VERBS — I VERBI

Italian verbs are arranged into three groups or conjugations depending on the vowel in the infinitive:

1. parlare: ending in -are

2. vedere: ending in -ere

3. finire: ending in -ire

You need to know the type of verb you are dealing with so that you can make the tenses correctly.

Some verbs are irregular in that they seem to have an infinitive which fits into the scheme above but they make some of their tenses in a different way. there are very few of these verbs and the best thing to do is learn them when you are learning or revising a particular tense. There is only one verb which is irregular in nearly all its tenses and that is essere (to be).

Some verbs have infinitives which are shortened versions of their original forms and this is why they seem to be irregular, in fact it is the infinitive which is slightly irregular. the common ones are:

dire, shortened from dicere

fare, shortened from facere

bere, shortened from bevere

porre, shortened from ponere

-durre, shortened from -ducere

To see how verbs make their various tenses, return to the Grammar Index Page