The 8 Italian indicative tenses, with regular vs. irregular examples
Below are the 8 tenses of the Indicative mood. I’ll use one regular verb (parlare = to speak) and one irregular verb (andare = to go) with short example sentences.
Note: Andare forms compound tenses with essere, so the past participle agrees in gender/number (andato, andata, andati, andate).
| Tense (IT → EN) | When it’s used | Regular verb (parlare) | Irregular verb (andare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presente → Present | Actions now, habits, general truths | Io parlo italiano. (I speak Italian.) | Io vado a casa. (I go home.) |
| Imperfetto → Imperfect | Ongoing/past habitual, background | Da bambino parlavo piano. (As a child, I used to speak softly.) | Andavo a scuola a piedi. (I used to go to school on foot.) |
| Passato remoto → Preterite | Completed past (literary/historical, common in some regions) | Parlai alla folla. (I spoke to the crowd.) | Andai a Roma. (I went to Rome.) |
| Futuro semplice → Simple future | Future plans, predictions | Parlerò domani. (I will speak tomorrow.) | Andrò al mare. (I will go to the beach.) |
| Passato prossimo → Present perfect | Completed past with present relevance | Ho parlato con lei. (I spoke/Have spoken with her.) | Sono andato/a al lavoro. (I went/Have gone to work.) |
| Trapassato prossimo → Past perfect | An action completed before another past action | Avevo già parlato. (I had already spoken.) | Ero già andato/a via. (I had already gone away.) |
| Trapassato remoto → Preterite perfect | Action completed just before another remote past action (literary) | Appena ebbi parlato, applaudirono. (As soon as I had spoken, they applauded.) | Appena fui andato/a via, iniziò a piovere. (As soon as I had gone away, it began to rain.) |
| Futuro anteriore → Future perfect | Action completed before another future moment; conjecture about the past | Quando avrò parlato, decideremo. (When I have spoken, we will decide.) | Quando sarò andato/a, chiamami. (When I’ve gone, call me.) |
Quick tips
- Essere vs. avere: Many motion/reflexive verbs (like andare) take essere in compound tenses, triggering agreement: sono andato, è andata, siamo andati, etc. Parlare takes avere: ho parlato, avevamo parlato.
- Usage nuance: In most of Italy, passato prossimo commonly replaces passato remoto in everyday speech; trapassato remoto is mainly literary/formal.
Want me to add -ere and -ire regular examples too, or build you a mini drill to practice each tense?
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου