102 popular irregular verbs in Italian & their verb conjugations

No matter how many vocabulary words you’ve committed to memory, you’ll need a strong grasp on Italian grammar in order to use them correctly. And what’s one of the pillars of Italian grammar? Verbs - and not only that - irregular verbs!

The Italian language is infamous for having hundreds of irregular verbs. Some of them are irregular in the present tense, whereas others have irregular past participles. In this article, we’ll be focusing only on Italian irregular verbs in the present tense…102 of them to be exact!This guide will:

• Give you the rules for conjugating regular verbs ending in -are, -ere, and -ire
• Introduce irregular verbs ending in -orre, -arre, and -urre
• Help you memorize these verbs through groupings and other tips
• Conjugate 102 irregular verbs in Italian (in the present tense) and provide an example sentence for each one

Andiamo!

Table of contents

• What are irregular verbs?
• Types of irregular verbs
• How to learn irregular verbs in Italian?
• List of the 102 most common irregular verbs in Italian

What are irregular verbs?

First things first: how can we pinpoint these tricky verbs? Irregular verbs are classified as any verb that doesn’t follow the standard conjugations (which are outlined for you below). Keep reading for examples of how regular and irregular verbs in Italian are different.

It's important to note that irregular verbs may also have irregularities in other tenses, but the types we will cover in this article refer to irregularities in the present tense.

1. Regular -are conjugations

Drop the -are ending of the infinitive and add the following endings to the word’s stem:

Interestingly, only four -are verbs are irregular: dare, stare, fare, and andare. Luckily, this makes memorizing them a breeze! On the other hand, there are some regular -are verbs that come with a few spelling changes. This doesn’t necessarily make them irregular, but they’re worth mentioning. Some of the most common spelling changes are:

• c becomes ch before e or i (cercare - to look for)
• g becomes gh before e or i (piegare - to fold)
• oi becomes o before i (annoiare - to bore)
• ggi becomes gg before e or i (assaggiare - to taste) So, before an ending beginning with an e or i, drop the last i of the infinitive (so you don’t duplicate it). Verbs that follow this change end in -ciare or -giare. Let’s take a look at the complete conjugations in the table below.

2. Regular -ere conjugations

For regular verbs in the second group, drop the -ere ending of the infinitive and add the following endings to the word’s stem:

Let’s take a look at a regular verb ending in -ere: vedere (to see).

Did you know that most Italian irregular verbs end in -ere? Plus, -orre, -arre, and -urre verbs were actually once -ere infinitives! Thanks to the evolution of language, these original infinitives have transformed into Italian irregular verbs with one of these three endings: -orre, -arre, or -urre. You’ll notice that we have quite a few in our list below, but you can expect to follow these conjugations:

Some examples of verbs that fall into this irregular category are:

• Comporre (to compose)
• Trarre (to pull)
• Tradurre (to translate)

Look for them in our list below!

3. Regular -ire conjugations

The third and final group of verbs actually has two conjugations. The first one follows the same trend as the -are and -ere verbs: drop the -ire ending of the infinitive and add the following endings to the word’s stem:

The second type requires you to drop the -ire ending, but then add these different endings to the word’s resulting stem:

Remember: verbs that follow either of these conjugation versions are considered to be regular verbs in the present tense. Let’s look at an example of both types: dormire (to sleep) and pulire (to clean).

If you’re looking for a rule to distinguish whether an -ire verb belongs to the first or second type, you’re in luck! Well, kind of. To be honest, the best way to understand which group a verb belongs to is to check in a dictionary, but one common pattern can help you memorize them.Usually, if there are two consonants before the -ire ending, it usually belongs to Type 1 (like dormire). If one of the two preceding letters before the -ire ending is a vowel, it’s usually a Type 2 verb (like pulire). Remember: this trick usually works, but it’s best to verify in a dictionary!

Types of irregular verbs in Italian

Now that we know what a regular verb looks like, let’s go through the main groups of irregular verbs! Our complete list of 102 verbs is located at the end of this article, but it can be helpful to put verbs in groups - especially when it comes to memorizing them. Most of the groups contain a five examples just so that you can see the trend, but you’ll find more examples in the complete list.

Auxiliary verbs

Perhaps the two most common and most used irregular verbs in Italian are essere and avere. Committing these two verbs to memory is very important, especially when using the past tenses.

Irregular verbs with stem changes

These verbs don’t just change their endings - they change their stem as well! Notice how in some cases, the Noi and Voi forms resemble the infinitive. Let’s look at five common verbs that follow this trend.

Irregular verbs with spelling changes

Some irregular verbs in Italian come with spelling changes. Take a look at these common trends in the table below.

