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Italian mangiare Conjugation
“to eat” · 吃 · all seven simple tenses plus the past participle
Present tenseio mangio · tu mangi · lui / lei mangia · noi mangiamo · voi mangiate · loro mangiano
Mangiare ("to eat") is a regular first-conjugation verb with one spelling trap: the stem ends in -gi, so the i of the stem and the i of an ending merge into a single letter. The present comes out as mangio, mangi, mangia, mangiamo, mangiate, mangiano.
Below are the complete mangiare tables for all seven simple tenses, the same rule applied across the paradigm, and why the future is mangerò with no h.
Present indicativeIndicativo presente
States what is true or happening now, plus habits and general facts.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | mangio |
| tu | mangi |
| lui / lei | mangia |
| noi | mangiamo |
| voi | mangiate |
| loro | mangiano |
Example:Studio italiano ogni giorno.
I study Italian every day.
ImperfectIndicativo imperfetto
Describes past background, ongoing states, and repeated behaviour.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | mangiavo |
| tu | mangiavi |
| lui / lei | mangiava |
| noi | mangiavamo |
| voi | mangiavate |
| loro | mangiavano |
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 | mangiai |
| tu | mangiasti |
| lui / lei | mangiò |
| noi | mangiammo |
| voi | mangiaste |
| loro | mangiarono |
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 | mangerò |
| tu | mangerai |
| lui / lei | mangerà |
| noi | mangeremo |
| voi | mangerete |
| loro | mangeranno |
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 | mangerei |
| tu | mangeresti |
| lui / lei | mangerebbe |
| noi | mangeremmo |
| voi | mangereste |
| loro | mangerebbero |
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 | mangi |
| tu | mangi |
| lui / lei | mangi |
| noi | mangiamo |
| voi | mangiate |
| loro | mangino |
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 | mangiassi |
| tu | mangiassi |
| lui / lei | mangiasse |
| noi | mangiassimo |
| voi | mangiaste |
| loro | mangiassero |
Example:Se avessi tempo, leggerei di più.
If I had time, I would read more.
Past participle Participio passato
- masculine singular
- mangiato
- feminine singular
- mangiata
- masculine plural
- mangiati
- feminine plural
- mangiate
Auxiliary: Mangiare takes avere: ho mangiato.
How it is used
Where the i goes
Before o, a and ano the stem vowel stays visible: mangio, mangia, mangiano. Before an ending that starts with i the two merge into one: tu mangi, noi mangiamo, voi mangiate. The subjunctive follows the same arithmetic: che io mangi, che voi mangiate, che loro mangino. Verbs in -ciare, -giare and -iare behave identically.
da mangiare and il mangiare
An infinitive after da becomes a modifier: qualcosa da mangiare (something to eat), niente da fare (nothing to do). Mangiare itself works as a noun meaning food or eating: il mangiare sano (healthy eating), and it is masculine singular.
Where learners slip
The future has no h: mangerò, mangerai, mangerebbe. Verbs in -care and -gare do need one to keep a hard c or g before e, so pagare gives pagherò and cercare cercherò, while mangiare is already soft. The historic past is mangiai, mangiò, mangiarono, and the tu imperative is mangia!.
Questions learners ask
Is mangiare regular?
Yes in every ending. The only irregularity is orthographic: the stem i merges with endings that begin with i, which is why tu mangi has one i rather than two.
Why mangerò and not mangherò?
The h exists only to keep c and g hard before e. The g of mangiare is already soft, so mangerò needs no h, while pagare must become pagherò.
How do I say "something to eat"?
Qualcosa da mangiare, with da plus the infinitive. The same frame gives non ho niente da fare (I have nothing to do).
mangiare, pranzare or cenare?
Mangiare is the general verb for eating. Pranzare is to have lunch and cenare to have dinner, so Italians use either: mangiamo alle otto or ceniamo alle otto.
中文说明
mangiare：吃 · 主动用法通常用 avere：ho mangiato。
- 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 mangiare
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