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Lesson 1 of 16

The Italian Verb Engine

Learn the single most powerful pattern in Italian: the present-tense verb matrix. Say what you do, what you do not do, ask questions and talk about the past — from your very first lesson.

⏱ About 55 minutes 22 phrases 27 exercises
Illustration of a brass verb engine whose gears carry the stem parl- and the endings -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano.

What you will learn

  • Build sentences with regular -are verbs in the present tense
  • Use the subject pronouns io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro
  • Make any sentence negative with non
  • Ask questions with intonation and the seven core question words
  • Use avere (to have) in the present tense
  • Form your first past sentences with ho parlato

Theory

The verb matrix: your engine for hundreds of sentences

Italian verbs change their ending depending on who is acting. This sounds like extra work, but it is actually a gift: learn six endings and you unlock every regular -are verb in the language.

Look at the matrix for parlare (to speak). The stem parl- never changes; only the ending does. The same endings work for abitare, lavorare, mangiare and thousands more.

  • Io parlo italiano. I speak Italian.
  • Tu parli inglese. You speak English.
  • Noi abitiamo a Roma. We live in Rome.
Conjugation chart of parlare with colour-coded endings and the note that the same endings work for abitare, lavorare and mangiare.

Negation: one word changes everything

To say what you do not do, place non directly before the verb. That is the whole rule.

This tiny word doubles your speaking power immediately: every affirmative sentence you know becomes a negative one.

  • Non parlo italiano. I do not speak Italian.
  • Marco non lavora qui. Marco does not work here.
  • Non mangiamo carne. We do not eat meat.

Questions: raise your voice, not your grammar

In Italian a yes-or-no question uses exactly the same word order as a statement — only the intonation rises at the end. Parli inglese. (statement) becomes Parli inglese? (question).

For information questions, put the question word first: Dove abiti? (Where do you live?). Learn the seven core question words in this lesson and you can ask about almost anything.

  • Parli italiano? Do you speak Italian?
  • Dove abiti? Where do you live?
  • Perché studi italiano? Why are you studying Italian?
Infographic of the seven Italian question words — chi, che cosa, dove, quando, perché, come and quanto — each with an icon and its English meaning.

Avere (to have) and your first past tense

Avere is irregular, so learn its forms as a set: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno.

Avere also builds the most common past tense. Put ho + a past participle: parlare becomes parlato, mangiare becomes mangiato. Ho parlato means both I spoke and I have spoken. Regular -are verbs all form this participle with -ato.

  • Ho una domanda. I have a question.
  • Ho parlato con Marco. I spoke with Marco.
  • Hai mangiato bene? Did you eat well?
Chart of avere reminding that the h is silent: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno, with ho parlato meaning I spoke.
parlare — to speak (present tense)
parlare mangiare abitare
io parlo mangio abito
tu parli mangi abiti
lui / lei parla mangia abita
noi parliamo mangiamo abitiamo
voi parlate mangiate abitate
loro parlano mangiano abitano

All regular -are verbs follow these six endings: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano.

avere — to have (present tense)
avere
io ho
tu hai
lui / lei ha
noi abbiamo
voi avete
loro hanno

The h is never pronounced: ho sounds like o, hai like eye.

Past with avere: ho + participle
present past (passato prossimo)
io parlo ho parlato
tu mangi hai mangiato
lui / lei lavora ha lavorato
noi ascoltiamo abbiamo ascoltato

-are verbs form the participle with -ato: parlare → parlato, mangiare → mangiato.

Vocabulary

Italian English Pronunciation Audio
parlare to speak /parˈlare/ par-LAH-reh
abitare to live (reside) /abiˈtare/ ah-bee-TAH-reh
lavorare to work /lavoˈrare/ lah-voh-RAH-reh
ascoltare to listen /askolˈtare/ ah-skohl-TAH-reh
guardare to watch, to look at /ɡwarˈdare/ gwahr-DAH-reh
mangiare to eat /manˈdʒare/ mahn-JAH-reh
amare to love /aˈmare/ ah-MAH-reh
imparare to learn /impaˈrare/ eem-pah-RAH-reh
giocare to play /dʒoˈkare/ joh-KAH-reh
avere to have /aˈvere/ ah-VEH-reh
io I /ˈio/ EE-oh
tu you (informal singular) /ˈtu/ TOO
lui he /ˈlui/ LOO-ee
lei she /ˈlɛi/ LAY
noi we /ˈnɔi/ NOY
voi you (plural) /ˈvɔi/ VOY
loro they /ˈloro/ LOH-roh
non not /ˈnon/ NOHN
chi who /ˈki/ KEE
che cosa / cosa what /ke ˈkɔza/ keh KOH-zah
dove where /ˈdove/ DOH-veh
quando when /ˈkwando/ KWAHN-doh
perché why, because /perˈke/ pehr-KEH
come how /ˈkome/ KOH-meh
quanto how much /ˈkwanto/ KWAHN-toh
molto very, a lot /ˈmolto/ MOHL-toh
bene well /ˈbɛne/ BEH-neh
adesso now /aˈdesso/ ah-DEHS-soh
qui here /ˈkwi/ KWEE

Ready-to-use phrases

Parlo inglese.

