01 / 08
Start with a useful pattern
Parlo italiano.
I speak Italian.
Parli inglese?
Do you speak English?
Many verbs end in -are. Remove that ending and add the ending for the person. Parlare becomes parlo for I.
02 / 08
Talking together
Parliamo italiano a casa.
We speak Italian at home.
Giulia parla inglese.
Giulia speaks English.
For parlare, we is parliamo. You all is parlate and they is parlano. Lui / lei uses parla.
03 / 08
Food uses the same family
Mangio a casa.
MAN-joh
I eat / I’m eating at home.
Mangiamo alle otto.
man-JAH-moh
We eat at eight.
Mangiare belongs to the -are family. The spelling keeps the soft g sound; write mangiamo with one i.
04 / 08
Verbs ending in -ere
Vivo a Milano.
I live in Milan.
Viviamo in Italia.
We live in Italy.
Vivere means to live. Io uses vivo; tu uses vivi; lui / lei uses vive.
05 / 08
Verbs ending in -ire
Dormo bene.
I sleep well.
Dormiamo qui.
We’re sleeping here.
Dormire means to sleep. Its common forms include dormo, dormi, dorme and dormiamo.
06 / 08
Another -ire pattern
Capisco, ma parlo lentamente.
I understand, but I speak slowly.
Non capisci?
Don’t you understand?
Some -ire verbs add -isc- in certain forms. Capire gives capisco, capisci, capisce, capiamo, capite, capiscono.
07 / 08
One tense, two English translations
Lavoro oggi.
I’m working today.
Lavoro a Roma.
I work in Rome.
Parlo can mean I speak or I’m speaking. You do not need essere before a normal present-tense verb.
Remember this
Takeaway
Vivo a Roma, lavoro in centro e mangio a casa.
I live in Rome, work in the centre and eat at home.
Build a sentence from a person’s verb form, an action and a useful detail. Learn more forms through phrases instead of isolated endings.