Top 30 Italian Irregular Verbs You Need To Know For Everyday Conversation (FREE PDF & Quiz)

2K

Italian verbs can feel like a puzzle, especially when they refuse to follow the rules! I’m looking at your essere and andare! Irregular verbs are everywhere in Italian, and mastering them is the key to sounding fluent and confident in everyday conversation.

In this lesson, I’ll walk you through 30 essential irregular Italian verbs, complete with conjugation tips and examples you can use right away. You’ll learn how to spot patterns, handle tricky forms, and make these verbs second nature in your conversations. By the end, you’ll feel ready to tackle even the most challenging verbs!

But here’s the catch: Did you know some irregular verbs only behave “badly” in certain tenses? Stick around to discover the hidden patterns that make these verbs easier than you think—and test your skills with a fun quiz at the end!

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

---

Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

• How to conjugate regular verbs in Italian 
• What are irregular verbs in Italian? 
• 3 Tips for learning Italian irregular verbs
• List of irregular Italian verbs
  • Essere and Avere
  • Modal verbs
  • Other common Italian irregular verbs
• Test your skills! Take the quiz!

---

How to conjugate REGULAR verbs in Italian

Before we take a look into the world of irregular verbs, let’s quickly refresh our memories on how to conjugate regular verbs in Italian.

Italian verbs are divided into three main groups based on their endings:

1. -are verbs (first conjugation)
2. -ere verbs (second conjugation)
3. -ire verbs (third conjugation)

To conjugate these verbs, all you have to do is follow this simple formula: 

• Drop the ending of the infinitive form
• Add new endings based on who is doing the action (the subject pronouns) and when it’s happening (the tense, like present, passato prossimo, imperfetto, passato remoto, etc.). 

The beauty of regular verbs is that they follow predictable patterns, so once you learn the conjugation for one verb in each group, you can easily apply it to all other verbs in the same category. 

However, you’ll soon discover that many Italian verbs are rule-breakers and don’t stick to these regular patterns. Skipping them is not an option, as they pop up all the time in everyday conversation. But just like with essential verbs such as essere (to be), avere (to have), and fare (to do/make) — you’ll encounter them frequently which means you’ll get lots of practice using them and they won’t feel so irregular after all!

So, what exactly are IRREGULAR verbs in Italian?

Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs don’t conjugate according to their usual conjugation group. Let’s break down the main scenarios:

Some irregular verbs change their root in certain tenses or with specific subject pronouns. For example, take the verb andare (to go). In the present tense, the root changes from and- to vad- for most subjects, but when using noi (we) and voi (you), it keeps the and- root: 

Other irregular verbs change their endings for certain pronouns. For example, the verb pulire (to clean) has different endings in the present tense for all pronouns except noi (we) and voi (you), which behave regularly:

And finally, some irregular verbs can change both their root and their endings. Scrivere (to write), for example, takes on a whole new form in the passato remoto for io (I), lui/lei (he/she), and loro (they):

Attenzione: Just because a verb is irregular doesn’t mean it misbehaves all the time. As you may have noticed in the examples above, some irregular verbs only have quirks with certain pronouns, or in specific tenses. For instance, uscire (to go out) is irregular in the present tense but sticks to the rules in the imperfetto (imperfect tense):

Irregular verbs can be found across all three verb groups (-are, -ere, -ire), but they tend to pop up most often in the -ere group.

3 Tips for learning Italian irregular verbs

A good way to memorize irregular verbs in Italian is by grouping in families that share similar patterns and rules. When you learn how to conjugate one verb from each family, you’ll find it much simpler to conjugate all the other verbs in that group! 

For example, verbs that end in -gliere and -gnere usually follow similar irregular patterns. In these verbs, the consonants “gl” and “gn” switch to “lg” and “ng” respectively in the present indicative of the first person singular and third person plural forms. The verb cogliere (to pick, to catch), for instance, becomes io colgo (I pick) in the first person singular and loro colgono in the third person plural, while a verb like spegnere (to turn off) becomes io spengo (I turn off ) in the first person singular and loro spengono (they turn off) in the third person plural. 

You don’t have to memorize all the Italian irregular verbs at once. With consistent practice, you’ll start to recognize their different conjugations and remember them faster. Begin with the most common verbs like essere (to be), avere (to have), fare (to do/make), and andare (to go), and gradually work your way through the rest.

Lastly, read! Reading books in Italian helps you see these verbs used in context. And if you read out loud, you’ll help your mouth get used to pronouncing them but also train your ear to remember and recognise their conjugations.

List of irregular italian verbs

Essere and Avere

Without a doubt, the first two Italian irregular verbs you should memorize are essere (to be) and avere (to have). These verbs are not just incredibly useful on their own; they’re also essential for forming compound tenses with all other verbs.

