Mastering Regular Italian -IRE Verbs

In this post we’re going to look at regular Italian –IRE verbs. As you probably know, Italian verbs can be difficult to master because there are so many different endings to remember across all of the tenses. And many common verbs are irregular, so they’re unpredictable. But regular verbs are predictable, because they follow a reliable pattern of endings.

Regular verbs in Italian are divided into three different types depending on the infinitive. –ARE verbs end in –ARE in the infinitive, like parlare (to speak) or cantare (to sing). –ERE verbs end in –ERE in the infinitive, for example scrivere (to write) and credere (to believe). Finally, –IRE verbs end in –IRE in the infinitive, for example finire (to finish) or capire (to understand). –IRE verbs account for about 10% of Italian verbs, but there are many important and common verbs in this category.

First, we’re going to look at the conjugation of regular –IRE verbs, and we’ll see several examples. Then we’ll practice conjugating a few common verbs. Next we’ll look at a subgroup of –IRE verbs that add –ISC– in their conjugation. After that we’ll see a few -IRE verbs with two possible conjugations. Next we’ll see a few common -IRE verbs that are irregular. Finally, we’ll wrap it up with more practice, because with verbs, practice is essential.

Regular Italian –IRE Verbs: Conjugation 1

First we’re going to look at what we’ll call Conjugation 1 –IRE verbs. These verbs follow a simpler conjugation pattern than the second group, which inserts –ISC-. To conjugate a regular Italian –IRE Conjugation 1 verb, simply remove the –ire ending. This leaves you with the verb stem, to which you add different endings depending on the subject.

Note

There are just a few things to keep in mind when you use Italian subject pronouns and regular -ere verbs:

• First, don’t forget that Italian pronouns are typically dropped. That is, you normally just say dormo instead of io dormo to say I sleep.
• Italian has a few ways of saying you. Tu is the familiar form, usually reserved for friends, family, people your age or younger, or children. It’s a singular form, so you only use it to speak to one person. Lei is the more polite equivalent, for example when you’re speaking to an older stranger or someone in a more formal setting. Lei verbs take the same endings as lui/lei forms. Voi is the familiar plural, equivalent to all of you, y’all, or you guys. Loro is the formal plural.
• Regular –IRE verbs are stressed on the stem in all forms but noi and voi. For example, ápro, ápri, and áprono, but apriámo and apríte. (The accent is only used here to show the stressed syllable; don’t write it when you’re using these verbs.)

Some common regular –IRE verbs of the first conjugation pattern are: dormire (to sleep), aprire (to open), partire (to leave), offrire (to offer), sentire (to hear, to feel), seguire (to follow, to take [a course]), soffrire (to suffer), and fuggire (to escape).

Practice A

Now let’s practice. Give the full conjugation of each of the following regular –IRE verbs. Answers are below.

1. partire (to leave)
2. sentire (to hear)

Example Sentences with Regular Italian-IRE Verbs (Conjugation 1)

Now let’s see some examples of common –IRE verbs in sentences. Remember that you can negate a verb in Italian simply by putting non (not) before the verb. Other negatives are non…più (no longer, not anymore), non…mai (never), and non…niente (nothing, not… anything).

• Dormo otto ore ogni notte.
  I sleep eight hours every night.
• Apriamo la finestra ogni mattina. We open the window every morning.
• A che ora parte il treno?
  What time does the train leave?
• Senti quel rumore strano? No, non sento niente.
  Do you hear that strange noise? No, I don’t hear anything.
• Cosa offrono?
  What do they offer?

Regular Italian –IRE Verbs: Conjugation 2 with –ISC–

Now let’s see Conjugation 2 –IRE verbs, which insert –ISC– in all forms but noi and voi. The endings are otherwise the same as in Conjugation 1 –IRE verbs.

There are more Conjugation 2 –ISC– verbs than Conjugation 1 –IRE verbs. Some common examples are: finire (to finish), capire (to understand), preferire (to prefer), pulire (to clean), costruire (to build), colpire (to hit), guarire (to cure), suggerire (to suggest), restituire (to give back, to hand in), abolire (to abolish), agire (to act, to take action), chiarire (to clarify), contribuire (to contribute), definire (to define), favorire (to favor), istruire (to teach, to instruct), obbedire (to obey), proibire (to prohibit), and spedire (to send, to ship), and sparire (to vanish, to disappear).