Irregular verbs adding “g” to “Io” and “loro” conjugations

The following table shows verbs that add “g” to the Io and Loro conjugations.

Irregular modal verbs

Ah, modal verbs! These are irregular, too, and they beat to their own drum. Another thing to keep in mind with these verbs is that they’re always followed by infinitives. So, for example:

• Voglio nuotare. / I want to swim.
• Posso nuotare? / Can I swim?
• Devo nuotare! / I must swim!

Contracted infinitive verbs

This table contains verbs that include some shorter conjugations when compared to their infinitive form. For instance, “do” is only two letters whereas the infinitive (dare) is four letters long.

How to learn Italian irregular verbs?

At this point, you might be thinking, “Wow, there are so many irregular verbs to learn…and we’re only talking about the present tense!”. It’s true, but don’t fear! Committing them to memory isn’t as hard as it might seem. The more you use them in conversation, the more natural they’ll become.

However, you can speed things along by paying attention to prefixes and recognizing common patterns. In addition to the tables listed above, take note of verbs that contain prefixes while sharing the same verb “stem”.

For instance, if you know how to conjugate fare, that means you also know how to conjugate disfare (to undo) and refare (to redo)! And if you know how to conjugate piacere, then you can also conjugate compiacere (to be pleased or satisfied) and dispiacere (to be sorry, to regret). The following list contains several examples of words with prefixes before a common stem. This can expand your vocabulary without any extra effort.

And, of course, if you’re a visual learner like me, making flashcards is never a bad idea. I like to put the infinitive on one side, and the conjugation on the other. You can use these flashcards to play games and test yourself when you have a few spare moments!

List of the 102 most common irregular verbs in Italian

Now that we’ve reviewed the rules and understand what makes a verb irregular, let’s explore 102 of the most common ones! Each example comes with a sentence in the present tense so that you can see the verb in action.

Sometimes, the English translation will be in the future simple (will + infinitive), since Italian tends to use the present simple in cases where English speakers use the future simple tense. And if you see quotations around the sentence, that means it’s a common Italian proverb. Happy reading!

1. Accogliere - to welcome, to receive

Accogliamo gli ospiti nella nostra casa. (We welcome the guests into our house.)

2. Addurre - to give, to present

Adduco le prove a sostegno della mia idea. (I present the evidence in support of my idea.)

3. Adempiere - to fulfill

Al lavoro, lui adempie ai suoi doveri con diligenza. (At work, he fulfills his duties diligently.)

4. Andare - to go

Vado al lavoro ogni mattina alle 8:00. (I go to work every morning at 8:00 AM.)

5. Anteporre - to prioritize, to place before

Noi anteponiamo sempre la qualità alla quantità. (We always prioritize quality over quantity.)

6. Apparire - to appear, to look, to seem

Non appaiono avidi. (They don’t appear as greedy.)

7. Appartenere - to belong

Noi apparteniamo alla stessa azienda. (We belong to the same company.)

8. Assalire - to assault

I lupi assalgono la loro preda con determinazione. (The wolves assault their prey with determination.)

9. Benedire - to bless

Il prete benedice i bambini. (The priest blesses the babies.)

10. Bere - to drink

Lui beve un bicchiere di latte ogni mattina. (He drinks a glass of milk every morning.)

11. Circondurre - to rotate

Circonduciamo le braccia durante Pilates. (We rotate our arms during Pilates.)

12. Cogliere - to seize, to take, to use

Visto che siamo tutti insieme, colgo l’occasione per invitarvi alla mia festa. (Since we’re all together, I’ll use this moment to invite you all to my party.)

13. Comparire - to appear, to show up

L’effetto della medicina compare dopo un’ora dall’assunzione. (The medicine’s effect appears an hour after it’s taken.)

14. Compiacere - to be pleased or satisfied

Mi compiaccio per il risultato che hai ottenuto. (I’m pleased with the results that you’ve obtained.)

15. Comporre- to compose

Lei compone un messaggio molto importante. (She composes a very important message.)

16. Condurre - to conduct, to lead

Lui conduce l’orchestra con grande maestria! (He conducts the orchestra with great mastery!)

17. Contenere - to contain

La scatola contiene tutte le mie carte. (The box contains all of my papers.)

18. Contraddire - to contradict

Tu mi contraddici sempre nelle discussioni. (You always contradict me in discussions.)

19. Contrarre - to contract or catch

Le persone contraggono malattie quando non seguono le misure di precauzione. (People contract illnesses when they don’t follow precautionary measures.)

20. Cuocere - to cook

Cuociamo una frittata deliziosa. (We cook a delicious omelet.)

21. Dare - to give

Ti do la mia tessera. (I give you my card. / Here’s my card.)

