Page 15 - verbo italiano

VERB USAGE REVIEW

his section provides a comprehensive review of Italian verbs to foster an in-
Tdepth understanding of the Italian verb system: the regular and irregular
conjugation of the verbs, the usages of the moods and tenses, and how it differs
from the English verb system. The formation and use of each mood and tense is
discussed thoroughly, illustrating the regular conjugation, the spelling changes (if
any), and the irregularities.

Subject Pronouns

Proper verb conjugation requires an understanding of subject pronouns and how
they’re used. Subject pronouns are words that take the place of subject nouns:
Geir is Norwegian. He lives in Trondheim.
In the preceding example, the pronoun “He” replaces the name “Geir” in order to
avoid repetition. Table 1 shows the most common Italian subject pronouns and
their corresponding English subject pronouns.

Table 1 Italian and English Subject Pronouns
Person Singular Plural
Italian English Italian English
First person io I noi we
Second person tu you (informal) voi you
Lei you (formal) Loro you (very formal)
Third person lei she loro they
lui he

In English, subject pronouns are always used with verb forms, for example “I go,”
“you have.” The verb form itself—go—does not identify the subject: It could be “I
go,” “you go,” “we go,” or “they go,” just as it could be “I have,” “you have,” “we
have,” or “they have.” Unlike English, in Italian the verb ending is different for
each person in the majority of verb tenses, so the verb ending itself identifies the
subject. For this reason, subject pronouns are superfluous, and they are normally
omitted when the verb is expressed.

Vado a Roma. I go to Rome.
Vai a Roma. You go to Rome.

In the preceding examples, the verb form vado includes the information that the
subject is “I.” Understanding which subject pronoun is needed, however, whether
or not you choose to use it, enables you to correctly conjugate a verb in any tense.