free edition

Basic Italian Grammar

All the basics — clearly explained
by Anna Del Franco & Diana Lavarini
 Foreword
Foreword

Italian is considered one of the easiest languages to The complete 147-page edition of
learn for English speakers. We share the same wri ng this guide is available on Amazon
system; both languages include plenty of words with worldwide as eBook and paperback.

La n roots; the basic sentence structure is the same; It’s also our welcome gift for top-tier
patrons on Patreon.
Italian is spoken the way that it is wri en.
What’s the catch then? While English has very li le
in ec on, Italian is a heavily in ected language, which My Italian Circle is a project by Anna Del Franco &
basically means that we change word endings to modify Diana Lavarini. On our YouTube channel you can
their meaning. Nouns, pronouns, adjec ves, and ar cles nd several videos on the topics discussed in this
can be masculine, feminine, singular or plural, and verbs handbook. Watch them to listen to detailed
are conjugated according to mood, tense, person, and explana ons and hundreds of examples:
number. Italian grammar can be quite complicated!
youtube.com/myitaliancircle
This free handbook is an introduc on to the main
concepts and a quick reference guide. You will nd the
Language and culture are closely intertwined, and
basic principles, simple explana ons on how to use the
this is especially true for Italy and Italian. Have a
main parts of speech, and regular verb conjuga ons in
look at our Website for quick reference guides to
all the tenses needed for everyday communica on, with
Italian art, history, music, literature, and cinema,
examples from current, authen c language.
and for plenty of free resources to improve your
Buono studio! Italian:
Anna & Diana myitaliancircle.com

myitaliancircle.com 2
fi
fl
ti
ti

ti

fl
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti

fi
ti
ti
tt
ti
ti

Introduction - Basic concepts

Inflection - Flessione Let’s see some examples of inflection.

Nouns can be masculine or feminine, singular or
Inflection is the modification of a word according to plural based on their ending:
various grammatical categories, for example
bambino (masculine singular)
number, gender, mood, and tense. In Italian the
bambina (feminine singular)
inflection of verbs is called coniugazione
(conjugation), but nouns, adjectives, articles, and bambini (masculine plural)
other parts of speech can be inflected, too. bambine (feminine plural

Latin was highly inflected, with seven cases, five Articles and adjectives agree with the noun they
declensions, four conjugations, and three genders. refer to, so they also have masculine, feminine,
Italian and other Romance languages are singular and plural forms:
comparatively simpler, with only two genders i bambini piccoli (masculine plural)
(masculine and feminine) and no grammatical la bambina alta (feminine singular)
cases. Still, most Italian words can be inflected,
usually by changing their ending, and only a Pronouns replace nouns, so they also have gender
minority of words are invariable. and number, like the English she/her, they/them, etc.
We introduce pronouns on page 14.
Verbs have various moods & tenses, persons and
numbers. We introduce all seven moods and the
most common tenses on page 16.

myitaliancircle.com 3

Introduction - Basic concepts

Basic Sentence Structure Examples of basic Watch this video on the

sentences with SVO building blocks of Italian.
structure:
Did you know that very different languages like
English, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, Thai, and Chinese Lucia guarda la TV. - Lucia watches TV.
share the same basic sentence structure? They are Guardare (to watch) is a transitive verb, and TV is a
all SVO languages, which means that sentences are direct object.
usually made up by the sequence:
Marco parla con Gianni. - Marco talks with Gianni.
SUBJECT - VERB - OBJECT Parlare (to talk) is intransitive in this sentence, and
In Italian, thanks to conjugation, the verb already con Gianni is an indirect object.
contains a lot of information about the subject. Anna dà il libro a Luca. - Anna gives Luca the book.
Therefore the subject is often dropped, and our
Here dare (to give) has both a direct object (il libro)
sentence structure can become even simpler:
and an indirect object (a Luca).
VERB - OBJECT
Negative sentences have the same structure, we just
add NON (not) before the verb:
subject: who or what is doing the action Lucia non guarda la TV. - Lucia doesn’t watch TV.
verb: the action
Interrogative sentences (questions) often retain the
object: who or what the action is being
same structure, too:
done to
Lucia guarda la TV? - Does Lucia watch TV?

myitaliancircle.com 4

 1.1 Nouns - Gender of nouns

AMICO E AMICA There are some general rules that we can keep in mind
to gure out the gender of a word when we don’t have
Italian nouns can be masculine or feminine. a dic onary at hand:
There is no neuter, no it — even ideas and
inanimate objects are either masculine or feminine. • Nouns ending in -O are usually masculine and form
Everything has a gramma cal gender. the plural with -I.
• Nouns ending in -A are usually feminine and form the
plural with -E.
How can I gure out
• Nouns ending in -E can be masculine or feminine and
the gender of a noun form the plural with -I.
in Italian?
NOMI MASCHILI NOMI FEMMINILI
When nouns refer to people or animals, their
gramma cal gender corresponds to natural gender. IL LETTO LA FINESTRA
It is therefore quite di cult to avoid specifying IL FORNO LA LAMPADA
someone’s gender in Italian. IL DIVANO LA TENDA
IL GIORNALE LA CHIAVE
MASCHILE FEMMINILE
IL CUOCO LA CUOCA I LETTI LE FINESTRE
IL BAMBINO LA BAMBINA I FORNI LE LAMPADE
IL POLIZIOTTO LA POLIZIOTTA I DIVANI LE TENDE
IL GATTO LA GATTA I GIORNALI LE CHIAVI

myitaliancircle.com 5














fi
ti

ti

fi

ffi

ti

 1.1 Nouns - Gender of nouns

ATTORE E ATTRICE Some masculine nouns ending in -E form the feminine

with -ESSA.
Some nouns are both masculine and feminine. The
gender can be deduced from the context and/or the Masculine nouns ending in -TORE form the feminine
ar cle (if any). with -TRICE.

