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Italian essere Conjugation
“to be” · 是；存在 · all seven simple tenses plus the past participle
Present tenseio sono · tu sei · lui / lei è · noi siamo · voi siete · loro sono
Essere ("to be") is the most used verb in Italian, and it is also one of the two auxiliaries that build the compound tenses: sono andato, ero stanco. It is irregular in every tense, so its forms have to be memorised rather than derived from a pattern.
Below are the complete essere conjugation tables for all seven simple tenses, the four forms of the past participle stato, and notes on the mistakes learners make most often.
Present indicativeIndicativo presente
States what is true or happening now, plus habits and general facts.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sono |
| tu | sei |
| lui / lei | è |
| noi | siamo |
| voi | siete |
| loro | sono |
Example:Studio italiano ogni giorno.
I study Italian every day.
ImperfectIndicativo imperfetto
Describes past background, ongoing states, and repeated behaviour.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ero |
| tu | eri |
| lui / lei | era |
| noi | eravamo |
| voi | eravate |
| loro | erano |
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 | fui |
| tu | fosti |
| lui / lei | fu |
| noi | fummo |
| voi | foste |
| loro | furono |
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 | sarò |
| tu | sarai |
| lui / lei | sarà |
| noi | saremo |
| voi | sarete |
| loro | saranno |
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 | sarei |
| tu | saresti |
| lui / lei | sarebbe |
| noi | saremmo |
| voi | sareste |
| loro | sarebbero |
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 | sia |
| tu | sia |
| lui / lei | sia |
| noi | siamo |
| voi | siate |
| loro | siano |
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 | fossi |
| tu | fossi |
| lui / lei | fosse |
| noi | fossimo |
| voi | foste |
| loro | fossero |
Example:Se avessi tempo, leggerei di più.
If I had time, I would read more.
Past participle Participio passato
- masculine singular
- stato
- feminine singular
- stata
- masculine plural
- stati
- feminine plural
- state
Auxiliary: Compound tenses use essere: sono stato / stata. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
How it is used
Essere or avere as the auxiliary
Italian builds its compound tenses with either avere or essere, and most verbs take avere. Essere is the auxiliary for verbs of movement and change of state (andare, arrivare, nascere, diventare), for reflexive verbs, and for essere itself. A useful shorthand is that essere goes with verbs that describe what happens to the subject, rather than what the subject does to something else. Learn the auxiliary together with the verb: sono arrivato, never ho arrivato.
The participle agrees with the subject
When essere is the main verb or the auxiliary, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: sono stato for a male speaker, sono stata for a female speaker, siamo stati or siamo state for a group. That is why this page lists four participle forms instead of one. Every verb conjugated with essere follows the same agreement rule.
Where learners slip
Three transfer errors from English come up constantly. Age takes avere, not essere: ho vent'anni, literally "I have twenty years". Nationality, profession and description do take essere: sono italiano, sono insegnante — and with professions Italian drops the article, so it is sono insegnante rather than sono un insegnante, unless the noun is qualified. Essere and stare are also not interchangeable: sono stanco (I am tired) but sto bene (I am well).
Questions learners ask
Is essere regular or irregular?
Essere is completely irregular. Its stem changes in every tense of the indicative, conditional and subjunctive, which is why the forms are memorised as whole paradigms instead of being derived from an -are, -ere or -ire pattern.
What is the past participle of essere?
The past participle is stato, with four agreement forms: stato, stata, stati, state. The ending matches the gender and number of the subject, so a female speaker says sono stata.
When do I use essere instead of avere?
Use essere with verbs of movement and change of state, with reflexive verbs, and with essere itself. Most other verbs take avere. Since the choice is not fully predictable, learn each verb's auxiliary alongside its past participle.
Do I say sono vent'anni or ho vent'anni?
Ho vent'anni. Italian expresses age with avere, while English uses the verb to be, so this is one of the first transfer errors learners make.
中文说明
essere：是；存在 · 复合时态用 essere：sono stato / stata。分词随主语的性、数变化。
- 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 essere
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