compostare — Italian conjugation
to compose
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 | composto | I compose |
| tu | composti | you compose |
| lui/lei | composta | he/she/it composes |
| noi | compostiamo | we compose |
| voi | compostate | you (pl.) compose |
| loro | compostano | they compose |
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 | compostai | I composed |
| tu | compostasti | you composed |
| lui/lei | compostò | he/she/it composed |
| noi | compostammo | we composed |
| voi | compostaste | you (pl.) composed |
| loro | compostarono | they composed |
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 | compostavo |
| tu | compostavi |
| lui/lei | compostava |
| noi | compostavamo |
| voi | compostavate |
| loro | compostavano |
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 | composterei | I would compose |
| tu | composteresti | you would compose |
| lui/lei | composterebbe | he/she/it would compose |
| noi | composteremmo | we would compose |
| voi | compostereste | you (pl.) would compose |
| loro | composterebbero | they would compose |
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 | composterò | I will compose |
| tu | composterai | you will compose |
| lui/lei | composterà | he/she/it will compose |
| noi | composteremo | we will compose |
| voi | composterete | you (pl.) will compose |
| loro | composteranno | they will compose |
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 compostato | I have composed |
| tu | hai compostato | you have composed |
| lui/lei | ha compostato | he/she/it has composed |
| noi | abbiamo compostato | we have composed |
| voi | avete compostato | you (pl.) have composed |
| loro | hanno compostato | they have composed |
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 compostato | I had composed |
| tu | avevi compostato | you had composed |
| lui/lei | aveva compostato | he/she/it had composed |
| noi | avevamo compostato | we had composed |
| voi | avevate compostato | you (pl.) had composed |
| loro | avevano compostato | they had composed |
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 compostato |
| tu | avresti compostato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe compostato |
| noi | avremmo compostato |
| voi | avreste compostato |
| loro | avrebbero compostato |
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 compostato | I will have composed |
| tu | avrai compostato | you will have composed |
| lui/lei | avrà compostato | he/she/it will have composed |
| noi | avremo compostato | we will have composed |
| voi | avrete compostato | you (pl.) will have composed |
| loro | avranno compostato | they will have composed |
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 | composti |
| tu | composti |
| lui/lei | composti |
| noi | compostiamo |
| voi | compostiate |
| loro | compostino |
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 | compostassi |
| tu | compostassi |
| lui/lei | compostasse |
| noi | compostassimo |
| voi | compostaste |
| loro | compostassero |
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 | composta |
| lui/lei | composti |
| noi | compostiamo |
| voi | compostate |
| loro | compostino |
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 compostare |
| lui/lei | non composti |
| noi | non compostiamo |
| voi | non compostate |
| loro | non compostino |