destare — Italian conjugation
to awaken
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 | desto | I awaken |
| tu | desti | you awaken |
| lui/lei | desta | he/she/it awakens |
| noi | destiamo | we awaken |
| voi | destate | you (pl.) awaken |
| loro | destano | they awaken |
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 | destai | I awakened |
| tu | destasti | you awakened |
| lui/lei | destò | he/she/it awakened |
| noi | destammo | we awakened |
| voi | destaste | you (pl.) awakened |
| loro | destarono | they awakened |
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 | destavo |
| tu | destavi |
| lui/lei | destava |
| noi | destavamo |
| voi | destavate |
| loro | destavano |
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 | desterei | I would awaken |
| tu | desteresti | you would awaken |
| lui/lei | desterebbe | he/she/it would awaken |
| noi | desteremmo | we would awaken |
| voi | destereste | you (pl.) would awaken |
| loro | desterebbero | they would awaken |
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 | desterò | I will awaken |
| tu | desterai | you will awaken |
| lui/lei | desterà | he/she/it will awaken |
| noi | desteremo | we will awaken |
| voi | desterete | you (pl.) will awaken |
| loro | desteranno | they will awaken |
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 destato | I have awakened |
| tu | hai destato | you have awakened |
| lui/lei | ha destato | he/she/it has awakened |
| noi | abbiamo destato | we have awakened |
| voi | avete destato | you (pl.) have awakened |
| loro | hanno destato | they have awakened |
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 destato | I had awakened |
| tu | avevi destato | you had awakened |
| lui/lei | aveva destato | he/she/it had awakened |
| noi | avevamo destato | we had awakened |
| voi | avevate destato | you (pl.) had awakened |
| loro | avevano destato | they had awakened |
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 destato |
| tu | avresti destato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe destato |
| noi | avremmo destato |
| voi | avreste destato |
| loro | avrebbero destato |
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 destato | I will have awakened |
| tu | avrai destato | you will have awakened |
| lui/lei | avrà destato | he/she/it will have awakened |
| noi | avremo destato | we will have awakened |
| voi | avrete destato | you (pl.) will have awakened |
| loro | avranno destato | they will have awakened |
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 | desti |
| tu | desti |
| lui/lei | desti |
| noi | destiamo |
| voi | destiate |
| loro | destino |
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 | destassi |
| tu | destassi |
| lui/lei | destasse |
| noi | destassimo |
| voi | destaste |
| loro | destassero |
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 | desta |
| lui/lei | desti |
| noi | destiamo |
| voi | destate |
| loro | destino |
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 destare |
| lui/lei | non desti |
| noi | non destiamo |
| voi | non destate |
| loro | non destino |