MASCHILE FEMMINILE MASCHILE FEMMINILE

IL COLLEGA LA COLLEGA LO STUDENTE LA STUDENTESSA
IL CANTANTE LA CANTANTE IL POETA LA POETESSA
IL PIANISTA LA PIANISTA IL DOTTORE LA DOTTORESSA
L’ARTISTA L’ARTISTA IL CONTE LA CONTESSA
L’ATTORE L’ATTRICE
IL TRADUTTORE LA TRADUTTRICE
LO SCRITTORE LA SCRITTRICE
IL PITTORE LA PITTRICE
IL DIRETTORE LA DIRETTRICE

Today there is a heated debate on the feminine form

of nouns that refer to jobs, tles, and posi ons
in what were once male-dominated elds.
Avvocata is becoming increasingly common instead
of avvocatessa; ministra and sindaca are o en used
for a female minister and a female mayor.
The choice is o en based on personal preference.

myitaliancircle.com 6
















ti

ft

ti
fi

ti

ft

 1.2 Nouns - Plural of nouns

"CASE, LIBRI, AUTO, VIAGGI, FOGLI DI GIORNALE…"

Tiziano Ferro, Non me lo so spiegare

Masculine nouns ending in -O or -A and all nouns Nouns ending in -IO drop the O in the plural:
ending in -E form the plural with -I:
IL NEGOZIO I NEGOZI
But if the I in -IO is stressed, then an -I is added
in the plural form:
LO ZIO GLI ZII

Remember! Foreign nouns, nouns stressed on

Feminine nouns ending in -A form the plural with -E: the final vowel, and abbreviations do not change
in the plural — they are invariable:
IL BAR I BAR
LO SPORT GLI SPORT
IL REFERENDUM I REFERENDUM
I negozi di questa ci à sono fantas ci!
LA CITTÀ LE CITTÀ
The shops of this city are great!
LA VIRTÙ LE VIRTÙ
Le ci à italiane sono spesso a ascinan . LA FOTO LE FOTO
Italian ci es are o en fascina ng. LA BICI LE BICI

myitaliancircle.com 7









tt

ti








ft

tt

ti

ff

ti

ti

 2.1 Articles - Inde nite articles

The inde nite ar cles a, an have four

forms in Italian.

UNO, UN
The masculine forms are UN and UNO.
UNO is used before singular nouns
beginning with z, y, s + consonant, gn,
or ps:
UNO SPETTACOLO
UNA, UN’
UNO YOGURT
The feminine forms are:
UNO ZAINO
UNA, used before singular nouns beginning with a consonant:
UN is used before singular nouns
beginning with other consonants or UNA STANZA UNA MELA
with a vowel: UN’, used before singular nouns beginning with a vowel:
UN AMICO UN’AMICA UN’AUTOMOBILE
UN ANIMALE
A common mistake is using UN’ before masculine nouns:
UN GELATO
UN TAVOLO UN’AMICO ⛔ WRONG

UN ORSO UN AMICO 👌 CORRECT

myitaliancircle.com 8

fi

ti

fi

 2.2 Articles - De nite articles

L’articolo determinativo
• With abstract nouns or general statements:
The definite article corresponds to the English the,
La vita è bella.
and it’s used to refer to something definite that
the speaker knows. It agrees in gender and I gatti sono adorabili.
number with the noun. I sogni sono desideri.

• Before signore, signora and titles: MASCULINE SINGULAR PLURAL

La signora Verdi, il dottor Bianchi begins with a IL I
• With languages: consonant*
Studio l’italiano. begins with a L’ GLI
(but "Studio italiano" is also correct) vowel
* begins with LO GLI
• With names of countries (except when
S+consonant,
introduced by the preposition IN):
GN, PN, PS, X, Y, Z
La Francia è un bellissimo paese.
Vado spesso in Italia. (no article here!)
FEMININE SINGULAR PLURAL
• With the times & dates:
begins with a LA LE
Sono le undici. È il 15 giugno. consonant
• When expressing possession: begins with a L’ LE
La tua casa è molto grande. vowel

myitaliancircle.com 9

fi

 3.1 Adjectives

Gli aggettivi
Plural of adjectives
Adjectives are words that provide additional
Adjectives ending in -O form the plural with -I:
information about other parts of the speech,
usually nouns. There are different types of il teatro famoso —> i teatri famosi
adjectives: descriptive, demonstrative, possessive,
Adjectives ending in -A form the plural with -E:
indefinite, interrogative.
la casa nuova —> le case nuove
Adjectives generally follow the noun they modify,
and they agree in gender and number with it: Adjectives ending in -E always form the plural
Un teatro famoso with -I, regardless of gender:
Una città moderna le ragazze sorridenti —> i ragazzi sorridenti
Due gatti neri. Their plural forms generally follow the spelling
rules that apply to nouns:
The vast majority of masculine adjectives ends in
-O, whereas feminine adjectives usually end in -A. una via larga —> due vie larghe

