posticipare — Italian conjugation
to postpone, to defer
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 | posticipo | I postpone |
| tu | posticipi | you postpone |
| lui/lei | posticipa | he/she/it postpones |
| noi | posticipiamo | we postpone |
| voi | posticipate | you (pl.) postpone |
| loro | posticipano | they postpone |
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 | posticipai | I postponed |
| tu | posticipasti | you postponed |
| lui/lei | posticipò | he/she/it postponed |
| noi | posticipammo | we postponed |
| voi | posticipaste | you (pl.) postponed |
| loro | posticiparono | they postponed |
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 | posticipavo |
| tu | posticipavi |
| lui/lei | posticipava |
| noi | posticipavamo |
| voi | posticipavate |
| loro | posticipavano |
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 | posticiperei | I would postpone |
| tu | posticiperesti | you would postpone |
| lui/lei | posticiperebbe | he/she/it would postpone |
| noi | posticiperemmo | we would postpone |
| voi | posticipereste | you (pl.) would postpone |
| loro | posticiperebbero | they would postpone |
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 | posticiperò | I will postpone |
| tu | posticiperai | you will postpone |
| lui/lei | posticiperà | he/she/it will postpone |
| noi | posticiperemo | we will postpone |
| voi | posticiperete | you (pl.) will postpone |
| loro | posticiperanno | they will postpone |
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 posticipato | I have postponed |
| tu | hai posticipato | you have postponed |
| lui/lei | ha posticipato | he/she/it has postponed |
| noi | abbiamo posticipato | we have postponed |
| voi | avete posticipato | you (pl.) have postponed |
| loro | hanno posticipato | they have postponed |
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 posticipato | I had postponed |
| tu | avevi posticipato | you had postponed |
| lui/lei | aveva posticipato | he/she/it had postponed |
| noi | avevamo posticipato | we had postponed |
| voi | avevate posticipato | you (pl.) had postponed |
| loro | avevano posticipato | they had postponed |
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 posticipato |
| tu | avresti posticipato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe posticipato |
| noi | avremmo posticipato |
| voi | avreste posticipato |
| loro | avrebbero posticipato |
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 posticipato | I will have postponed |
| tu | avrai posticipato | you will have postponed |
| lui/lei | avrà posticipato | he/she/it will have postponed |
| noi | avremo posticipato | we will have postponed |
| voi | avrete posticipato | you (pl.) will have postponed |
| loro | avranno posticipato | they will have postponed |
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 | posticipi |
| tu | posticipi |
| lui/lei | posticipi |
| noi | posticipiamo |
| voi | posticipiate |
| loro | posticipino |
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 | posticipassi |
| tu | posticipassi |
| lui/lei | posticipasse |
| noi | posticipassimo |
| voi | posticipaste |
| loro | posticipassero |
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 | posticipa |
| lui/lei | posticipi |
| noi | posticipiamo |
| voi | posticipate |
| loro | posticipino |
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 posticipare |
| lui/lei | non posticipi |
| noi | non posticipiamo |
| voi | non posticipate |
| loro | non posticipino |