Below, you’ll find their conjugations across four tenses of the indicative mood, along with examples of how to use them in sentences. 

1. Essere (to be)

Examples: 

• Siamo felici di rivedervi, siete stati via troppo tempo! — We’re happy to see you again, you’ve been away too long!
• Ero in biblioteca, non so se sarà aperta domani — I was at the library, I don’t know if it will be open tomorrow.

2. Avere (to have) 

Examples: 

• Ho avuto la febbre, ma adesso ho solo un po’ di raffreddore — I’ve had a fever, but now I only have a bit of a cold.
• Avevano una casa qui, avrà ancora quel bellissimo ciliegio? — They had a house here, will it still have that beautiful cherry tree?

Modal verbs

Italian modal verbs also have their own unique irregularities:

3. Volere (to want)

Examples: 

• Scusa, non volevo svegliarti! — Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you! 
• Avete mai voluto cambiare la vostra vita? — Have you ever wanted to change your life?

4. Potere (can, to be able to)

Examples: 

• Puoi dirmi l’ora, per favore? — Can you tell me the time, please? 
• Potrò andarci la prossima estate, prima non posso proprio — I can go next summer, I just can’t before.

5. Dovere (must, to have to) 

Examples: 

• Avete dovuto aspettare molto? Io dovrò andare lì domani — Did you have to wait long? I will go there tomorrow. 
• Devi ritirare i vestiti in lavanderia! — You need to pick up the clothes from the dry cleaner!

6. Sapere (to know) 

Examples: 

• Io so cose che voi non saprete mai! — I know things you will never know! 
• Sapevi che Sandra non ha mai saputo la verità su quella sera? — Did you know that Sandra never knew the truth about that night?

Other common Italian irregular verbs

In this section you’ll discover a list of other common Italian irregular verbs organized into groups for easier understanding.

Irregular verbs in -are

7. Andare (to go)

Examples: 

• Vai spesso al bar di Marta? Io non ci sono mai andata — Do you often go to Marta’s café? I have never been.
• Andavano spesso in vacanza con loro, ma dopo quello che è successo andranno da soli! — They often went on holiday with them, but after what happened they will go alone!

8. Dare (to give)

Examples: 

• Diamo una mano anche noi! — Let’s help too! / Let’s give a hand too! 
• I nostri vicini ci danno sempre le verdure del loro orto — Our neighbors always give us vegetables from their garden.

Attenzione: Make sure to use the accent in the present tense when conjugating the third person singular. This helps distinguish it from the preposition da (from)! For instance: Luca ci dà sempre libri interessanti da leggere (Luca always gives us interesting books to read).

9. Fare (to do, to make)

Examples: 

• Hai mai fatto la pasta? Dai, oggi la facciamo insieme! — Have you ever made pasta? Come on, today we’ll make it together!
• Fanno sempre così — They always do it like this.

10. Stare (to stay, to be placed)

Examples: 

• Sto bene e tu? Starò meglio in vacanza! — I’m fine and you? I will be better on vacation! 
• Stiamo ancora un pò a letto, ieri è stata una giornata pesante — Let’s stay in bed a little longer, yesterday was a tough day.

Similar verbs include restare (to remain) and sottostare (to obey).

Irregular verbs in -ere

11. Bere (to drink)

Examples: 

• Berrò un bel bicchiere di vino — I will have a nice glass of wine.
• I miei figli non bevono caffè — My kids don’t drink coffee.

12. Cuocere (to cook)

Examples: 

• Hai cotto la pasta? — Did you cook the pasta?
• Il forno si è rotto proprio mentre cuocevamo la torta — The oven broke just as they were baking the cake.

13. Piacere (to like, to be pleasing)

Examples: 

• Ci piacciamo ma non siamo ancora usciti insieme — We like each other but we haven’t dated yet.
• Le polpette piacciono a tutti! — Everyone likes meatballs! 

Similar verbs include dispiacere (to be sorry), compiacere (to make happy, to gratify), and spiacere (to be sorry, to mind).

Just a heads up: Piacere (to be pleasing) is not just irregular in conjugations, it can also  be tricky when you’re building sentences in Italian. To learn more, be sure to check my guide to how to say “I like” in Italian with piacere! 

14. Tenere (to hold, to keep)

Examples: 

• Tengo sempre una penna in borsa — I always keep a pen in my bag.
• I miei amici terranno il gatto — My friends will keep the cat.

Similar verbs include: appartenere (to belong), contenere (to contain), ottenere (to obtain, to achieve), mantenere (to maintain), sostenere (to support), and trattenere (to hold, to block).

15. Rimanere (to stay, to remain)

Examples: 

• Rimarrò a Roma per una settimana — I will stay in Rome for a week.
• Quanti soldi sono rimasti per le vacanze? — How much money is left for the holidays?