Adjectives ending in -E have the same form for both Finally, there is a group of invariable adjectives,
masculine and feminine: mainly colours, which never change:

Una festa interessante un muro rosa una bicicletta rosa

Un romanzo interessante il pollo arrosto i polli arrosto

myitaliancircle.com 10

 3.2 Adjectives - Comparatives & superlatives

Comparatives TIP
La forma come è più usata.
• The comparative of majority is formed as follows:
più + adjective + di
Superlatives
Il mio cane è più vecchio del tuo.
• Relative superlatives are easy to form:
My dog is older than yours.
definite article + più + adjective
• The comparative of minority is formed as
follows: Marco è il più intelligente del gruppo.
meno + adjective + di Marco is the most intelligent in the group.
La sua famiglia è meno ricca della tua. • Absolute superlative
His family is less rich than yours.
The absolute superlative is used to state that
• The comparative of equality is formed as follows: someone (or something) has a quality to the
adjective + quanto/come highest degree, without any term of comparison.

La sua famiglia è ricca quanto la tua. It is formed by adding the suffix -ISSIMO to the
adjective:
La sua famiglia è ricca come la tua.
His/her family is as rich as yours. Venezia è una città bellissima.
Venice is a wonderful city.

myitaliancircle.com 11

 3.3 Adjectives - Possessive adjectives

Gli aggettivi possessivi

MASCULINE FEMININE • The definite article is placed before the

SINGULAR SINGULAR possessive adjective:
IL MIO LA MIA il mio cane - my dog
IL TUO LA TUA le tue sorelle - your sisters
IL SUO LA SUA • Possessive adjectives agree with the noun they
IL NOSTRO LA NOSTRA refer to, NOT with the owner:
IL VOSTRO LA VOSTRA Il libro di Sofia —> Il suo libro
IL LORO LE LORO La casa di Marco —> La sua casa
• Suo/a is the courtesy form:
MASCULINE FEMININE Scusi, questa è la Sua borsa?
PLURAL PLURAL
Ecco il Suo caffè.
I MIEI LE MIE
I TUOI LE TUE The article is usually omitted before singular kinship nouns:
mio fratello, mia madre, tuo padre, sua zia, suo nonno, nostro
I SUOI LE SUE
zio, vostra nonna. However, we can say la mia mamma, il tuo
I NOSTRI LE NOSTRE papà, il suo babbo.
I VOSTRI LE VOSTRE We use the article if the kinship noun is modified or followed
by an adjective: il mio fratellino, il tuo nonno materno, and with
I LORO LE LORO plural kinship nouns and the possessive adjective loro: i tuoi zii,
i nostri genitori, il loro nonno.

myitaliancircle.com 12

 4 Adverbs

Adverbs add to the meaning of verbs, adjectives or • Adverbs of manner are formed by adding the
other adverbs. There are several types of adverbs: suffix -MENTE to the feminine form of the
adjective:
• Adverbs of manner:
lentamente, allegramente, bene, male, forte, libero —> libera —> liberamente
piano. caldo —> calda —> caldamente
• Adverbs of time: giusto —> giusta —> giustamente
ora, adesso, ancora, ieri, oggi, domani, prima, poi,
duro —> dura —> duramente
presto, subito, tardi, sempre, mai.
• A few end in -ONI:
• Adverbs of quantity:
molto, poco, meno, troppo, più, tanto, assai, cavalcioni (piggyback), carponi (on all
niente, nulla. fours), a tentoni (groping around)
• Adverbs of place: • Adjectives ending in -LE/-LO, -RE/-RO drop the
qui, qua, sopra, sotto, vicino, lontano, prima, final -E before -MENTE:
dopo, davanti, dietro. uguale —> ugualmente
nobile —> nobilmente
Together with conjunctions and prepositions, adverbs are
one of the few invariable parts of speech in Italian. regolare —> regolarmente
We can however form superlatives: tantissimo, moltissimo, benevolo —> benevolmente
lontanissimo, spessissimo, tardissimo…
leggero —> leggermente
Additionally, some adverbs can be modified by suffixes:
benone, benino, pianino, pochino, malaccio…

myitaliancircle.com 13

5.1 Pronouns - Subject pronouns

I pronomi soggetto
Important!

SINGULAR PLURAL • In Italian, subject pronouns are usually dropped

to avoid repetition. Thanks to conjugation, the
IO NOI ending of the verb already indicates the person
TU VOI that performs the action.

