salvare — Italian conjugation
to save
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 | salvo | I save |
| tu | salvi | you save |
| lui/lei | salva | he/she/it saves |
| noi | salviamo | we save |
| voi | salvate | you (pl.) save |
| loro | salvano | they save |
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 | salvai | I saved |
| tu | salvasti | you saved |
| lui/lei | salvò | he/she/it saved |
| noi | salvammo | we saved |
| voi | salvaste | you (pl.) saved |
| loro | salvarono | they saved |
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 | salvavo |
| tu | salvavi |
| lui/lei | salvava |
| noi | salvavamo |
| voi | salvavate |
| loro | salvavano |
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 | salverei | I would save |
| tu | salveresti | you would save |
| lui/lei | salverebbe | he/she/it would save |
| noi | salveremmo | we would save |
| voi | salvereste | you (pl.) would save |
| loro | salverebbero | they would save |
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 | salverò | I will save |
| tu | salverai | you will save |
| lui/lei | salverà | he/she/it will save |
| noi | salveremo | we will save |
| voi | salverete | you (pl.) will save |
| loro | salveranno | they will save |
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 salvato | I have saved |
| tu | hai salvato | you have saved |
| lui/lei | ha salvato | he/she/it has saved |
| noi | abbiamo salvato | we have saved |
| voi | avete salvato | you (pl.) have saved |
| loro | hanno salvato | they have saved |
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 salvato | I had saved |
| tu | avevi salvato | you had saved |
| lui/lei | aveva salvato | he/she/it had saved |
| noi | avevamo salvato | we had saved |
| voi | avevate salvato | you (pl.) had saved |
| loro | avevano salvato | they had saved |
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 salvato |
| tu | avresti salvato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe salvato |
| noi | avremmo salvato |
| voi | avreste salvato |
| loro | avrebbero salvato |
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 salvato | I will have saved |
| tu | avrai salvato | you will have saved |
| lui/lei | avrà salvato | he/she/it will have saved |
| noi | avremo salvato | we will have saved |
| voi | avrete salvato | you (pl.) will have saved |
| loro | avranno salvato | they will have saved |
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 | salvi |
| tu | salvi |
| lui/lei | salvi |
| noi | salviamo |
| voi | salviate |
| loro | salvino |
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 | salvassi |
| tu | salvassi |
| lui/lei | salvasse |
| noi | salvassimo |
| voi | salvaste |
| loro | salvassero |
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 | salva |
| lui/lei | salvi |
| noi | salviamo |
| voi | salvate |
| loro | salvino |
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 salvare |
| lui/lei | non salvi |
| noi | non salviamo |
| voi | non salvate |
| loro | non salvino |