I speak English.

IPA /ˈparlo iŋˈɡleze/

Say it PAR-loh een-GLEH-zeh

neutral languages

Non parlo bene l'italiano.

I do not speak Italian well.

IPA /non ˈparlo ˈbɛne litaˈljano/

Say it nohn PAR-loh BEH-neh lee-tah-LYAH-noh

neutral languages

Parli italiano?

Do you speak Italian?

IPA /ˈparli itaˈljano/

Say it PAR-lee ee-tah-LYAH-noh

Same word order as the statement — your voice does the work.

informal languages questions

Dove abiti?

Where do you live?

IPA /ˈdove ˈabiti/

Say it DOH-veh AH-bee-tee

informal questions places

Abito a Londra.

I live in London.

IPA /ˈabito a ˈlondra/

Say it AH-bee-toh ah LOHN-drah

Use a with cities: a Roma, a Londra, a Milano.

neutral places

Dove lavori?

Where do you work?

IPA /ˈdove laˈvori/

Say it DOH-veh lah-VOH-ree

informal questions work

Lavoro a Roma.

I work in Rome.

IPA /laˈvoro a ˈroma/

Say it lah-VOH-roh ah ROH-mah

neutral work

Che cosa mangi?

What are you eating?

IPA /ke ˈkɔza ˈmandʒi/

Say it keh KOH-zah MAHN-jee

Cosa alone is just as common: Cosa mangi?

informal questions food

Ascolto la musica.

I listen to music.

IPA /aˈskolto la ˈmuzika/

Say it ah-SKOHL-toh lah MOO-zee-kah

neutral free time

Guardo un film.

I am watching a film.

IPA /ˈɡwardo um ˈfilm/

Say it GWAHR-doh oon FEELM

neutral free time

Ho una domanda.

I have a question.

IPA /o ˈuna doˈmanda/

Say it oh OO-nah doh-MAHN-dah

The h in ho is silent.

neutral classroom questions

Hai tempo adesso?

Do you have time now?

IPA /ai ˈtempo aˈdesso/

Say it eye TEHM-poh ah-DEHS-soh

informal questions time

Quanto costa?

How much does it cost?

IPA /ˈkwanto ˈkɔsta/

Say it KWAHN-toh KOH-stah

One of the most useful travel sentences.

neutral questions shopping

Perché studi italiano?

Why are you studying Italian?

IPA /perˈke ˈstudi itaˈljano/

Say it pehr-KEH STOO-dee ee-tah-LYAH-noh

informal questions study

Imparo l'italiano adesso.

I am learning Italian now.

IPA /imˈparo litaˈljano aˈdesso/

Say it eem-PAH-roh lee-tah-LYAH-noh ah-DEHS-soh

neutral study

Giochiamo a calcio.

We play football.

IPA /dʒoˈkjamo a ˈkaltʃo/

Say it joh-KYAH-moh ah KAHL-choh

Giocare a + game or sport.

neutral free time sport

Non lavoro qui.

I do not work here.

IPA /non laˈvoro ˈkwi/

Say it nohn lah-VOH-roh KWEE

neutral work negation

Chi parla inglese?

Who speaks English?

IPA /ˈki ˈparla iŋˈɡleze/

Say it KEE PAR-lah een-GLEH-zeh

neutral questions languages

Ho parlato con il direttore.

I spoke with the manager.

IPA /o parˈlato kon il diretˈtore/

Say it oh par-LAH-toh kohn eel dee-reht-TOH-reh

Your first past-tense pattern: ho + parlato.

neutral past work

Abbiamo mangiato molto bene.

We ate very well.

IPA /abˈbjamo manˈdʒato ˈmolto ˈbɛne/

Say it ahb-BYAH-moh mahn-JAH-toh MOHL-toh BEH-neh

neutral past food

Quando lavorate?

When do you (all) work?

IPA /ˈkwando lavoˈrate/

Say it KWAHN-doh lah-voh-RAH-teh

neutral questions work

Amiamo questa città.

We love this city.

IPA /aˈmjamo ˈkwesta tʃitˈta/

Say it ah-MYAH-moh KWEH-stah cheet-TAH

neutral feelings travel

Dialogues

At the language exchange

Anna meets Tom at an evening language exchange in Turin.

  1. Anna

    Ciao! Parli italiano?

    Hi! Do you speak Italian?

  2. Tom

    Un po'. Parlo inglese e imparo l'italiano adesso.

