significare — Italian conjugation
to mean
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 | significo | I mean |
| tu | significhi | you mean |
| lui/lei | significa | he/she/it means |
| noi | significhiamo | we mean |
| voi | significate | you (pl.) mean |
| loro | significano | they mean |
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 | significai | I meant |
| tu | significasti | you meant |
| lui/lei | significò | he/she/it meant |
| noi | significammo | we meant |
| voi | significaste | you (pl.) meant |
| loro | significarono | they meant |
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 | significavo |
| tu | significavi |
| lui/lei | significava |
| noi | significavamo |
| voi | significavate |
| loro | significavano |
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 | significherei | I would mean |
| tu | significheresti | you would mean |
| lui/lei | significherebbe | he/she/it would mean |
| noi | significheremmo | we would mean |
| voi | significhereste | you (pl.) would mean |
| loro | significherebbero | they would mean |
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 | significherò | I will mean |
| tu | significherai | you will mean |
| lui/lei | significherà | he/she/it will mean |
| noi | significheremo | we will mean |
| voi | significherete | you (pl.) will mean |
| loro | significheranno | they will mean |
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 significato | I have meant |
| tu | hai significato | you have meant |
| lui/lei | ha significato | he/she/it has meant |
| noi | abbiamo significato | we have meant |
| voi | avete significato | you (pl.) have meant |
| loro | hanno significato | they have meant |
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 significato | I had meant |
| tu | avevi significato | you had meant |
| lui/lei | aveva significato | he/she/it had meant |
| noi | avevamo significato | we had meant |
| voi | avevate significato | you (pl.) had meant |
| loro | avevano significato | they had meant |
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 significato |
| tu | avresti significato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe significato |
| noi | avremmo significato |
| voi | avreste significato |
| loro | avrebbero significato |
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 significato | I will have meant |
| tu | avrai significato | you will have meant |
| lui/lei | avrà significato | he/she/it will have meant |
| noi | avremo significato | we will have meant |
| voi | avrete significato | you (pl.) will have meant |
| loro | avranno significato | they will have meant |
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 | significhi |
| tu | significhi |
| lui/lei | significhi |
| noi | significhiamo |
| voi | significhiate |
| loro | significhino |
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 | significassi |
| tu | significassi |
| lui/lei | significasse |
| noi | significassimo |
| voi | significaste |
| loro | significassero |
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 | significa |
| lui/lei | significhi |
| noi | significhiamo |
| voi | significate |
| loro | significhino |
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 significare |
| lui/lei | non significhi |
| noi | non significhiamo |
| voi | non significate |
| loro | non significhino |