22. Dedurre - to deduce, to infer

Tu deduci le conclusioni basate sulle prove presentate. (You deduce the conclusions based on the evidence presented.)

23. Dimenticare - to forget

Lei dimentica sempre il mio nome! (She always forgets my name!)

24. Dire - to say, to tell

Finisco una cosa e poi te lo dico. (I’ll finish something and then I’ll tell you.)

25. Disapparire - to disappear

Il mago disappare nel nulla. (The magician disappears into thin air.)

26. Disfare - to undo

Il mio gatto disfa il letto ogni mattina. (My cat undoes the bed every morning.)

27. Dispiacere - to be sorry, to regret

Per cos’è che ti dispiaci? (What are you sorry for?)

28. Disporre - to arrange, to dispose

Lui dispone gli oggetti sulla scrivania in un modo ordinato. (He arranges the things on his desk in an organized way.)

29. Distrarre - to distract

Mi distrai mentre lavoro! (You distract me while I work.)

30. Divenire - to become, to turn

Le foglie verdi divengono gialle in autunno. (The green leaves turn yellow in Autumn.)

31. Dolere - to hurt, to ache

Mi duole la testa dopo una lunga giornata di lavoro. (My head hurts afer a long day of work.)

32. Dovere - to have to, must

Devo andare in farmacia dopo. (I have to go to the pharmacy later.)

33. Essere - to be

Siete molto contenti. (You are all very happy.)

34. Estrarre - to extract

La macchina estrae il succo d’arancia fresco ogni mattina. (The machine extracts fresh orange juice every morning.)

35. Fare - to do

Che fate stasera? (What are you doing tonight?)

36. Giacere - to lay

Giaccio sul divano. (I lay on the couch.)

37. Giocare - to play

Giochiamo a paddle stasera? (Are we playing paddle ball tonight?)

38. Imporre - to impose

Imponiamo le regole per questo gioco. (We make the rules for this game.)

39. Intervenire - to intervene

Guardate, ma non intervenite, per favore. (Look around, but please don’t intervene.)

40. Introdurre - to introduce, to enter

Per favore, introduci i suoi dati personali nel seguente schermo. (Please enter your information on the next screen.)

41. Maledire - to curse

Non maledico nessuno! (I don’t curse anyone!)

42. Mantenere - to maintain, to keep

Mantenete la distanza di sicurezza, per favore. (Please maintain a safe distance.)

43. Morire - to die

“Chi di speranza vive disperato muore.” (He who lives in hope dies in despair.)

44. Nevicare - to snow*

Nevica ogni giorno in dicembre. (It snows every day in December.)

This is listed as irregular since it is only principally used in the 3rd person forms.

45. Nuocere - to harm or injure

“L’ingratitudine nuoce anche a chi non è reo.” (Ingratitude harms even those who are not guilty.)

46. Occorrere - to be necessary, to need

“Per trovare ingiustizie non occorrono lanterne.” (You don’t need lanterns in order to find injustices.)

47. Opporre - to oppose

Mi oppongo a questa decisione. (I oppose this decision.)

48. Ottenere - to obtain, to get

Quando sommiamo i numeri, otteniamo il risultato di 20. (When we add up the numbers, we get a result of 20.)

49. Parere - to appear, to seem

Pare che lui sia andato all’estero. (It seems that he’s gone abroad.)

50. Piacere - to like, to please

Ti piaccio perché sono bella. (You like me because I’m beautiful.)

51. Piovere - to rain*

Piove molto forte qui! (It rains really hard here!)

This is listed as irregular since it is only principally used in the 3rd person forms.

52. Porre - to put, to place, to ask

Adesso vi pongo una questione molto importante. (Now I ask you a very important question.)

53. Posporre - to postpone

È la terza volta che proponete la riunione. (It’s the third time you’ve postponed the meeting.)

54. Possedere - to possess, to own, to have

Adesso possiede una nuova macchina. (Now she has a new car.)

55. Potere - to be able, can

Possiamo andare al mare? (Can we go to the sea?)

56. Predire - to predict

Il programma predice il risultato della partita. (The program predicts the result of the match.)

57. Prevalere - to prevail

La verità prevale sempre. (Truth always prevails.)

58. Prevenire - to precede, to anticipate

Noi preveniamo i problemi adottando misure preventive. (We prevent problems by adopting preventative measures.)

59. Produrre - to produce

Questa fabbrica produce piastrelle in ceramica. (This factory produces ceramic tiles.)

60. Proporre - to propose

Propongo di andare al mare. (I propose that we go to the sea.)

61. Ricomparire - to reappear

Il sole ricompare dopo la pioggia. (The sun reappears after the rain.)

