-ere & -ire verb conjugation · 6 key irregular verbs · Volere / Potere / Dovere · Piacere (to like) · Expressing opinions & preferences
CEFR Level A1Lesson 4 of ~8 at A1Tap to reveal. Any hesitation? Revisit that lesson before continuing.
By the end of Lesson 4 you will be able to:
The second verb group. Remove -ere, then add the endings. They're very similar to -are endings — the key differences are in the tu and voi forms.
lui/lei → -e (not -a) · voi → -ete (not -ate) · loro → -ono (not -ano)
io (-o), tu (-i), noi (-iamo) are the same as -are. Only three forms differ!
Here's the twist: -ire verbs split into two sub-groups. Group A (like dormire) follows the standard pattern. Group B (like finire) inserts -isc- in some forms. Both groups are common and must be memorised.
| Pronoun | Ending | dormire (sleep) | partire (leave/depart) | aprire (open) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | -o | dormo | parto | apro |
| tu | -i | dormi | parti | apri |
| lui/lei | -e | dorme | parte | apre |
| noi | -iamo | dormiamo | partiamo | apriamo |
| voi | -ite | dormite | partite | aprite |
| loro | -ono | dormono | partono | aprono |
| Pronoun | Pattern | finire (finish) | capire (understand) | preferire (prefer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | stem+isc+o | finisco | capisco | preferisco |
| tu | stem+isc+i | finisci | capisci | preferisci |
| lui/lei | stem+isc+e | finisce | capisce | preferisce |
| noi | stem+iamo ✓ | finiamo | capiamo | preferiamo |
| voi | stem+ite ✓ | finite | capite | preferite |
| loro | stem+isc+ono | finiscono | capiscono | preferiscono |
Here's the complete picture. Study the differences carefully — especially the lui/lei and voi forms which change across groups.
lui/lei: -are → -a | -ere → -e | -ire → -e
voi: -are → -ate | -ere → -ete | -ire → -ite
loro: -are → -ano | -ere → -ono | -ire → -ono
Everything else (io, tu, noi) is identical across all three groups!
| Infinitive | Phonetic | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| leggere | LEJ-jeh-reh | to read | Leggo ogni sera. |
| scrivere | SKREE-veh-reh | to write | Scrivo una lettera. |
| vedere | veh-DEH-reh | to see | Vedo un film stasera. |
| prendere | PREN-deh-reh | to take / have (food) | Prendo un caffè. |
| mettere | MET-teh-reh | to put / place | Metto le chiavi qui. |
| chiedere | KYEH-deh-reh | to ask | Chiedo un'informazione. |
| rispondere | ree-SPON-deh-reh | to answer | Rispondo alla mail. |
| vivere | VEE-veh-reh | to live | Vivono a Firenze. |
| credere | KREH-deh-reh | to believe / think | Credo di sì. — I think so. |
| bere* | BEH-reh | to drink (irregular!) | Bevo acqua. |
| Infinitive | Phonetic | English | Group | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dormire | dor-MEE-reh | to sleep | A (regular) | Dormo otto ore. |
| partire | par-TEE-reh | to leave / depart | A (regular) | Parto domani mattina. |
| aprire | ah-PREE-reh | to open | A (regular) | Apro la finestra. |
| sentire | sen-TEE-reh | to hear / feel | A (regular) | Sento la musica. |
| finire | fee-NEE-reh | to finish | B (-isc-) | Finisco alle cinque. |
| capire | kah-PEE-reh | to understand | B (-isc-) | Capisci l'italiano? |
| preferire | preh-feh-REE-reh | to prefer | B (-isc-) | Preferisco il caffè. |
| pulire | poo-LEE-reh | to clean | B (-isc-) | Pulisco la casa. |
| costruire | ko-stroo-EE-reh | to build | B (-isc-) | Costruiscono una casa. |
| spedire | speh-DEE-reh | to send | B (-isc-) | Spedisco un pacco. |
These three verbs are among the most frequently used in Italian — and they're all irregular. You simply have to memorise their forms. Use them constantly and they'll become second nature.
| Pronoun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| io | vado | Vado al lavoro. — I go to work. |
| tu | vai | Vai a scuola? — Are you going to school? |
| lui/lei/Lei | va | Va al bar ogni mattina. — He goes to the bar every morning. |
| noi | andiamo | Andiamo al cinema! — Let's go to the cinema! |
| voi | andate | Andate spesso in palestra? — Do you go to the gym often? |
| loro | vanno | Vanno in vacanza a luglio. — They go on holiday in July. |
| Pronoun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| io | vengo | Vengo da Londra. — I come from London. |
| tu | vieni | Vieni con me? — Are you coming with me? |
| lui/lei/Lei | viene | Viene alle otto. — He's coming at eight. |
| noi | veniamo | Veniamo subito! — We're coming right away! |
| voi | venite | Venite alla festa? — Are you coming to the party? |
| loro | vengono | Vengono da Napoli. — They come from Naples. |
Andare = to go (away from here) → Vado in cucina. — I'm going to the kitchen.
Venire = to come (toward here / toward the person speaking) → Vengo in cucina. — I'm coming to the kitchen (where you are).
| Pronoun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| io | faccio | Faccio colazione alle sette. — I have breakfast at seven. |
| tu | fai | Cosa fai stasera? — What are you doing tonight? |
| lui/lei/Lei | fa | Fa freddo oggi. — It's cold today. |
| noi | facciamo | Facciamo una passeggiata? — Shall we go for a walk? |
| voi | fate | Cosa fate il weekend? — What do you do at the weekend? |
| loro | fanno | Fanno una gita a Venezia. — They're taking a trip to Venice. |
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| fare colazione | to have breakfast |
| fare la doccia | to have a shower |
| fare una passeggiata | to go for a walk |
| fare sport | to do sport / exercise |
| fare spese / shopping | to go shopping |
| fare una domanda | to ask a question |
| fare un viaggio | to take a trip / travel |
| fare caldo / freddo | to be hot / cold (weather) |
| fare attenzione | to pay attention / be careful |
| fare il medico / l'avvocato | to work as a doctor / lawyer |
These three verbs are called modal verbs — they express desire, ability, and obligation. They're always followed by an infinitive (the base form of another verb), and they're all irregular.
modal verb (conjugated) + infinitive
Voglio mangiare la pizza. — I want to eat pizza.
Puoi venire domani? — Can you come tomorrow?
Deve studiare di più. — He must study more.
| Pronoun | volere (want) | potere (can/be able) | dovere (must/have to) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | voglio | posso | devo |
| tu | vuoi | puoi | devi |
| lui/lei/Lei | vuole | può | deve |
| noi | vogliamo | possiamo | dobbiamo |
| voi | volete | potete | dovete |
| loro | vogliono | possono | devono |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Voglio imparare l'italiano. | I want to learn Italian. |
| Vuoi venire al cinema? | Do you want to come to the cinema? |
| Non posso uscire stasera. | I can't go out tonight. |
| Puoi aiutarmi? | Can you help me? |
| Devo andare adesso. | I have to go now. |
| Non dobbiamo dimenticare. | We mustn't forget. |
| Possiamo parlare? | Can we talk? |
| Devono studiare di più. | They must study more. |
Piacere is one of the most important — and most confusing — verbs for English speakers. The structure is completely different from English. Instead of "I like pizza," Italian says literally "Pizza pleases me."
English: I like pizza. → subject + verb + object
Italian: Mi piace la pizza. → indirect object pronoun + piace/piacciono + subject
The thing liked becomes the grammatical subject in Italian. So if you like one thing → piace (singular). If you like multiple things → piacciono (plural).
