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Chapter 13 of 16 · Explore the Italian path

Optional reference · Chapter 13 of 16

Verb lookup: the full shapes, when an ending blocks you

Open this when an ending stops you mid-sentence. To be and to have in full, the present endings for all three verb groups, and the storytelling past laid out row by row.

≈ 5 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter
  • Open this when an ending stops you mid-sentence. The readings ahead need none of it.
  • Every plain form ends in -are, -ere or -ire. That is all the plain forms there are.
  • The present endings are the same three sets for every regular verb.
  • The full storytelling past is here for completeness; recognising the he/she shape is all reading asks.

You do not need this section to finish the lesson. Open it when an ending stops you mid-sentence and you want to see where that shape sits in its family. The two stories at the end use only shapes the core sections already showed you, so no table here has to be memorised — find the row, then go back to the line you were reading.

To be and to have, in full

The two doing words a book uses most, one to a column. Find the row for the person you need.

Englishessere“to be”avere“to have”
Isonoho
youseihai
he, she, itèha
wesiamoabbiamo
you — more than onesieteavete
theysonohanno

The h is silent in all four of ho, hai, ha, hanno.

Present endings, by plain-form group

Every regular doing word belongs to one of three groups, named after the ending of its plain form. Read down a column to see that group at work.

Who-are: volare-ere: vedere-ire: dormire
Ivolovedodormo
youvolivedidormi
he, she, itvolavededorme
wevoliamovediamodormiamo
you — more than onevolatevedetedormite
theyvolanovedonodormono

The last letter or two is the subject in every row above. That single habit — read the end of the verb — is the one this path actually asks of you.

The storytelling past, in full

One regular verb and one irregular one, side by side, so you can see how much of an irregular verb is still regular.

Whoandare — regularvedere — irregular
Iandaividi
youandastivedesti
he, she, itandòvide
weandammovedemmo
you — more than oneandastevedeste
theyandaronovidero

A fable is told about somebody else, so the third row is the one you meet on nearly every line. The irregular verbs are irregular only in that row and the two around it; the rest is regular.

The describing past, and the speaking past

Two more shapes you will meet in print without ever having to produce them, plus the pattern behind mi chiamo. The last column says what each one does.

ShapeExampleWhat it does
era, aveva, dormivaLa casa era piccola.“The house was small.”holds the story still and describes
ha dettoah DEHT-toh · è andatoeh ahn-DAH-tohHa detto di sì.“He said yes.”the past Italians speak in; some verbs take ha and some take è, which this path skips
mi, ti, simee tee see before the verbSi sveglia.“He wakes up.” · Si siede.“She sits down.”the pattern behind mi chiamo: chiamarsi → mi chiamo, ti chiami, si chiama; the little word matches the ending

Every plain form used on this path

The plain form is the shape a dictionary lists. These are all the ones this path has used, gathered in one place.

essere“to be” · avere“to have” · vedere“to see” · andare“to go” · venire“to come”
volare“to fly” · cadere“to fall” · dormire“to sleep” · bere“to drink” · chiamarsi“to be called”
dire“to say” · chiedere“to ask” · rispondere“to answer” · volere“to want” · potere“to be able” · dovere“to have to”
Come back to these chapters whenever you need them.All Italian chapters ↗