Group 1: Verbs ending in ‑ARE
This is the largest group — most Italian verbs follow this pattern.
1. Remove the ending ‑ARE to find the stem
2. Add these endings: ‑o, ‑i, ‑a, ‑iamo, ‑ate, ‑ano
| Subject | Ending | Example: Parlare (to speak / talk) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io (I) | ‑o | parlo | I speak |
| Tu (you — informal) | ‑i | parli | you speak |
| Lui / Lei / Lei (formal) (he / she / you) | ‑a | parla | he / she / you speak |
| Noi (we) | ‑iamo | parliamo | we speak |
| Voi (you — plural) | ‑ate | parlate | you (all) speak |
| Loro (they) | ‑ano | parlano | they speak |
Group 2: Verbs ending in ‑ERE
The second largest group — very common for actions and thoughts.
1. Remove the ending ‑ERE to find the stem
2. Add these endings: ‑o, ‑i, ‑e, ‑iamo, ‑ete, ‑ono
| Subject | Ending | Example: Credere (to believe / think) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io | ‑o | credo | I believe / think |
| Tu | ‑i | credi | you believe |
| Lui / Lei / Lei | ‑e | crede | he / she / you believe |
| Noi | ‑iamo | crediamo | we believe |
| Voi | ‑ete | credete | you (all) believe |
| Loro | ‑ono | credono | they believe |
Group 3: Verbs ending in ‑IRE
Two patterns here — both are 100% regular, just different sub‑groups.
1. Remove the ending ‑IRE to find the stem
2. Add these endings: ‑o, ‑i, ‑e, ‑iamo, ‑ite, ‑ono
| Subject | Ending | Example: Dormire (to sleep) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io | ‑o | dormo | I sleep |
| Tu | ‑i | dormi | you sleep |
| Lui / Lei / Lei | ‑e | dorme | he / she / you sleep |
| Noi | ‑iamo | dormiamo | we sleep |
| Voi | ‑ite | dormite | you (all) sleep |
| Loro | ‑ono | dormono | they sleep |
YES — absolutely! Verbs that use ‑isc‑ are fully regular verbs, they just follow a simple sub‑pattern inside the ‑IRE group. They are NOT irregular.
How the ‑isc‑ pattern works:
• For Io, Tu, Lui/Lei, Loro: Add ‑isc‑ between the stem and the ending
• For Noi and Voi: NO ‑isc‑ — use the standard ‑IRE endings exactly like normal
Example: Capire (to understand)
Io capisco | Tu capisci | Lui capisce | Noi capiamo | Voi capite | Loro capiscono
Finire (to finish)
Io finisco | Tu finisci | Lui finisce | Noi finiamo | Voi finite | Loro finiscono
Top 20 Most Common Regular Verbs
These are the verbs you will use most often — all regular, all follow the patterns above.
| Italian | Group | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parlare | ‑ARE | par‑lah‑reh | To speak / talk |
| Lavorare | ‑ARE | lah‑voh‑rah‑reh | To work |
| Mangiare | ‑ARE | man‑jah‑reh | To eat |
| Comprare | ‑ARE | kom‑prah‑reh | To buy |
| Camminare | ‑ARE | kam‑mee‑nah‑reh | To walk |
| Studiare | ‑ARE | stoo‑dyah‑reh | To study |
| Aspettare | ‑ARE | ah‑speh‑tah‑reh | To wait |
| Imparare | ‑ARE | eem‑pah‑rah‑reh | To learn |
| Credere | ‑ERE | kreh‑deh‑reh | To believe / think |
| Leggere | ‑ERE | leh‑jeh‑reh | To read |
| Scrivere | ‑ERE | skree‑veh‑reh | To write |
| Vedere | ‑ERE | veh‑deh‑reh | To see |
| Mettere | ‑ERE | met‑teh‑reh | To put / place |
| Rispondere | ‑ERE | ree‑spon‑deh‑reh | To answer / reply |
| Dormire | ‑IRE | dor‑mee‑reh | To sleep |
| Partire | ‑IRE | par‑tee‑reh | To leave / depart |
| Capire | ‑IRE (‑isc‑) | kah‑pee‑reh | To understand |
| Finire | ‑IRE (‑isc‑) | fee‑nee‑reh | To finish / end |
| Preferire | ‑IRE (‑isc‑) | preh‑feh‑ree‑reh | To prefer |
| Pulire | ‑IRE (‑isc‑) | poo‑lee‑reh | To clean |
Practice Exercise
Task: Conjugate the verbs below for the subject given, using the rules you have learned.
1. Parlare (Io) → _______________
2. Lavorare (Lei — formal) → _______________
3. Credere (Noi) → _______________
4. Vedere (Loro) → _______________
5. Dormire (Tu) → _______________
6. Capire (Lui) → _______________
7. Finire (Voi) → _______________
8. Scrivere (Io) → _______________
9. Mangiare (Voi) → _______________
10. Partire (Noi) → _______________
1. parlo | 2. lavora | 3. crediamo | 4. vedono | 5. dormi | 6. capisce | 7. finite | 8. scrivo | 9. mangiate | 10. partiamo