| Italian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mi piace la pizza. | I like pizza. | piace — 1 thing (la pizza) |
| Mi piacciono i gatti. | I like cats. | piacciono — plural (i gatti) |
| Mi piace leggere. | I like reading. | piace — infinitive (always singular) |
| Ti piace la musica? | Do you like music? | ti = to you (informal) |
| Le piace il vino? | Do you like wine? (formal) | Le = to you (formal, capital L) |
| Gli piace il calcio. | He likes football. | gli = to him |
| Le piace cucinare. | She likes cooking. | le = to her |
| Ci piace l'Italia! | We like Italy! | ci = to us |
| Non mi piace il caffè. | I don't like coffee. | add non before mi |
| Non mi piacciono le verdure. | I don't like vegetables. | plural with non |
| Mi piace molto! | I like it a lot! | add molto after piace |
| Mi piace tantissimo! | I love it! (lit. I like it enormously) | stronger than molto |
Now combine piacere, modal verbs, and adjectives to express real opinions. These phrases are the backbone of everyday conversation.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Preferisco il tè al caffè. | I prefer tea to coffee. (preferire + noun + a + noun) |
| Preferisco mangiare a casa. | I prefer to eat at home. (preferire + infinitive) |
| Mi piace di più la pizza. | I like pizza more. (di più = more) |
| Mi piace meno la pasta. | I like pasta less. (meno = less) |
| Quale preferisci? | Which do you prefer? |
| È meglio di… | It's better than… (meglio = better) |
| È peggio di… | It's worse than… (peggio = worse) |
| Secondo me… | In my opinion… (lit. according to me) |
| Penso che… | I think that… (introduces an opinion) |
| Trovo che… | I find that… / I think that… |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Cosa prendono? | What will you have? (loro form — waiter addressing a group formally) |
| celiaco/a | coeliac (gluten intolerant) |
| senza glutine | gluten-free |
| da bere | to drink (lit. "to drink" as an infinitive) |
| Nessun problema. | No problem. |
| il migliore | the best (superlative of buono) |
| il tempo libero | free time |
| nuotare | to swim (-are verb) |
| i romanzi | novels (il romanzo → i romanzi) |
| volentieri! | gladly! / with pleasure! / sure! |
| vederci | to see each other (reflexive of vedere) |
| davanti a | in front of |
In Italy, food is not just sustenance — it's culture, identity, and passion. Italians have extremely strong opinions about food and are proud of their regional cuisines. Understanding this will make your Italian conversations much richer and more natural.
Pizza is Neapolitan (napoletana) — and Italians from Naples will tell you so emphatically. The "true" pizza has a thin, soft, slightly charred crust, San Marzano tomatoes, and buffalo mozzarella. Roman pizza (pizza al taglio) is thinner and crispier and sold by the slice. Each region has its version, and each version has its passionate defenders.
Useful phrase: Secondo me, la pizza napoletana è la migliore! — In my opinion, Neapolitan pizza is the best!
Pasta rules that Italians take very seriously: carbonara uses no cream (senza panna!). Bolognese sauce (il ragù) is never served with spaghetti in Bologna — it's tagliatelle. Pesto alla Genovese never has cream. Breaking these rules can cause genuine offence!
Useful adjectives: al dente (firm to the bite — how pasta should always be) · scotto (overcooked — a serious insult)
Italians are direct and expressive with opinions — they don't typically use the hedging or understatement common in British English. If something is good: È buonissimo! If it's bad: Fa schifo! This directness is not rude — it's authentic expression.
Common opinion starters you'll hear constantly:
Secondo me… — In my opinion…
A mio parere… — In my view…
Penso che… — I think that…
Per me… — For me… / As far as I'm concerned…
Devo dire che… — I must say that…
Wine (il vino) is integral to Italian meals. Red wine (il vino rosso) is typically paired with meat and pasta with meat sauces. White wine (il vino bianco) goes with fish, seafood, and lighter dishes. Asking for Coke with your pasta will get raised eyebrows!
L'aperitivo (6–8pm) is a cherished social ritual — Aperol Spritz, Negroni, Prosecco — often with free finger food. In Milan this is called l'apericena when enough food is provided to replace dinner entirely.
Fill in the correct form:
1. leggo 2. scrivi 3. vedono
4. viviamo 5. rispondete 6. prende
Fill in the correct form (watch out for -isc- verbs!):
1. dormo (Group A — regular)
2. capisce (Group B — cap+isc+e)
3. partiamo (Group A — noi always regular)
4. preferisci (Group B — prefer+isc+i)
5. finiscono (Group B — fin+isc+ono)
6. aprite (Group A — voi always regular)
1. vado 2. vieni 3. fate
4. vanno 5. facciamo 6. viene
Fill in the correct modal verb (volere / potere / dovere) + keep the infinitive:
1. voglio andare 2. puoi venire 3. deve studiare
4. non possiamo uscire 5. dovete finire 6. vogliono mangiare
Fill in piace or piacciono:
1. piace (la pizza — singular)
2. piacciono (i gatti — plural)
3. piace (alzarsi — infinitive, always singular)
4. piacciono (le macchine — plural)
5. piace (l'Italia — singular)
6. piacciono (le verdure — plural)
1. Leggo ogni sera.
2. Non può venire stasera.
3. Ti piace la cucina italiana?
4. Vogliamo andare a Roma.
5. Preferisco il tè al caffè.
6. Devono finire il lavoro.
7. Cosa fai stasera?
8. Secondo me è fantastico!
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