ITALIAN MODAL VERBS: How to Cheat Your Way to Fluency in Italian

I get it! You’re impatient to learn Italian fast. You want to start speaking now and not spend years with your head buried in a dictionary or textbook. I’ve taught you about the top most common Italian verbs and how to conjugate Italian verbs. But, while I broke everything down into simple steps, it’s only natural that it will take you some time and lots of practice to become quicker and more confident.

But, what if I told you there was a shortcut!

Do you want an even quicker way to construct sentences in Italian without remembering how to conjugate all those regular and irregular verbs?

In this guide I’ll teach you the one thing that will have you speaking more and conjugating less!

Before we get started, make sure you download your FREE cheat-sheet for this lesson which includes all the rules and examples you’ll see here. Just enter your email below and I’ll sent it to you straight away. Before you go, test yourself with the multiple-choice quiz at the end of this lesson.

Cominciamo! (Let’s begin!)

How to use Italian Modal Verbs: DOVERE, POTERE & VOLERE

This is where the magic happens! By following this method you’ll be able to speak Italian sooner than you thought! All you need to do is learn how to conjugate three very powerful and versatile verbs. These are called modal verbs.

The Formula

Modal verbs in Italian allow you to construct a sentence by placing an infinitive verb after any one of the three modal verbs. This means you won’t have to worry about remembering how to conjugate hundreds of different verbs. Amazing, right?

The formula looks like this: Conjugated Modal Verb + Infinitive Verb

Modal Verbs in Italian

Italian Modal Verbs - 3 modal verbs in Italian - Dovere, Potere, Volere The three modal verbs are:

potere – can, be able to, may
volere – to want, to want to
dovere – must, have to, owe

All three modal verbs have irregularities so you will need to learn them individually, but once you do, you’ll be able to form all sorts of sentences on your own!

Let’s give it a try! Let’s look at how to conjugate these modal verbs in the present tense.

How to conjugate potere

Italian Modal Verbs - How to conjugate Potere The conjugation of potere ‘to be able to’, ‘can’, ‘may’ is:

io posso – I can
tu puoi – you can
Lei/lui/lei può – You (formal)/he/she can
noi possiamo – we can
voi potete – you can
loro possono – they can

How to use potere

By using the modal verb formula Conjugated Modal Verb + Infinitive Verb you can create the following sentences.

Puoi venire al cinema stasera? – Can you come to the cinema tonight?
No, non posso venire / No, non posso – No, I can’t come / No, I can’t

Notice how the person in question is not expressing the idea that they don’t want to go to the cinema but instead that they are unable to.

Potere can also be used to politely ask a question:

Posso avere un bicchiere d’acqua, per favore? – May I have a glass of water, please?
Mi puoi aiutare? – Could you help me?

Notice how in these cases potere means may or could.

Furthermore, potere can also be used to ask permission.

When pointing to a seat you can simply ask: Posso? (May I?) meaning ‘May I please sit here?’

Posso usare la tua macchina stasera? – May I use your car tonight?
Le possiamo offrire qualcosa da bere? – May we offer you [formal] something to drink?

See how much you can say with just this one tense alone? Let’s keep going!

How to conjugate volere

Italian Modal Verbs - How to conjugate Volere

Volere means ‘want’, or ‘want to’ and is conjugated as follows:

io voglio – I want
tu vuoi – you want
Lei/lui/lei vuole – You (formal)/he/she want(s)
noi vogliamo – we want
voi volete – you want
loro vogliono – they want

How to use volere

Volere can be used on its own as either a question or declaration. Here are some examples:

Voglio un caffè – I want a coffee
Volete un cornetto? – Do you want a croissant?

Or it can be followed by an infinitive to express a desire:

Voglio andare in spiaggia! – I want to go to the beach!
Vogliamo vivere su un’isola – We want to live on an island

How to conjugate dovere

Italian Modal Verbs - How to conjugate Dovere Last but not least we have the verb dovere meaning ‘to have to’, ‘ought to’, or ‘must’. It can also mean ‘to owe’. This verb is conjugated as follows:

io devo – I must
tu devi – you must
Lei/lui/lei deve – You (formal)/he/she must
noi dobbiamo – we must
voi dovete – you must
loro devono – they must

How to use dovere

The verb dovere can be used on its own to express a sense of owing something to someone, for example:

Ti devo un caffè – I owe you a coffee
Luca mi deve dei soldi – Luca owes me money

Alternatively, by using the verb restituire (give back, pay back, return) you can say:

Luca mi deve restituire dei soldi – Luca must pay me back the money

In order to express a requirement such as ‘must’ and ‘have to’, dovere is followed by the infinitive verb.

Dobbiamo andare all’aeroporto – We have to go to the airport
Dovete studiare – You must study

Dovere can also express an obligation such as:

Devi rispettare le leggi – You must respect/abide by the laws

Or to give advice or suggestions:

Per dimagrire devi fare esercizio fisico – In order to lose weight you have to do physical exercise

Creating Negative Sentences with modal verbs in italian

Italian Modal Verbs - How to create negative sentences To create a negation in a sentence we place non (don’t) at the start of the sentence. For example:

Non voglio discutere – I don’t want to argue
Non possiamo venire – We can’t come
Non dovete aspettare – You don’t have to wait

By using potere, volere, and dovere, you can now ask other people if they are able, willing or have to do something.

As you can see, modal verbs can help you form sentences quickly as they don’t require you to learn the conjugations for every Italian verb.This means you can start speaking sooner and enjoy using the beautiful Italian language. You can use these verbs to talk to your partner, relatives and even order your meal during your next trip to Italy.

You can also combine these verbs with the most useful and common Italian verbs. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Modal verb (1st person singular)		Verb (infinitive)	Translation
posso voglio devo	+	parlare	to speak, to talk
		finire	to finish, to stop
		partire	to depart, to leave
		andare	to go
		lavorare	to work
		giocare	to play
		venire	to come
		comprare	to buy
		mangiare	to eat
		leggere	to read

Here are some example sentences using these Italian modal verbs:

Formal

Può portare questo per me? (Can you carry this for me?)
Vuole andare a Firenze domani? (Do you want to go to Florence tomorrow?)
Deve partire? Mi dispiace. (Do you have to leave? I’m sorry.)

Informal

Puoi finire questo per me? (Can you finish this for me?)
Vuoi comprare questo? (Do you want to buy this?)
Devi andare a Roma? (Do you have to go to Rome?)

To keep practicing, don’t forget to download your free cheat-sheet for this lesson.

Don’t stop your learning here! Start using these modal verbs with Italian question words. This is powerful stuff!

If you found this lesson powerful, 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.

How well do you know your Italian modal verbs? Take the quiz!

Before leaving, here’s a quiz for you to actively practice what you’ve learned so far. It might seem tricky at first, but with a proper study method and the right amount of practice, knowing how to master these powerful modal verbs in Italian will be un gioco da ragazzi (a no-brainer)!

Choose the most appropriate verb to complete the sentence.

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Italian Modal Verbs - Cheat your way to fluency (Plus PDF Cheat-Sheet & Quiz)

Over to you!

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