comandare — Italian conjugation
to command
Indicative
Present (Presente) Regular
The presente covers habits, ongoing situations, and plans about to start — much like English “I study” and “I am studying”. One present tense does both in Italian.
Lavora da casa tre giorni a settimana.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | comando | I command |
| tu | comandi | you command |
| lui/lei | comanda | he/she/it commands |
| noi | comandiamo | we command |
| voi | comandate | you (pl.) command |
| loro | comandano | they command |
Simple past (Passato remoto) Regular
The passato remoto tells a completed, narrative past, especially in the south and in literature. The passato prossimo is the normal spoken past in the north, so you choose register and region, not a difference in time alone.
Quella sera arrivò tardi, senza alibi.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | comandai | I commanded |
| tu | comandasti | you commanded |
| lui/lei | comandò | he/she/it commanded |
| noi | comandammo | we commanded |
| voi | comandaste | you (pl.) commanded |
| loro | comandarono | they commanded |
Imperfect (Imperfetto) Regular
The imperfetto is for incomplete past actions, context, and repeated or habitual situations without a clear end. The passato prossimo, not the remoto, is its usual “event” partner in speech.
Da bambina passavo le estati al mare.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| io | comandavo |
| tu | comandavi |
| lui/lei | comandava |
| noi | comandavamo |
| voi | comandavate |
| loro | comandavano |
Conditional (Condizionale) Regular
The condizionale is for polite “would you…”, first-condition hypotheticals, and reported future from a past point of view. The classic if-chain is se + imperfetto → condizionale.
Potresti alzare un poco la voce?
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | comanderei | I would command |
| tu | comanderesti | you would command |
| lui/lei | comanderebbe | he/she/it would command |
| noi | comanderemmo | we would command |
| voi | comandereste | you (pl.) would command |
| loro | comanderebbero | they would command |
Future (Futuro semplice) Regular
The futuro semplice is for predictions and far decisions. In speech you often hear the present (with a time adverb) or a paraphrase, and a famous trick is the futuro di probabilità for a present guess: saranno le tre.
Domani partiremo all'alba.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | comanderò | I will command |
| tu | comanderai | you will command |
| lui/lei | comanderà | he/she/it will command |
| noi | comanderemo | we will command |
| voi | comanderete | you (pl.) will command |
| loro | comanderanno | they will command |
Present perfect (Passato prossimo) Regular
The passato prossimo is the workhorse preterit-like past in the north and in everyday Italian: avere/essere + participle, essere for reflexives, motion, and other change-of-state patterns.
Siamo andati a piedi, poi abbiamo preso l'autobus.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | ho comandato | I have commanded |
| tu | hai comandato | you have commanded |
| lui/lei | ha comandato | he/she/it has commanded |
| noi | abbiamo comandato | we have commanded |
| voi | avete comandato | you (pl.) have commanded |
| loro | hanno comandato | they have commanded |
Pluperfect (Trapassato prossimo) Regular
The trapassato prossimo is “further in the past than another past” — the Italian pluperfect. It pairs with a main past clause to mark sequence.
Avevamo già mangiato quando suonò il telefono.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | avevo comandato | I had commanded |
| tu | avevi comandato | you had commanded |
| lui/lei | aveva comandato | he/she/it had commanded |
| noi | avevamo comandato | we had commanded |
| voi | avevate comandato | you (pl.) had commanded |
| loro | avevano comandato | they had commanded |
Conditional perfect (Condizionale passato) Regular
The condizionale passato is for unreal or missed past results and often appears with se + trapassato prossimo in the protasis.
Avrei accettato, se mi avessero avvisato in tempo.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| io | avrei comandato |
| tu | avresti comandato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe comandato |
| noi | avremmo comandato |
| voi | avreste comandato |
| loro | avrebbero comandato |
Future perfect (Futuro anteriore) Regular
The futuro anteriore says something will already be over before a still-later future, or, like the French, can express a logical guess about a past result.
Entro le cinque, avrà già lasciato l'ufficio.
| Pronoun | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | avrò comandato | I will have commanded |
| tu | avrai comandato | you will have commanded |
| lui/lei | avrà comandato | he/she/it will have commanded |
| noi | avremo comandato | we will have commanded |
| voi | avrete comandato | you (pl.) will have commanded |
| loro | avranno comandato | they will have commanded |
Subjunctive
Present subjunctive (Congiuntivo presente) Regular
The congiuntivo presente is required after many verbs and fixed phrases of will, fear, purpose, and doubt. Impersonal and semi-impersonal triggers (è importante che) also force the subjunctive mood.
Penso che sia la scelta giusta.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| io | comandi |
| tu | comandi |
| lui/lei | comandi |
| noi | comandiamo |
| voi | comandiate |
| loro | comandino |
Imperfect subjunctive (Congiuntivo imperfetto) Regular
The congiuntivo imperfetto is the past of the congiuntivo system after a past matrix clause and in se + congi. imperf. → condizionale with unreal conditions.
Se avessi più tempo, viaggerei ogni mese.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| io | comandassi |
| tu | comandassi |
| lui/lei | comandasse |
| noi | comandassimo |
| voi | comandaste |
| loro | comandassero |
Other forms
Imperative (affirmative) (Imperativo) Regular
The affirmative imperativo reuses the tu form as 3sg for -are verbs, while other conjugations use the normal tu present. It is the direct command register.
Raccontami com'è andata l'esame.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| tu | comanda |
| lui/lei | comandi |
| noi | comandiamo |
| voi | comandate |
| loro | comandino |
Imperative (negative) (Imperativo negativo) Regular
Negative commands use non + full infinitive in modern Italian, which is a distinctive rule compared to other Romance languages. Polite or indirect “please don’t” can still soften the tone in context.
Non aprire quella finestra, per favore.
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| tu | non comandare |
| lui/lei | non comandi |
| noi | non comandiamo |
| voi | non comandate |
| loro | non comandino |