    A little. I speak English and I am learning Italian now.

  3. Anna

    Dove abiti?

    Where do you live?

  4. Tom

    Abito a Torino adesso. E tu?

    I live in Turin now. And you?

  5. Anna

    Abito a Milano, ma lavoro qui.

    I live in Milan, but I work here.

  6. Tom

    Interessante! Perché lavori qui?

    Interesting! Why do you work here?

  7. Anna

    Perché amo questa città.

    Because I love this city.

After the lesson

Two classmates talk after their first Italian lesson.

  1. Sara

    Hai una domanda?

    Do you have a question?

  2. Leo

    Sì. Quando studiamo il passato?

    Yes. When do we study the past?

  3. Sara

    Adesso! Guarda: ho parlato, hai mangiato.

    Now! Look: I spoke, you ate.

  4. Leo

    Ah, ho capito. Non è difficile.

    Ah, I understand. It is not difficult.

  5. Sara

    No! E cosa hai mangiato ieri?

    No! And what did you eat yesterday?

  6. Leo

    Ho mangiato una pizza. Molto bene!

    I ate a pizza. Very good!

Exercises

Multiple Choice Exercise 1

Choose the correct form of parlare.

Io ___ italiano.
Multiple Choice Exercise 2

Choose the correct form of abitare.

Tu ___ a Roma.
Multiple Choice Exercise 3

Choose the correct form of ascoltare.

Noi ___ la musica.
Multiple Choice Exercise 4

Choose the correct form of giocare.

Loro ___ a calcio.
Conjugation Exercise 5

Write the correct form.

lavorare — voi (present tense)
Conjugation Exercise 6

Write the correct form.

mangiare — lui (present tense)
Conjugation Exercise 7

Write the correct form.

imparare — io (present tense)
Conjugation Exercise 8

Write the correct form of avere.

avere — noi (present tense)
Conjugation Exercise 9

Write the correct form of avere.

avere — tu (present tense)
Conjugation Exercise 10

Write the correct form of avere.

avere — loro (present tense)
Translate To Italian Exercise 11

Translate into Italian.

I speak English.
Translate To Italian Exercise 12

Translate into Italian (informal you).

Where do you live?
Translate To Italian Exercise 13

Translate into Italian. (meat = la carne)

We do not eat meat.
Translate To Italian Exercise 14

Translate into Italian.

I have a question.
Translate To Italian Exercise 15

Translate into Italian.

I spoke with Marco.
Translate To English Exercise 16

Translate into English.

Perché studi italiano?
Translate To English Exercise 17

Translate into English.

Abbiamo mangiato molto bene.
Fill Gap Exercise 18

Fill the gap with the correct form.

Marco non ___ qui. (lavorare)
Fill Gap Exercise 19

Fill the gap with the correct question word.

___ parla inglese? (who)
Fill Gap Exercise 20

Fill the gap with the past participle.

Hai ___ con Anna? (parlare, past participle)
Word Order Exercise 21

Tap the words in the correct order.

Build the question: Do you speak Italian?
Word Order Exercise 22

Tap the words in the correct order.

Build the sentence: We do not work here.
Match Pairs Exercise 23

Tap a pronoun, then tap its verb form.

Match each pronoun to the correct verb form of parlare.
True False Exercise 24

True or false?

In Italian, a yes/no question needs a different word order from a statement.
True False Exercise 25

True or false?

The h in ho, hai, ha, hanno is pronounced.
Listen And Type Exercise 26

Play the audio, then type exactly what you hear.

Listen and write the Italian sentence.
Flashcard Self Rating Exercise 27

Say the sentence aloud, then show the meaning and rate yourself.

Non parlo bene l'italiano.

Speak now

Say each sentence aloud three times: once slowly, once at normal speed, once from memory. Then change one word and say your own version.

  • Parlo inglese e imparo l'italiano. I speak English and I am learning Italian.
  • Non lavoro qui, lavoro a casa. I do not work here, I work at home.
  • Dove abiti? Dove lavori? Where do you live? Where do you work?
  • Ho parlato con un amico ieri. I spoke with a friend yesterday.

Lesson checkpoint

Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:

  1. Say all six present-tense forms of parlare from memory
  2. Make any of today's sentences negative with non
  3. Ask three questions using dove, quando and perché
  4. Say all six forms of avere without looking
  5. Form the past of three -are verbs with ho + participle

Remember this

  • Regular -are verbs: -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano. One matrix, thousands of sentences.
  • Non before the verb makes the sentence negative: non parlo.
  • Questions use the same word order with rising intonation, or start with a question word: dove, quando, perché, come, chi, cosa, quanto.
  • Avere is irregular: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno — the h is silent.
  • The past is ho + participle: parlare → parlato, so ho parlato means I spoke.

Go deeper: Present tense · -are verbs · avere · Negation · Questions · Passato prossimo