Present tense: -are verbs

Lavoro a Roma e abito vicino al centro.I work in Rome and I live near the centre.

Italian verbs ending in -are are the largest group, and almost all of them follow one regular pattern. Take off -are to get the stem, then add the ending that matches the subject: parlare → parl- + -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano.

Quick shortcut: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano. Each person has its own ending, so the subject pronoun is usually left out.

The pattern: parlare (to speak)

The same pattern works for hundreds of verbs: abitare (to live), lavorare (to work), studiare (to study), mangiare (to eat), comprare (to buy), ascoltare (to listen), guardare (to watch), cucinare (to cook), aspettare (to wait), amare (to love).

The endings show who is doing the action, so the subject pronoun is normally left out (Abito a Milano, not Io abito a Milano). Use it to contrast or emphasise (see Subject pronouns).

Stress moves in the forms: PAR-lo, PAR-li, PAR-la, par-LIA-mo, par-LA-te, PAR-la-no.

Lei ("you", formal) takes the same form as lui / lei: Lei parla bene. (see Formal address: Lei).

Spelling changes

A few groups of verbs change their spelling so that the sound stays the same.

-care and -gare: add an h before i and e (to keep the hard k and g sounds):

-ciare, -giare and -iare: the stem keeps only one i. The i of the stem is dropped before an ending that begins with i, so there is never a double ii in tu and noi:

• mangiare → tu mangi, noi mangiamo (not mangii, mangiiamo)
• cominciare (to start) → tu cominci, noi cominciamo
• studiare → tu studi, noi studiamo

(A few verbs whose i is stressed, such as sciare, keep both: tu scii.)

When to use the present

The Italian present often covers what English expresses with two tenses (present simple and present continuous). Italian also has stare + gerund for an action in progress, which comes later.

• Habits and routines: Lavoro dal lunedì al venerdì. (I work from Monday to Friday.)
• Facts and states: Abitiamo in centro. (We live in the centre.)
• What is happening now (when the context makes "now" clear): Cucino e ascolto la radio. (I'm cooking and listening to the radio.)
• Planned near future, with a time word: Domani lavoro fino alle sei. (Tomorrow I'm working until six.)

Negatives and questions

To make a negative, put non before the verb: Non parlo tedesco. (see Negation with non). A question can keep the same word order, with a rising voice for yes/no questions: Parli inglese? (see Questions: intonation and word order).

Some common verbs are irregular

A few very common verbs ending in -are do not follow the pattern: andare (to go), dare (to give), stare (to be, to stay) and fare (to do, to make). They have their own lesson: Present tense: common irregular verbs.

Common mistakes

• ❌ io parlare → ✅ io parlo (the infinitive is not a conjugated form)
• ❌ tu parla → ✅ tu parli (-a is for lui / lei; tu ends in -i)
• ❌ lui parlo → ✅ lui parla
• ❌ noi parlamo → ✅ noi parliamo (the ending is -iamo)
• ❌ loro parlono → ✅ loro parlano (-ono is for other verb groups; -are verbs have -ano)
• ❌ tu mangii → ✅ tu mangi (one i only)
• ❌ tu cerci → ✅ tu cerchi (add h to keep the k sound)

Quick check

Write the correct present-tense form.

1. io (abitare)
2. tu (cercare)
3. lui (mangiare)
4. noi (pagare)
5. voi (ascoltare)
6. loro (comprare)
7. tu (studiare)

Key takeaways

• Regular -are verbs: remove -are and add -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano.
• Each person has its own ending, so the subject pronoun is usually omitted.
• -care and -gare verbs add h before i (cerchi, cerchiamo, paghi, paghiamo).
• -ciare, -giare and -iare verbs keep only one i before -i and -iamo (mangi, mangiamo, studi).
• The Italian present covers habits, facts, often what is happening now and a planned near future.
• andare, dare, stare and fare are irregular.