LUI, LEI LORO • When subject pronouns are expressed, they are
usually added for emphasis or contrast:
Lui è italiano, lei invece è francese.
Io ho capito, tu no!
Noi andiamo, voi restate lì!
• Lei with a capital L is the courtesy form, which
corresponds to the third person singular:
Scusi, Lei è il nuovo professore?
The subject pronouns egli (he), ella (she), esso/a (animal/ Venga anche Lei, signor Rossi!
inanimate object), and essi/e (they) are commonly
Lei non sa chi sono io!
replaced by the pronouns listed above. This usage is
already found in Alessandro Manzoni (early 19th century).

myitaliancircle.com 14

 5.2 Pronouns - Object pronouns

Direct object pronouns Indirect object pronouns

Direct object pronouns replace the object, and In Italian some verbs need indirect object
answer the questions What? or Whom? They can be pronouns. They answer the questions To whom? or
stressed or unstressed. For whom?. They can be unstressed or stressed.
Unstressed pronouns are placed before the verb: Unstressed pronouns go before the verb:
Mi porti a casa? Will you take me home? Mi hanno telefonato. They called me.

SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL

MI CI MI CI
TI VI TI VI
LO, LA LI, LE GLI, LE GLI

Stressed pronouns are placed after the verb: Stressed pronouns are placed after the verb and
Ha indicato me. He pointed to me. need a preposition:
Hanno telefonato a me. They called me.
SINGULAR PLURAL
ME NOI SINGULAR PLURAL
TE VOI A ME A NOI
LUI, LEI LORO A TE A VOI
A LUI, A LEI A LORO

myitaliancircle.com 15

 6.1 Verbs - Moods

A real, certain fact;

Person, number, and Indicativo
a statement
tense are speci ed

A possibility, a desire,
Congiuntivo an uncertain fact
De nite Moods
A probability, a fact
Condizionale conditioned by other actions

An order, an invitation,
Imperativo a threat, a request
Verb Moods

An action with no
In nito
person and number

An action in a relationship of
Inde nite Moods Gerundio
cause, time, manner with another

It can function as a noun or an

Participio adjective; the past participle forms
The action is generic compound tenses

myitaliancircle.com 16
fi
fi
fi

fi

6.1.1 Verbs - Moods - Indicativo

Verb Moods - Modi verbali The indicative mood is used

Modo to state a fact that is believed
Verb moods are classifications that specify how the indicativo to be true by the speaker.
action takes place. They are divided into two
groups: The indicative mood indicates the three moments
when a fact can take place or a statement is made:
1. Definite moods, which indicate person,
number, and tense: Anteriority — in the past:
indicativo (indicative) imperfetto (imperfect)
congiuntivo (subjunctive) passato remoto (past absolute or past simple)
condizionale (conditional) passato prossimo (present perfect)
imperativo (imperative) trapassato prossimo (past perfect)
trapassato remoto (preterite perfect tense)
2. Indefinite moods, which indicate only tense:
Contemporaneity — right now:
infinito (infinitive)
gerundio (gerund) presente (present)
participio (participle) Posteriority — in the future:
Tenses can be simple, i.e. formed by a single word, futuro semplice (future)
or compound, i.e. formed by the auxiliary verb futuro anteriore (future perfect)
essere (to be) or avere (to have) + past participle. > See page 27 for more on verb tenses.

myitaliancircle.com 17

 6.1.2 Verbs - Moods - Congiuntivo

The subjunctive mood

is used to express
Modo Subjunctive mood, first conjugation 1
uncertainty, doubt, desire. congiuntivo PRESENTE PASSATO
CHE IO AMI ABBIA AMATO
The subjunctive usually connects two clauses, a main CHE TU AMI ABBIA AMATO
clause and a subordinate one: in Italian congiungere
CHE LUI/LEI AMI ABBIA AMATO
means to connect, to join.
CHE NOI AMIAMO ABBIAMO AMATO
It is mainly used in subordinate clauses that depend
CHE VOI AMIATE ABBIATE AMATO
on verbs or expressions which:
CHE LORO AMINO ABBIANO AMATO
• Indicate feelings (avere paura, dispiacere, essere
felice, essere contento, etc.):
Sono contenta che tu capisca. IMPERFETTO TRAPASSATO
• Express opinions (credere, sperare, pensare, CHE IO AMASSI AVESSI AMATO
ritenere, etc.):
CHE TU AMASSI AVESSI AMATO
Spero che il treno sia in orario.
CHE LUI/LEI AMASSE AVESSE AMATO
• Express doubt (dubitare, immaginare, etc.):
CHE NOI AMASSIMO AVESSIMO AMATO
Non so dove sia. CHE VOI AMASTE AVESTE AMATO
• Express will (volere, desiderare, ordinare, etc.): CHE LORO AMASSERO AVESSERO AMATO
Voglio che tu venga qui!

myitaliancircle.com 18

6.1.2 Verbs - Moods - Congiuntivo

Subjunctive mood, second conjugation 2 Subjunctive mood, third conjugation 3

PRESENTE PASSATO PRESENTE PASSATO
CHE IO CREDA ABBIA CREDUTO CHE IO SENTA ABBIA SENTITO
CHE TU CREDA ABBIA CREDUTO CHE TU SENTA ABBIA SENTITO
CHE LUI/LEI CREDA ABBIA CREDUTO CHE LUI/LEI SENTA ABBIA SENTITO
CHE NOI CREDIAMO ABBIAMO CREDUTO CHE NOI SENTIAMO ABBIAMO SENTITO
CHE VOI CREDIATE ABBIATE CREDUTO CHE VOI SENTIATE ABBIATE SENTITO
CHE LORO CREDANO ABBIANO CREDUTO CHE LORO SENTANO ABBIANO SENTITO

