menare — Italian conjugation
to lead
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 | meno | I lead |
| tu | meni | you lead |
| lui/lei | mena | he/she/it leads |
| noi | meniamo | we lead |
| voi | menate | you (pl.) lead |
| loro | menano | they lead |
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 | menai | I led |
| tu | menasti | you led |
| lui/lei | menò | he/she/it led |
| noi | menammo | we led |
| voi | menaste | you (pl.) led |
| loro | menarono | they led |
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 | menavo |
| tu | menavi |
| lui/lei | menava |
| noi | menavamo |
| voi | menavate |
| loro | menavano |
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 | menerei | I would lead |
| tu | meneresti | you would lead |
| lui/lei | menerebbe | he/she/it would lead |
| noi | meneremmo | we would lead |
| voi | menereste | you (pl.) would lead |
| loro | menerebbero | they would lead |
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 | menerò | I will lead |
| tu | menerai | you will lead |
| lui/lei | menerà | he/she/it will lead |
| noi | meneremo | we will lead |
| voi | menerete | you (pl.) will lead |
| loro | meneranno | they will lead |
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 menato | I have led |
| tu | hai menato | you have led |
| lui/lei | ha menato | he/she/it has led |
| noi | abbiamo menato | we have led |
| voi | avete menato | you (pl.) have led |
| loro | hanno menato | they have led |
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 menato | I had led |
| tu | avevi menato | you had led |
| lui/lei | aveva menato | he/she/it had led |
| noi | avevamo menato | we had led |
| voi | avevate menato | you (pl.) had led |
| loro | avevano menato | they had led |
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 menato |
| tu | avresti menato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe menato |
| noi | avremmo menato |
| voi | avreste menato |
| loro | avrebbero menato |
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 menato | I will have led |
| tu | avrai menato | you will have led |
| lui/lei | avrà menato | he/she/it will have led |
| noi | avremo menato | we will have led |
| voi | avrete menato | you (pl.) will have led |
| loro | avranno menato | they will have led |
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 | meni |
| tu | meni |
| lui/lei | meni |
| noi | meniamo |
| voi | meniate |
| loro | menino |
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 | menassi |
| tu | menassi |
| lui/lei | menasse |
| noi | menassimo |
| voi | menaste |
| loro | menassero |
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 | mena |
| lui/lei | meni |
| noi | meniamo |
| voi | menate |
| loro | menino |
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 menare |
| lui/lei | non meni |
| noi | non meniamo |
| voi | non menate |
| loro | non menino |