commentare — Italian conjugation
to comment
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 | commento | I comment |
| tu | commenti | you comment |
| lui/lei | commenta | he/she/it comments |
| noi | commentiamo | we comment |
| voi | commentate | you (pl.) comment |
| loro | commentano | they comment |
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 | commentai | I commented |
| tu | commentasti | you commented |
| lui/lei | commentò | he/she/it commented |
| noi | commentammo | we commented |
| voi | commentaste | you (pl.) commented |
| loro | commentarono | they commented |
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 | commentavo |
| tu | commentavi |
| lui/lei | commentava |
| noi | commentavamo |
| voi | commentavate |
| loro | commentavano |
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 | commenterei | I would comment |
| tu | commenteresti | you would comment |
| lui/lei | commenterebbe | he/she/it would comment |
| noi | commenteremmo | we would comment |
| voi | commentereste | you (pl.) would comment |
| loro | commenterebbero | they would comment |
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 | commenterò | I will comment |
| tu | commenterai | you will comment |
| lui/lei | commenterà | he/she/it will comment |
| noi | commenteremo | we will comment |
| voi | commenterete | you (pl.) will comment |
| loro | commenteranno | they will comment |
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 commentato | I have commented |
| tu | hai commentato | you have commented |
| lui/lei | ha commentato | he/she/it has commented |
| noi | abbiamo commentato | we have commented |
| voi | avete commentato | you (pl.) have commented |
| loro | hanno commentato | they have commented |
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 commentato | I had commented |
| tu | avevi commentato | you had commented |
| lui/lei | aveva commentato | he/she/it had commented |
| noi | avevamo commentato | we had commented |
| voi | avevate commentato | you (pl.) had commented |
| loro | avevano commentato | they had commented |
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 commentato |
| tu | avresti commentato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe commentato |
| noi | avremmo commentato |
| voi | avreste commentato |
| loro | avrebbero commentato |
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 commentato | I will have commented |
| tu | avrai commentato | you will have commented |
| lui/lei | avrà commentato | he/she/it will have commented |
| noi | avremo commentato | we will have commented |
| voi | avrete commentato | you (pl.) will have commented |
| loro | avranno commentato | they will have commented |
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 | commenti |
| tu | commenti |
| lui/lei | commenti |
| noi | commentiamo |
| voi | commentiate |
| loro | commentino |
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 | commentassi |
| tu | commentassi |
| lui/lei | commentasse |
| noi | commentassimo |
| voi | commentaste |
| loro | commentassero |
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 | commenta |
| lui/lei | commenti |
| noi | commentiamo |
| voi | commentate |
| loro | commentino |
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 commentare |
| lui/lei | non commenti |
| noi | non commentiamo |
| voi | non commentate |
| loro | non commentino |