16. Scegliere (to choose)

Examples: 

• Per le vacanze, scelgo sempre la montagna — For vacations, I always choose the mountains.
• Tua figlia ha scelto la facoltà universitaria? — Has your daughter chosen her college major?

Similar verbs include togliere (to remove), cogliere (to pick, to catch), raccogliere (to pick up), and accogliere (to welcome).

17. Spegnere (to turn off)

Examples: 

• Hai spento la tv prima di uscire? — Did you turn off the tv before you left?
• In paese spengono le luci dopo la mezzanotte — In the village they turn off the lights after midnight.

18. Sedere (to sit, to be seated)

Examples: 

• Nonna e le sue amiche siedono sempre qui a giocare a carte — Grandma and her friends always sit here playing cards.
• Siete seduti? Ho una notizia da darvi! — Are you sitting? I have news for you!

Similar verbs include possedere (to own, to possess) and soprassedere (to overlook).

Attenzione: To express the action of sitting down, the verb sedere (to sit) needs to be used with a reflexive pronoun, as in Ci sediamo qui? (Shall we sit here?), where ci is the reflexive pronoun for “we”.

19. Valere (to be worth)

Examples: 

• Il lungo viaggio in macchina è valso la pena — The long car ride was worth it.
• Questi nuovi prodotti varranno una fortuna! — These products will be worth a fortune!

Similar verbs include prevalere (to prevail), avvalersi (to use), and equivalere (to be equivalent to).

20. Vedere (to see)

Examples: 

• Abbiamo visto un bellissimo film ieri sera — We saw a beautiful movie last night. 
• Domani vedrete come si produce il vino — Tomorrow you will see how wine is produced.

Similar verbs include rivedere (to review, to see again), intravedere (to glimpse), prevedere (to foresee, to imagine), provvedere (to provide).

21. Vivere (to live)

Examples: 

• Marco ha vissuto a Firenze per tre anni prima di trasferirsi a Milano — Marco lived in Florence for three years before moving to Milan.
• Vivrò in un posto vicino al mare. — I will live in a place near the sea.

Similar verbs include convivere (to live together), rivivere (to live again), and sopravvivere (to survive).

Irregular verbs in -ire

22. Apparire (to appear)

Examples: 

• Quei due appaiono sempre più di rado in pubblico — Those two appear less and less in public.
• Durante la presentazione, Claudia è apparsa stanca — During the presentation, Claudia appeared tired.

Similar verbs include scomparire (to disappear), comparire (to appear), riapparire (to reappear) and trasparire (to transpire, to shine through)

23. Dire (to say)

Examples: 

• Diceva sempre quello che pensava — He always said what he thought.
• Ho detto di no, non vengo! — I said no, I’m not coming! 

Similar verbs include disdire (to cancel), contraddire (to contradict), maledire (to curse), predire (to predict); ridire (to repeat, to criticize), and udire (to hear).

24. Morire (to die)

Examples: 

• Muoio dalla voglia di vederti! — I’m dying to see you! 
• In quella serie TV, muoiono tutti uno dopo l’altro — In that TV series, they all die one after the other. 

25. Finire (to finish)

Examples: 

• Appena finisco, ti raggiungo — As soon as I finish, I’ll join you.
• Mio figlio non finiva mai di parlare di calcio! — My son never stopped talking about soccer!

Similar verbs include capire (to understand), pulire (to clean), diminuire (to diminish), suggerire (to suggest).

26. Salire (to go up, to climb)

Examples: 

• I prezzi salgono di anno in anno — Prices go up every year.
• Sono salito lassù in cima! — I went up there! 

Similar verbs include risalire (to go back up) and assalire (to attack).

27. Venire (to come)

Examples: 

• Vengo volentieri alla festa — I’ll gladly come to the party.
• È venuta a trovarmi dopo tanto tempo — She came to visit me after a long time.

Similar verbs include intervenire (to intervene), provenire (to come from), and svenire (to faint).

28. Uscire (to go out)

Examples: 

• Esci a fare due passi? — Are you going out for a walk? 
• Stasera esco con Luca — I’m going out with Luca tonight 

Similar verbs include riuscire (to succeed, to be able to) and fuoriuscire (to come out, to pour out).

Other Italian irregular verbs to know

29. Trarre (to pull, to bring)

Examples: 

• Dopo aver letto tutto, trarrò le mie conclusioni — After reading everything, I will draw my conclusions.
• I bambini hanno tratto insegnamenti preziosi dalla storia —The kids have learned valuable lessons from the story.

Similar verbs include estrarre (to extract), distrarre (to distract), and ritrarre (to depict).

30. Porre (to put, to pose)

Examples: 

• Quel concerto ha posto una questione di sicurezza — That concert raised a security question.
• Gli esperti pongono l’accento sull’importanza della sicurezza informatica — Experts emphasize the importance of cybersecurity.