IMPERFETTO TRAPASSATO IMPERFETTO TRAPASSATO

CHE IO CREDESSI AVESSI CREDUTO CHE IO SENTISSI AVESSI SENTITO
CHE TU CREDESSI AVESSI CREDUTO CHE TU SENTISSI AVESSI SENTITO
CHE LUI/LEI CREDESSE AVESSE CREDUTO CHE LUI/LEI SENTISSE AVESSE SENTITO
CHE NOI CREDESSIMO AVESSIMO CREDUTO CHE NOI SENTISSIMO AVESSIMO SENTITO
CHE VOI CREDESTE AVESTE CREDUTO CHE VOI SENTISTE AVESTE SENTITO
CHE LORO CREDESSERO AVESSERO CREDUTO CHE LORO SENTISSERO AVESSERO SENTITO

myitaliancircle.com 19

 6.1.3 Verbs - Moods - Condizionale

The conditional mood is Use the conditional:

used to talk about things Modo • To express a wish:
that would happen or
would be true under condizionale Vorrei mangiare un gelato.
I would like to eat an ice cream.
certain conditions.
• To make a polite request:
Mi presteresti la tua macchina?
The conditional mood has two tenses: May I borrow your car?
• The present conditional (condizionale presente o • To give advice:
semplice) is used to describe an event that could Dovresti dormire di più.
happen in the present on condition that another You should get more sleep.
event occurs: • To make assumptions:
Se avessi tempo, leggerei di più. Il negozio dovrebbe essere aperto.
If I had time, I would read more. The shop should be open.
• The past conditional (condizionale passato o • To express uncertainty:
composto) is used to describe an event that "Come andrà a finire?" "Non saprei!”
would have happened in the past if another event "How will it end?" "I don't know!"
had happened: • To express a future action in a past context:
Se me lo avessi detto, ti avrei aiutato. Pensavo che sarei tornata prima.
If you had told me, I would have helped you. I thought I would be back sooner.

myitaliancircle.com 20

 6.1.3 Verbs - Moods - Condizionale

The conditional is also used in conditional

sentences where the condition is introduced by the
Conditional mood, second conjugation 2
PRESENTE PASSATO
subjunctive:
IO CREDEREI AVREI CREDUTO
Se fosse oro vero, lo comprerei subito.
If it were real gold, I would buy it immediately. TU CREDERESTI AVRESTI CREDUTO

Se avessi studiato, avresti passato l’esame. LUI/LEI CREDEREBBE AVREBBE CREDUTO

If you had studied, you would have passed the NOI CREDEREMMO AVREMMO CREDUTO
exam. VOI CREDERESTE AVRESTE CREDUTO
LORO CREDEREBBERO AVREBBERO CREDUTO

Conditional mood, first conjugation 1 Conditional mood, third conjugation 3

PRESENTE PASSATO PRESENTE PASSATO
IO AMEREI AVREI AMATO IO SENTIREI AVREI SENTITO
TU AMERESTI AVRESTI AMATO TU SENTIRESTI AVRESTI SENTITO
LUI/LEI AMEREBBE AVREBBE AMATO LUI/LEI SENTIREBBE AVREBBE SENTITO
NOI AMEREMMO AVREMMO AMATO NOI SENTIREMMO AVREMMO SENTITO
VOI AMERESTE AVRESTE AMATO VOI SENTIRESTE AVRESTE SENTITO
LORO AMEREBBERO AVREBBERO AMATO LORO SENTIREBBERO AVREBBERO SENTITO

myitaliancircle.com 21

 6.1.4 Verbs - Moods - Imperativo

The imperative is used to

give orders and offer
Modo How to form it:
advice or suggestions. imperativo Imperative of the three regular conjugations:

person PARLARE CORRERE PARTIRE

The imperative is used in the second person singular tu Parla! Corri! Par !
and plural (tu, voi) and in the courtesy form (Lei). Lei* Parli! Corra! Parta!
A few practical examples: voi Parlate! Correte! Par te!

Se ti piace il riso, prova il risotto ai funghi!

If you like rice, try mushroom risotto! Common verbs with irregular or shortened forms:

Forza ragazzi, parlate in italiano! person ANDARE AVERE DARE

Come on guys, speak Italian! tu Va’ / vai! Abbi! Da’ / dai!

