contrastare — Italian conjugation
to contrast
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 | contrasto | I contrast |
| tu | contrasti | you contrast |
| lui/lei | contrasta | he/she/it contrasts |
| noi | contrastiamo | we contrast |
| voi | contrastate | you (pl.) contrast |
| loro | contrastano | they contrast |
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 | contrastai | I contrasted |
| tu | contrastasti | you contrasted |
| lui/lei | contrastò | he/she/it contrasted |
| noi | contrastammo | we contrasted |
| voi | contrastaste | you (pl.) contrasted |
| loro | contrastarono | they contrasted |
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 | contrastavo |
| tu | contrastavi |
| lui/lei | contrastava |
| noi | contrastavamo |
| voi | contrastavate |
| loro | contrastavano |
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 | contrasterei | I would contrast |
| tu | contrasteresti | you would contrast |
| lui/lei | contrasterebbe | he/she/it would contrast |
| noi | contrasteremmo | we would contrast |
| voi | contrastereste | you (pl.) would contrast |
| loro | contrasterebbero | they would contrast |
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 | contrasterò | I will contrast |
| tu | contrasterai | you will contrast |
| lui/lei | contrasterà | he/she/it will contrast |
| noi | contrasteremo | we will contrast |
| voi | contrasterete | you (pl.) will contrast |
| loro | contrasteranno | they will contrast |
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 contrastato | I have contrasted |
| tu | hai contrastato | you have contrasted |
| lui/lei | ha contrastato | he/she/it has contrasted |
| noi | abbiamo contrastato | we have contrasted |
| voi | avete contrastato | you (pl.) have contrasted |
| loro | hanno contrastato | they have contrasted |
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 contrastato | I had contrasted |
| tu | avevi contrastato | you had contrasted |
| lui/lei | aveva contrastato | he/she/it had contrasted |
| noi | avevamo contrastato | we had contrasted |
| voi | avevate contrastato | you (pl.) had contrasted |
| loro | avevano contrastato | they had contrasted |
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 contrastato |
| tu | avresti contrastato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe contrastato |
| noi | avremmo contrastato |
| voi | avreste contrastato |
| loro | avrebbero contrastato |
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 contrastato | I will have contrasted |
| tu | avrai contrastato | you will have contrasted |
| lui/lei | avrà contrastato | he/she/it will have contrasted |
| noi | avremo contrastato | we will have contrasted |
| voi | avrete contrastato | you (pl.) will have contrasted |
| loro | avranno contrastato | they will have contrasted |
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 | contrasti |
| tu | contrasti |
| lui/lei | contrasti |
| noi | contrastiamo |
| voi | contrastiate |
| loro | contrastino |
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 | contrastassi |
| tu | contrastassi |
| lui/lei | contrastasse |
| noi | contrastassimo |
| voi | contrastaste |
| loro | contrastassero |
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 | contrasta |
| lui/lei | contrasti |
| noi | contrastiamo |
| voi | contrastate |
| loro | contrastino |
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 contrastare |
| lui/lei | non contrasti |
| noi | non contrastiamo |
| voi | non contrastate |
| loro | non contrastino |