Similar verbs include proporre (to propose), imporre (to impose), esporre (to expose), comporre (to compose), and riporre (to place, to put back).

How well do you know Italian irregular verbs? Take this quiz!

Now test your knowledge of Italian irregular verbs! For each sentence, fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets:

---

If you found this guide useful, then you’ll love Intrepid Italian, my series of online self-paced video courses that break down everything you need to know about Italian using my 80/20 method. Visit IntrepidItalian.com for more details.

---

Are you a beginner or an intermediate Italian learner? Got a trip coming up or want to communicate with your Italian partner or relatives in Italian? Learn Italian with my unique 80/20 method

Registrations are now open to join Intrepid Italian, my new series of online video courses that use my unique 80/20 method. You’ll go from a shy, confused beginner to a proficient and confident intermediate speaker, with me as your trusty guide.

You’ll finally be able to connect with your Italian partner, speak to your relatives and enjoy authentic travel experiences in Italy that you’ve always dreamed of, and so much more.

As a native English speaker who learned Italian as an adult, I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and lack the confidence to speak. I know what it’s like to start from scratch and to even go back to absolute basics and learn what a verb is!

Intrepid Italian was created with YOU in mind. I use my working knowledge of the English language to help you get into the ‘Italian mindset’ so you can avoid the common pitfalls and errors English speakers make – because I made them once too! I break everything down in such a way that it ‘clicks’ and just makes sense.

No matter what your level is, there is an Intrepid Italian course for you, including:

• 🇮🇹 Intrepid Italian for Beginners (A1)
• 🇮🇹 Intrepid Italian for Advanced Beginners (A2)
• 🇮🇹 Intrepid Italian for Intermediates (B1)

You can join 1, 2, or all 3 courses, it’s entirely up to you. The best part is that you have lifetime access so you learn anytime, anywhere and on any device.

As your guide, I walk you through each lesson, step-by-step, using my unique 80/20 method. My approach is different from traditional methods because I teach you the most important 20% of the language right from the beginning so you can start to speak straight away.

Each course includes video lessons, audio exercises, downloadable worksheets, bonus guides, a private support community, and lifetime access all designed to streamline your learning while having fun.

It even comes with my famous “Celebrate with a Spritz Guarantee”. After 30 days of using Intrepid Italian, if you don’t want to celebrate your new-found Italian skills with an Aperol Spritz, you don’t have to pay a penny! Cheers! 🥂
Join Intrepid Italian here and start learning today!
Ci vediamo lì! (See you there!)

---

Learning Italian? Check out these Italian language guides

• Italian for Beginners | How to Learn Italian in 3 Simple Steps
• TOP 100 Most Common Italian Words (Plus PDF Cheat-Sheet & Quiz)
• Italian Prepositions:The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need (PLUS Chart)
• 17 Weird Italian Superstitions Italians ACTUALLY Live By
• 17 Must-Know Italian Hand Gestures: The Ultimate Guide
• 10 Ways Natives REALLY Say ‘You’re Welcome’ in Italian
• How to say ‘Please’ in Italian in 9 Ways Like a Native
• 41 Italian Greetings: How to Say ‘Hello’ in Italian Like a Local
• 125 Most Common Italian Phrases for Travel You’ll Ever Need [PLUS Printable]
• 8 DEADLY mistakes in Italian (& How to Avoid Them)
• How to Conjugate Italian Verbs in 3 Simple Steps [Italian for Beginners]
• Is Italian Hard to Learn? 7 Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
• Master Days of the Week in Italian (7 Simple Memory Hacks)
• Italian Numbers: How to Count in Italian From 0 to 1 Billion (Plus PDF Download)
• How to Order Food & Drinks in Italian [Italian for Beginners]
• 15 Italian Words You Should NEVER Mispronounce [& How Not To]
• 11 Effective Hacks That’ll Help You Learn Italian So Much Faster
• Top 14 Italian Words You Should NEVER Say [& What to Use Instead]
• 20 Hilarious Everyday Italian Expressions You Should Use
• Romanesco: 25 Cool Roman Dialect Words You Should Use in Rome
• 10 Reasons Why Learning Italian Will Change Your Life
• 10 Italian Expressions Italians Love Saying
• 10 Italian Phrases That Will Instantly Make You Sound more Italian
• Funny Italian Sayings: 26 Food-Related Insults You Won’t Forget
• 15 Romantic Italian Films That’ll Make You Love Italy Even More
• How to Master Common Italian Phrases for Travel (Like a Local!)

---

Like it? Pin it for later!

---

Over to you!

Did you enjoy this lesson? Do you have a question? Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media @intrepidguide or @intrepiditalian to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.

Like what you see? Subscribe using the form below to have all of my posts delivered directly to your email.