62. Riconvenire - to reunite, to reconvene

Riconvengono dopo una pausa. (They will reconvene after a break.)

63. Ridire - to say again, to repeat

Non ti preoccupare, di solito ridicono tutte le cose importanti della lezione. (Don’t worry, usually they repeat the important things from the lesson.)

64. Ridovere - to give again, to retake

Ridevo fare l’esame. (I need to retake the exam.)

65. Ridurre - to reduce

Correre riduce la massa grassa. (Running reduces fatty tissue.)

66. Rifare - to do again, to make again

Rifacciamo l’esercizio. (We do the exercise again.)

67. Rimanere - to remain, to stay

Stasera rimango a casa. (Tonight I will stay at home.)

68. Risedere - to reside

Io risiedo a Milano. (I reside in Milan.)

69. Ritenere - to retain, to hold, to believe

Ritengo che tu abbia ragione. (I believe you are right.)

70. Ritrarre - to portray

Questo dipinto ritrae i miei genitori. (This painting portrays my parents.)

71. Riuscire - to be able to, to succeed, or to go out again

Non riesco a dormire. (I’m not able to sleep.)

72. Rivolgersi - to turn to, to address oneself to

Mi rivolgo a tutti voi. (I address you all.)

73. Salire - to go up, to climb

Salgo le scale lentamente. (I go up the stairs slowly.)

74. Sapere - to know, to know how to (do something)

Sai tutto quello che è successo? (Do you know everything that happened?)

75. Scegliere - to choose

Scegliete voi un posto per cena. (You choose a place for dinner.)

76. Scomparire - to disappear completely or become extinct

La vetta scompare nella nebbia. (The peak of the mountain disappears in the fog.)

77. Sciogliere - to melt, to dissolve

Stai attento, il ghiacciolo si scioglie! (Pay attention, the ice cream melts!)

78. Scomporre - to break down, to decompose

Per risolvere il problema scomponiamo la funzione. (To solve the problem, we break down the function.)

79. Sedere - to sit down

Mi siedo sul divano. (I sit down on the sofa.)

80. Sedurre - to seduce

Lui seduce lei. (He seduces her.)

81. Soddisfare - to satisfy, to fulfill

Il candidato soddisfa i requisiti. (The candidate fulfills the requirements.)

82. Solere - to be used to (doing something)

Io soglio fare una passeggiata serale nel parco. (I’m used to taking an evening walk in the park.)

83. Sostenere - to sustain, to support

Sostengo ogni tua scelta. (I support any decision you make.)

84. Sottrarre - to subtract, to withdraw

Lui sottrae denaro dal suo conto bancario. (He withdraws money from his bank account.)

85. Sottoporre - to submit, call attention to

Sottopongo la questione al responsabile. (I submit the question to the manager.)

86. Spegnere - to shut off

Spengo il riscaldamento perché fa caldo. (I shut off the heating because it’s hot.)

87. Spiegare - to explain

Adesso ti spiego tutto. (Now I’ll explain everything to you.)

88. Stare - to stay, to stand

Sto dalla tua parte. (I stand by you. / I’m on your side.)

89. Succedere - to happen, to occur

Che succede? (What’s happening?)

90. Supporre - to suppose, to assume

Suppongo tu abbia ragione. (I suppose you’re right.)

91. Svenire - to faint

Se lo vedo, svengo. (If I see him, I faint.)

92. Tacere - to be silent

Taccio che è meglio. (It’s better if I’m silent.)

93. Tenere - to keep, to hold

Ti tengo nel mio cuore. (I hold you in my heart.)

94. Togliere - to take away, to remove

Tolgo le patate dal forno. (I remove the potatoes from the oven.)

95. Tradurre - to translate

Traduco dall’inglese. (I translate from English.)

96. Trarre - to draw, to obtain

Trai le tue conclusioni. (Draw your own conclusions.)

97. Trattenere - to keep back, to restrain, to hold back

Non mi trattengo dalla gioia. (I don’t hold myself back from joy.)

98. Udire - to hear

Quando ti odo cantare mi commuovo. (When I hear you sing, I get emotional.)

99. Uscire - to go out

Esco con gli amici. (I go out with friends.)

100. Valere - to be worth

Quell'oggetto vale poco. (That object isn’t worth much.)

101. Venire - to come

Vengo a trovarti. (I’ll come visit you.)

102. Volere - to want

Voglio il tuo meglio. (I want your best.)

Irregular verbs make the heart grow fonder

We’ve reached the end of our journey into the wonderful world of irregular verbs. Thanks for sticking along for the ride! And while verbs are a pivotal part of speaking Italian, don’t forget to explore other grammar points, like prepositions and Italian language articles and blog lessons, too. Alla prossima!