Lei* Vada! Abbia! Dia!
Paolo, non tornare più!
voi Andate! Abbiate! Date!
Paolo, don’t come back!
Prendi quel libro dallo scaffale, per favore! * For the courtesy form, the imperative is formed
Get that book from the shelf, please! using the present subjunctive, third person
Signora, vada pure avanti. singular.
Go on, ma’am.

myitaliancircle.com 22
ti
ti

6.1.5 Verbs - Moods - In nito

The infinitive is used in both main and dependent

The infinite expresses
an action with no
Modo clauses. Generally, the present infinitive indicates
that the action of the dependent clause happens
person and number. infinito at the same time or after the action of the main
The infinitive has only the present and past tenses. clause:
The past infinitive is formed with the infinitive of the Credo (now) di essere onesto (now)
auxiliary and the past participle of the verb: The past infinitive indicates something that
present: mangiare, ridere, dormire, essere, avere happened before the action of the main clause:

past: avere mangiato, avere riso, avere dormito, Credo (now) di essere stato onesto (in the past)
essere stato, avere avuto
Frequently used structures:
In Italian prepositions are usually followed by the
On signs, in infinitive, including when they are followed by the
adver sements, recipes -ing form in English:
and instruc ons for use,
the in ni ve is commonly used instead of the Ho smesso di correre. I stopped running.
impera ve: Stavo per ridere. I was about to laugh.
Vietato fumare. No smoking. Mi ha insegnato a cantare. He taught me to
Aggiungere farina e zucchero. Add flour and sugar. sing.
Stringere le viti. Tighten the screws. Comincia a piovere. It's starting to rain.

myitaliancircle.com 23

ti
fi

ti
ti

ti

fi

6.1.6 Verbs - Moods - Gerundio

• It can replace the 'if clause' in conditional

parlare —> parlando
credere —> credendo
Modo sentences when the subject is the same:
seguire —> seguendo gerundio Studiando molto passeresti l’esame.
By studying a lot you would pass the exam.
The gerund is formed with the suffixes -ando (first • It is used with the presente indicativo of stare to
conjugation) and -endo (second and third). form the present continuous:

It has two tenses, present (parlando) for Sto facendo un esempio. I am giving an example.
contemporaneity, and past (avendo parlato), Stiamo arrivando. We are coming.
which expresses something that happened before • It is used with the imperfetto indicativo of stare to
the action of the main verb. form the past continuous:
• The gerund can indicate the reason for something: Stavamo scherzando. We were kidding.

Non avendo avuto tempo, ho mangiato un

panino. Since I didn't have time, I ate a sandwich. Pronouns are usually attached to the end of the
present gerund:
• It can indicate when something happens: Chiamandolo lo sveglieresti.
Parlano sempre al telefono guidando. They By calling him you would wake him up.
always talk on the phone while driving. or to the auxiliary of the past gerund:
Avendole lette, bruciò le lettere.
Having read them, he burnt the letters.

myitaliancircle.com 24

 6.1.7 Verbs - Moods - Participio

Modo participio A few examples of present par ciples func oning as

nouns:
parlare —> parlante —> parlato Quella cantante ha una voce angelica.
credere —> credente —> creduto That singer has an angelic voice.
seguire —> seguente —> seguito L’insegnante ha molta esperienza.
The teacher has a lot of experience.
The par ciple has two tenses: present and past. Gli studen di disegno hanno o enuto buoni
risulta . The drawing students have achieved
good results.
Cantante, insegnante, studen are all present
The present participle
par ciples used as nouns.
The present par ciple is used mainly as an adjec ve
or a noun. The present participle is formed by the root of the
verb and the ending -ante or -ente. Some verbs
Un dipinto a ascinante. A fascina ng pain ng. belonging to the third conjugation use the suffix
Un ar sta interessante. An interes ng ar st. -iente.
Una mostra deludente. A disappoin ng exhibi on.
CANTARE —> CANT —> CANTANTE
SORRIDERE —> SORRID —> SORRIDENTE
Here, the present par ciples a ascinante,
DORMIRE —> DORM —> DORMIENTE
interessante, deludente are all used as adjec ves.

myitaliancircle.com 25
ti
ti
ti

ti
t

ff

ti
ti
t
ff
ti

tt

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti
ti
ti

ti

ti

 6.1.7 Verbs - Moods - Participio

The past par ciple can be used as adjec ve or noun; in

its verbal func on it is used to form compound tenses,
The past participle
to form the passive voice and in dependent clauses.
The past par ciple is formed by the root of
È ves to di bianco dalla testa ai piedi.
the verb and the ending -ato, -uto or -ito.
He is dressed in white from head to toe.
Il pacco arrivato ieri è mio. CANTARE —> CANT —> CANTATO
The parcel that arrived yesterday is mine. SEDERE —> SED —> SEDUTO
In the examples above, the past par ciple is used as an DORMIRE —> DORMI —> DORMITO
adjec ve.
Watch out: a good number of past
Prepara i colori, l’ar sta ssò la tela bianca. par ciples are irregular.
Having prepared the colours, the ar st stared at the > See page 30 for a list.
white canvas.
The past par ciple is used here in a dependent clause,
showing a sequence of ac ons. The present participle is always contemporaneous with
Preoccupato dai rumori che venivano dalla strada, il the action expressed by the main verb:
pi ore andò verso la nestra. Voglio un piano rispondente agli obiettivi comuni.
Worried by the noises coming from the street, the I want a plan that meets common objectives.
painter went towards the window. The past participle denotes an action completed before
the action expressed by the main verb:
The past par ciple preoccupato in this sentence
Laura, svegliata dal rumore, accese la luce.
provides the reason for an ac on.
Laura, awakened by the noise, switched on the light.

myitaliancircle.com 26
tt
ti
ti
ti
t

ti
ti
ti
ti

ti
ti
fi

ti
fi

ti

ti
ti

ti



6.2.1 Verbs - Tenses - Presente

Presente First conjugation - CANTARE (to sing)

The presente indicativo is used in everyday Italian to
IO CANTO
describe actions or states that happen regularly or
are happening at the moment of speaking. TU CANTI
LUI/LEI CANTA
It is also commonly used to talk about
future actions; see page 32. NOI CANTIAMO
VOI CANTATE
Italian verbs are grouped into three conjugations LORO CANTANO
according to their infinitive ending:
The first conjugation ends in -are Second conjugation - PRENDERE (to take)
PARLARE, AMARE, CANTARE
The second conjugation ends in -ere IO PRENDO
CORRERE, CREDERE, PRENDERE TU PRENDI

The third conjugation ends in -ire LUI/LEI PRENDE

DORMIRE, PARTIRE, FINIRE NOI PRENDIAMO
To conjugate a verb, drop the infinitive ending and VOI PRENDETE
add the appropriate ending according to mood,
LORO PRENDONO
tense, person, and number.

myitaliancircle.com 27

 6.2.1 Verbs - Tenses - Presente

The third conjugation is divided into two groups; Third conjugation, Group 2 - FINIRE (to finish)
each group has a different set of endings, so you
need to know the group to which the verb belongs. IO FINISCO

The vast majority of verbs of the third TU FINISCI

conjugation, about 500, belong to Group 2. These LUI/LEI FINISCE
verbs insert the interfix -ISC before all endings, NOI FINIAMO
except in the persons NOI and VOI. See the
VOI FINITE
conjugation of finire on the right.
LORO FINISCONO

Third conjugation, Group 1 - PARTIRE (to leave)

IO PARTO No ce how the endings repeat themselves in the three

TU PARTI conjuga ons. The ending is always -O for the rst
person singular, -I for the second person singular, and
LUI/LEI PARTE
-IAMO for the rst person plural.
NOI PARTIAMO
Check the verb that you need to conjugate in the
VOI PARTITE dic onary to see if it belongs to the rst, second, or
LORO PARTONO third conjuga on. Any irregular form will be listed in
the dic onary.

myitaliancircle.com 28
ti
ti
ti
ti

ti
fi

fi
fi

 6.2.2 Verbs - Tenses - Imperfetto

1st conjugation IO SENTIVO

Imperfetto TU SENTIVI
PARLARE
The imperfetto (imperfect tense) is, along with the LUI/LEI SENTIVA
passato prossimo, one of the most commonly NOI SENTIVAMO
used verb tenses in Italian, so it is important to
VOI SENTIVATE
understand how it works. Actually, English
LORO SENTIVANO
speakers often tend to overuse it. It is used:

IO PARLAVO 2nd conjugation

• To say that something con nued over a period of TU PARLAVI CREDERE
me in the past. It can correspond to the English
LUI/LEI PARLAVA
past con nuous:
NOI PARLAVAMO
Nel 1593 Caravaggio viveva a Roma.
VOI PARLAVATE
In 1593 Caravaggio was living in Rome.
LORO PARLAVANO
• To talk about repeated ac ons or states in the
past, similar to the English form to be used to: IO CREDEVO
3rd conjugation
Da ragazzo, andavo a ballare tu e le sere. TU CREDEVI
SENTIRE
As a teenager, I would go dance every night.
LUI/LEI CREDEVA
• To express an inten on, a wish: NOI CREDEVAMO
Una volta volevo fare l’astronauta. VOI CREDEVATE
I used to want to be an astronaut.
LORO CREDEVANO

myitaliancircle.com 29
ti






ti

ti

ti
ti

tt

 6.2.3 Verbs - Tenses - Passato prossimo

Passato prossimo Common

The passato prossimo (perfect tense) is the past irregular past participles
tense most commonly used in everyday spoken accendere acceso switched on
Italian. It is formed using the present tense of aprire aperto opened
avere or essere (auxiliary verbs) plus the past
bere bevuto drunk
participle of the main verb: io ho lavorato molto.
chiedere chiesto asked
correre corso run
• The passato prossimo is used to describe what
dire de o said/told
you have done at some me in the past, what you
dividere diviso divided
have done so far, and, unlike in English, it is also
essere stato been
used to say what happened at a speci c me in
the past. It describes a completed ac on in the fare fa o done
past, whereas the imperfe o describes an ac on leggere le o read
in progress in the past, or a habit in the past. morire morto dead
nascere nato born
• It translates both the English present perfect and
perdere perso lost
the past simple. Especially in northern Italy, it is
piangere pianto cried
o en used to replace the passato remoto and to
prendere preso taken
describe when exactly something happened:
rompere ro o broken
Ho visitato i Musei Va cani due anni fa. scegliere scelto chosen
I visited the Va can Museums two years ago. scrivere scri o wri en
vedere visto seen