Practice B

Next, we’ll practice those verbs. Give the full conjugation of each of the following –IRE verbs of the second conjugation type. Answers are below.

1. preferire (to prefer)
2. pulire (to clean)

Example Sentences with Regular Italian-IRE Verbs (Conjugation 2)

Now let’s see some examples of common –IRE verbs of Conjugation 2 in sentences.

• Laura finisce il lavoro presto.
  Laura finishes work early.
• Capisci l’italiano molto bene.
  You understand Italian very well.
• Preferiscono il caffè al tè.
  They prefer coffee to tea.
• Voi pulite la casa ogni settimana.
  You all clean the house every week.
• I figli non obbediscono mai ai genitori.
  The kids never obey their parents.
• I miei colleghi non contribuiscono più.
  My colleagues don’t contribute any more.

-IRE Verbs with Two Conjugations

Next we’ll look at just a few verbs with an irregular –ire conjugation. Most Italian verbs ending in –parire have two possible conjugations. The more common conjugation is irregular, and the more archaic or formal is like the –isc– conjugation pattern. Note that sparire (to vanish, to disappear) does not fall into this category; it’s a regular –isc– verb.

For the first (irregular) conjugation, take off –rire (including the –r-) and add the endings –io, –ri, –re, –riamo, –rite, –aiono. Notice that the –r– drops out of the io and loro forms, but it appears in the other forms. This conjugation is more common in modern Italian, so it’s worth learning it and avoiding the easier regular conjugation.

For the second conjugation, which is less common and may sound formal or archaic, keep the –r– and add the regular –isc– endings.

Verbs that fit into this category are: apparire (to seem, to appear), comparire (to appear, to come into view), disparire (to disappear), riapparire (to reappear), ricomparire (to reappear, to come into view again), scomparire (to disappear), trasparire (to shine through). Remember that sparire (to vanish, to disappear) is not one of these verbs; it’s a regular –isc– verb.

• Appaio ogni volta che mi chiamano.
  I appear every time they call me.
• Il sole compare dietro gli alberi.
  The sun appears behind the trees.

Irregular -IRE verbs

Now let’s look at a few common verbs ending in -ire that are irregular and need to be memorized. Those verbs are: dire (to say), venire (to come), uscire (to go out), riuscire (to succeed in doing, to manage to do), salire (to go up, to get on), and morire (to die).

• Dice sempre la verità.
  She always tells the truth.
• I nostri amici vengono a casa nostra ogni settimana.
  Our friends come to our house every week.
• Salgo sul treno.
  I get on the train.

Practice C

Now let’s practice those irregular –IRE verbs. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Then translate the complete sentences. Answers are below.

1. Non _____ mai ad arrivare a casa in tempo. (riuscire)
2. _____ sempre per favore e grazie. (dire)
3. Molte persone _____ sul treno in questa stazione. (salire)
4. Mio fratello _____ con i suoi amici ogni sera. (uscire)
5. _____ il mio nome all’insegnante. (dire)
6. _____ a capire il film? (riuscire)
7. _____ in Italia ogni estate. (venire)
8. Molte persone _____ nei terremoti. (morire)
9. _____ domani. (venire)
10. _____ le scale ogni giorno. (salire)

Practice D

Finally, let’s go back and review those regular Italian –IRE verbs. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Then translate the complete sentences. Answers are below.

