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Italian avere Conjugation
“to have” · 有 · all seven simple tenses plus the past participle
Present tenseio ho · tu hai · lui / lei ha · noi abbiamo · voi avete · loro hanno
Avere ("to have") does two jobs in Italian. It is an ordinary verb meaning to have or to hold, and it is the auxiliary that builds the compound tenses of most other verbs: ho parlato, avevo finito. Its present is compressed into some of the shortest forms in the language: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno.
Below are the complete avere tables for all seven simple tenses, the regular past participle avuto, and the structures where Italian uses avere while English uses to be.
Present indicativeIndicativo presente
States what is true or happening now, plus habits and general facts.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho |
| tu | hai |
| lui / lei | ha |
| noi | abbiamo |
| voi | avete |
| loro | hanno |
Example:Studio italiano ogni giorno.
I study Italian every day.
ImperfectIndicativo imperfetto
Describes past background, ongoing states, and repeated behaviour.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo |
| tu | avevi |
| lui / lei | aveva |
| noi | avevamo |
| voi | avevate |
| loro | avevano |
Example:Da piccolo giocavo qui.
I used to play here as a child.
Historic pastIndicativo passato remoto
Narrates a past event seen as complete, mainly in writing; spoken usage varies by region.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ebbi |
| tu | avesti |
| lui / lei | ebbe |
| noi | avemmo |
| voi | aveste |
| loro | ebbero |
Example:Dante nacque nel 1265.
Dante was born in 1265.
FutureIndicativo futuro semplice
Refers to the future, and can also express a guess about the present.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò |
| tu | avrai |
| lui / lei | avrà |
| noi | avremo |
| voi | avrete |
| loro | avranno |
Example:Domani partirò presto.
Tomorrow I will leave early.
ConditionalCondizionale presente
Used for polite requests and wishes, and for what would happen under a condition.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei |
| tu | avresti |
| lui / lei | avrebbe |
| noi | avremmo |
| voi | avreste |
| loro | avrebbero |
Example:Vorrei un caffè.
I would like a coffee.
Present subjunctiveCongiuntivo presente
Common in clauses after certain verbs and conjunctions to express wishes, judgements and doubts; use depends on the construction.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abbia |
| tu | abbia |
| lui / lei | abbia |
| noi | abbiamo |
| voi | abbiate |
| loro | abbiano |
Example:Spero che tu stia bene.
I hope you are well.
Imperfect subjunctiveCongiuntivo imperfetto
Follows some past main clauses, and appears in hypothetical conditions.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avessi |
| tu | avessi |
| lui / lei | avesse |
| noi | avessimo |
| voi | aveste |
| loro | avessero |
Example:Se avessi tempo, leggerei di più.
If I had time, I would read more.
Past participle Participio passato
- masculine singular
- avuto
- feminine singular
- avuta
- masculine plural
- avuti
- feminine plural
- avute
Auxiliary: Avere is the auxiliary of most verbs: ho avuto. With avere the past participle does not agree with the subject.
How it is used
The auxiliary of most verbs
Avere plus a past participle gives the passato prossimo: ho mangiato, avevamo finito, avrai visto. Most Italian verbs take this auxiliary; movement, change of state and reflexive verbs take essere instead. With avere the participle does not agree with the subject — ho mangiato, never *ho mangiata — unless a direct object pronoun comes first: la torta? L'ho mangiata.
Avere where English uses to be
Age, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, fear, hurry and being right all run through avere: ho vent'anni, ho fame, ho sete, ho freddo, ho paura, ho fretta, ho ragione. The opposite mistake — *sono vent'anni, *sono fame — marks a beginner instantly.
Where learners slip
The first plural is abbiamo, not *avemo, and the h is silent but required: hai is the verb, a is the preposition, o is the conjunction. The subjunctive doubles the b (che io abbia), the future contracts to avr- (avrò, avrai, avrà), and the historic past switches stems entirely: ebbi, ebbe, ebbero.
Questions learners ask
Is avere irregular?
In the present and the historic past, yes. Ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno do not follow the regular -ere pattern, and ebbi / ebbero use a different stem. The imperfect (avevo), the future (avrò) and the imperfect subjunctive (avessi) are built regularly.
What is the past participle of avere?
Avuto, and it is regular: avuto, avuta, avuti, avute. It never carries an h: ho avuto, l'ho avuto.
How do I say "I am 20 years old"?
Ho vent'anni — literally I have twenty years. Italian counts age as something you have, not something you are.
Do most verbs take avere or essere?
Most take avere. Essere is limited to movement, change of state and reflexive verbs, so avere is the safer guess — but learn each verb's auxiliary together with its participle.
中文说明
avere：有 · 复合时态用 avere：ho avuto。
- 直陈式现在时 · Indicativo presente
- 直陈式未完成过去时 · Indicativo imperfetto
- 直陈式远过去时 · Indicativo passato remoto
- 直陈式简单将来时 · Indicativo futuro semplice
- 条件式现在时 · Condizionale presente
- 虚拟式现在时 · Congiuntivo presente
- 虚拟式未完成过去时 · Congiuntivo imperfetto
Practise avere
Present indicative · io
Practise in the order io, tu, lui / lei, noi, voi, loro, then move on to the next tense.
Put the forms back into sentences
Meet the same verb in real contexts with the grammar notes and the graded reading material.
Italian grammarMore Italian study material