myitaliancircle.com 30
ft

ti
tt
tt
tt
tt
tt




ti















ti
tt

tt

ti

fi

ti

ti
 6.2.3 Verbs - Tenses - Passato prossimo

Avere o essere? - Many verbs of

⚠ ATTENZIONE
movement, such as
Several of the most common verbs form the passato andare (to go), Camminare, passeggiare,
prossimo with the auxiliary ESSERE: arrivare (to arrive), and viaggiare use avere:
- Stative verbs or verbs indicating a change: entrare (to enter), Ho camminato molto.
essere (to be), nascere (to be born), stare (to cadere (to fall), I walked a lot.
stay), morire (to die): tornare (to return),
uscire (to go out), venire (to come), partire (to
Sono nato il 3 dicembre.
leave). The list is by no means exhaustive.
I was born on 3 December.
• Verbs that describe the weather can take both
È stata molto male.
essere and avere:
She has been very sick.
Ha nevicato tu a no e OR
- Reflexive verbs: È nevicato tu a no e.
Mi sono fatto male. It snowed all night.
I hurt myself.
Si sono lasciati. With the verbs cominciare, iniziare and nire, use:
They split up. - avere if the subject is a person or animal:
Ti sei addormentato? Il ga o ha nito il la e. The cat nished the milk.
Have you fallen asleep? - essere if the subject is inanimate:
Il la e è nito. The milk is nished.

myitaliancircle.com 31
tt
tt
fi

fi

tt

tt

tt

tt
tt

fi

fi

fi

 6.2.4 Verbs - Tenses - Futuro semplice

How to form the futuro semplice:

Futuro semplice
1st conjugation 2nd conjugation
The futuro semplice indicates an action that will
IO PARLERÒ CREDERÒ
take place in the future.
TU PARLERAI CREDERAI
Tra due mesi andrò a Parigi.
LUI/LEI PARLERÀ CREDERÀ
In two months I'm going to Paris.
NOI PARLEREMO CREDEREMO
The futuro semplice is also used:
VOI PARLERETE CREDERETE
• To express a doubt:
LORO PARLERANNO CREDERANNO
Chi sarà quella ragazza? Forse la sorella di
Paolo? Who can that girl be? Maybe Paolo's The first and second conjugation have the same endings.
sister?
3rd In informal spoken
• To express an approximation:
conjugation Italian, the present
Questa valigia peserà circa 8 chili.
IO SENTIRÒ indica ve o en
This suitcase weighs about 8 kilos.
TU SENTIRAI replaces the future:
• In the first conditional (periodo ipotetico di primo Il mese prossimo
LUI/LEI SENTIRÀ
tipo): vado al mare.
NOI SENTIREMO
Se non studi, non passerai l’esame! I’ll go to the sea
If you don't study, you won't pass the exam! VOI SENTIRETE
next month.
LORO SENTIRANNO

myitaliancircle.com 32

ti

ft

Table of Contents

Foreword 2 6. Verbs
Introduction - Basic Concepts 3 6.1 Verbs - Moods 16
1. Nouns 6.1.1 Verbs - Moods - Indicativo 17
1.1 Nouns - Gender of nouns 5 6.1.2 Verbs - Moods - Congiuntivo 18

1.2 Nouns - Plural of nouns 7 6.1.3 Verbs - Moods - Condizionale 20

2. Articles 6.1.4 Verbs - Moods - Imperativo 22

2.1 Articles - Indefinite articles 8 6.1.5 Verbs - Moods - Infinito 23

2.2 Articles - Definite articles 9 6.1.6 Verbs - Moods - Gerundio 24

3. Adjectives 6.1.7 Verbs - Moods - Participio 25

6.2 Verbs - Tenses
3.1 Adjectives - Plural of adjectives 10
6.2.1 Verbs - Tenses - Presente indicativo 27
3.2 Adjectives - Comparatives & superlatives 11
6.2.2 Verbs - Tenses - Imperfetto indicativo 29
3.3 Adjectives - Possessive adjectives 12
6.2.3 Verbs - Tenses - Passato prossimo 30
4 Adverbs - Formation 13
6.2.5 Verbs - Tenses - Futuro semplice 32
5. Pronouns
Table of contents 33
5.1 Pronouns - Subject pronouns 14
Conclusion 34
5.2 Pronouns - Object pronouns 15

myitaliancircle.com 33

 Conclusion
Italian grammar can be monumental,
but don’t worry if you can’t memorise
every li le rule! As adult learners we
tend to remember things more easily if
we know the why’s and how’s, and
clear-cut rules make us feel more
con dent, but at the end of the day we
will only make them our own by
ac vely using them. If you’d like some
guidance, I o er 1-to-1 online lessons
for all levels, tailored according to
speci c needs and interests. Send me
an email to book a free trial lesson.

References
Treccani - The most reliable and Follow us on Twi er for expansions on our videos and
complete online dic onary and cultural news or to chat with us in English or Italian.
encyclopaedia. (italiano)
Accademia della Crusca - The oldest If you like what we are doing, visit our Patreon page to
linguis c academy in the world. learn how you can support this project and receive
Ques ons and answers. (italiano) addi onal content.

myitaliancircle.com 34
ti
fi
ti
fi
ti
ti
tt

ff
tt
ti