I verbi in -are (Verbs in -are)

Grammar

Conjugations

Italian verbs are divided into three conjugations (three classes), according to whether their infinitive forms end in -are (parlare ‘to talk’), -ere (temere ‘to fear’), or -ire (dormire ‘to sleep’). Each conjugation has its specific endings related to the mood, tense, and subject of the verb. Endings are attached directly to the root of the verb, which is obtained by dropping -are, -ere, and -ire from the infinitive form.

The present tense

The main use of the present tense is to indicate that something is happening at the time of speaking or writing (Leggo un libro ‘I am reading a book’), to represent habitual actions (Vado in palestra ogni giorno ‘I go to the gym every day’), or to state general truths (Firenze è in Italia ‘Florence is in Italy’). The Italian present tense corresponds essentially to the English simple present (parlo ‘I talk’) as well as to the emphatic present (parlo ‘I do talk’) and the present progressive (parlo ‘I am talking’).

It is also frequently employed to express future actions to indicate events taking place in the near future, especially when another expression of future time appears in the sentence: Domani vado al supermercato (‘Tomorrow, I’ll go to the supermarket’), Esco di casa fra un paio di ore (‘I’ll leave home in a couple of hours’).

The first conjugation

The present tense of a regular Italian verb in -are is formed by dropping the infinitive ending (-are) and adding the appropriate endings to the resulting root (-o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano). For example, to form the present tense of ‘parlare’ you first must drop -are (parl– this is the resulting root). Now that you have root of the verb, you simply add the appropriate ending to it, depending on the person speaking. See the table below for a sample conjugation of parlare (to talk).

Verbs ending in –care (giocare ‘to ply’) and –gare (pagare ‘to pay’) add an h immediately after the root when declinations start with i (“i” for ‘tu’ and “iamo” for ‘noi’) to maintain the hard c or hard g sound. See the table below for a sample conjugation of giocare (to play).

Verbs ending in –iare (mangiare ‘to eat’) drop the i of the root when declinations start with i (“i” for ‘tu’ and “iamo” for ‘noi’), but not the verb sciare ‘to sky’. See the table below for a sample conjugation of mangiare (to eat).

Complete the table with the correct forms of the verbs cantare (‘to sing’), lavorare (‘to work’), pagare (‘to pay’), and viaggiare (‘to travel’).

io              
tu                           canti                         paghi        
lui/lei(Lei)        lavora             
noi           
voi            
loro                    viaggiano

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

tu (pensare ‘to think’)
lui (entrare ‘to enter’)
voi   (diventare ‘to become’)
loro (abitare ‘to live’)
io (pregare ‘to pray’)
noi  (cercare ‘to look for’)
voi (amare ‘to love’)
loro (inviare ‘to send’)
tu (cantare ‘to sing’)
Lei (form) (camminare ‘to walk’)

Read the following sentences, using the correct form of the verbs in italics. 

1. Patrizia lavorare in un ospedale.
2. Io insegnare in questa scuola.
3. Voi studiare biologia.
4. Silvia e Bruno non suonare il piano.
5. Marco guidare una Ferrari rossa.
6. Tu dimenticare tutto!
7. Lei frequentare un corso di russo.
8. Beppino ballare il twist.
9. Noi cominciare una lezione.
10. Io cantare una canzone di Vasco Rossi.