1. Io _____ la porta ogni mattina. (aprire)
2. Tu _____ sempre fino a tardi il sabato. (dormire)
3. Lui _____ un corso di cucina. (seguire)
4. Lei _____ un castello di sabbia sulla spiaggia. (construire)
5. Noi _____ il vento tra i capelli. (sentire)
6. Voi _____ un caffè agli ospiti? (offrire)
7. Loro _____ la casa insieme ogni domenica. (pulire)
8. Il bambino _____ per la scuola alle otto. (partire)
9. Maria _____ di allergie in primavera. (soffrire)
10. Gli studenti _____ il lavoro tra di loro. (dividire)
11. Io _____ il libro prima di andare a dormire. (finire)
12. Tu _____ la pizza alla pasta? (preferire)
13. Lui _____ sempre i libri alla biblioteca in tempo. (restituire)
14. Lei _____ una cartolina ai suoi amici. (spedire)
15. Noi _____ l’importanza dello studio. (capire)
16. Voi _____ il programma alla televisione? (seguire)
17. I ragazzi _____ la lavagna dopo la lezione. (pulire)
18. Carla _____ un tavolo con suo padre. (costruire)
19. Tu _____ abbastanza durante la settimana? (dormire)
20. Io _____ sempre una mano ai miei amici. (offrire)

Get on the road to speaking Italian with the Language Garage!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about regular Italian –IRE verbs, along with some irregular Italian –IRE verbs. If you’d like to learn more:

• Check out our other posts on Italian language, culture, and more.
• Enroll in affordable, flexible, and personalized private online Italian lessons or sign up for a small group online Italian class.
• Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Twitter, Threads, Instagram, or Pinterest. We publish lots of Italian vocabulary, grammar, and culture notes, so it’s a great way to pick up some new vocabulary and practice.

Answers

A

1. partire: parto, parti, parte, partiamo, partite, partono
2. sentire: sento, senti, sente, sentiamo, sentite, sentono

B

1. preferire: preferisco, preferisci, preferisce, preferiamo, preferite, preferiscono
2. pulire: pulisco, pulisci, pulisce, puliamo, pulite, puliscono

C

1. Non riesco mai ad arrivare a casa in tempo.
2. Dicono sempre per favore e grazie.
3. Molte persone salgono sul treno in questa stazione.
4. Mio fratello esce con i suoi amici ogni sera.
5. Dico il mio nome all’insegnante.
6. Riesci a capire il film?
7. Vengono in Italia ogni estate.
8. Molte persone muoiono nei terremoti.
9. Vengo domani.
10. Saliamo le scale ogni giorno.

C Translations

1. I never manage to get home on time.
2. They always say please and thank you.
3. Many people get on the train at this station.
4. My brother goes out with his friends every night.
5. I tell the teacher my name.
6. Can you manage to understand the film?
7. They come to Italy every summer.
8. Many people die in earthquakes.
9. I’m coming tomorrow.
10. We climb the stairs every day.

D

1. Io apro la porta ogni mattina.
2. Tu dormi sempre fino a tardi il sabato.
3. Lui segue un corso di cucina.
4. Lei costruisce un castello di sabbia sulla spiaggia.
5. Noi sentiamo il vento tra i capelli.
6. Voi offrite un caffè agli ospiti?
7. Loro puliscono la casa insieme ogni domenica.
8. Il bambino parte per la scuola alle otto.
9. Maria soffre di allergie in primavera.
10. Gli studenti dividono il lavoro tra di loro.
11. Io finisco il libro prima di andare a dormire.
12. Tu preferisci la pizza alla pasta?
13. Lui restituisce sempre i libri alla biblioteca in tempo.
14. Lei spedisce una cartolina ai suoi amici.
15. Noi capiamo l’importanza dello studio.
16. Voi seguite il programma alla televisione?
17. I ragazzi puliscono la lavagna dopo la lezione.
18. Carla costruisce un tavolo con suo padre.
19. Tu dormi abbastanza durante la settimana?
20. Io offro sempre una mano ai miei amici.

D Translations

1. I open the door every morning.
2. You always sleep late on Saturdays.
3. He takes a cooking class.
4. She builds a sandcastle on the beach.
5. We feel the wind in our hair.
6. Do you offer coffee to the guests?
7. They clean the house together every Sunday.
8. The child leaves for school at eight.
9. Maria suffers from allergies in spring.
10. The students divide the work among themselves.
11. I finish the book before going to bed.
12. Do you prefer pizza over pasta?
13. He always returns books to the library on time.
14. She sends a postcard to her friends.
15. We understand the importance of studying.
16. Do you follow the program on television?
17. The boys clean the blackboard after the lesson.
18. Carla builds a table with her father.
19. Do you sleep enough during the week?
20. I always offer a hand to my friends.

Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Pexels