andato | andassi | fossi andato |
| Tu | vada | sia andato | andassi | fossi andato |
| Lui/Lei | vada | sia andato | andasse | fosse andato |
| Noi | andiamo | siamo andati | andassimo | fossimo andati |
| Voi | andiate | siate andati | andaste | foste andati |
| Loro | vadano | siano andati | andassero | fossero andati |
Fare (to do/make)
| Subject | Presente | Passato | Imperfetto | Trapassato |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | faccia | abbia fatto | facessi | avessi fatto |
| Tu | faccia | abbia fatto | facessi | avessi fatto |
| Lui/Lei | faccia | abbia fatto | facesse | avesse fatto |
| Noi | facciamo | abbiamo fatto | facessimo | avessimo fatto |
| Voi | facciate | abbiate fatto | faceste | aveste fatto |
| Loro | facciano | abbiano fatto | facessero | avessero fatto |
Venire (to come)
| Subject | Presente | Passato | Imperfetto | Trapassato |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | venga | sia venuto | venissi | fossi venuto |
| Tu | venga | sia venuto | venissi | fossi venuto |
| Lui/Lei | venga | sia venuto | venisse | fosse venuto |
| Noi | veniamo | siamo venuti | venissimo | fossimo venuti |
| Voi | veniate | siate venuti | veniste | foste venuti |
| Loro | vengano | siano venuti | venissero | fossero venuti |
Face the Italian Congiuntivo
Learning the subjunctive requires patience and practice. Listening to how native speakers use it, and start with mimicking these structures to practice.
Remember: even native Italians sometimes get it wrong! But most importantly, almost nobody consciously thinks, “I’m using the subjunctive”.
We, as natives, learn it naturally. You, as learner, might need to understand why we use it in the first place. By exposing yourself to Italian content, you can start to grasp the right contexts to use subjunctive.
So, when next faced with an opportunity to express doubt or hope in Italian, remember to reach for that congiuntivo. You might find yourself saying:
Spero che imparare il congiuntivo non sia troppo difficile.
I hope learning the subjunctive isn’t too difficult.
