How to conjugate the verb “to be”?
The verb essereis one of the pillars of the Italian language, essential for forming sentences and understanding basic structure.
The conjugation of the Italian verb “essere” (to be)
Welcome to your comprehensive masterclass on the conjugation of the Italian verb “essere” (to be).
If you want to master Italian, “essere” is the absolute starting point. It is not only the most frequently used verb in the language to express states of being, identity, and location, but it also acts as a vital “helping” (auxiliary) verb to form the past tenses of hundreds of other Italian verbs.
Because it is an ancient, highly irregular verb, it does not follow standard conjugation rules. You must memorize it. In this lesson, we will explore the conjugation of “essere” across all Italian moods and tenses, using clear explanations and abundant examples.
Let’s dive in!
Part 1: L’Indicativo (The Indicative Mood)
The indicative mood is the “mood of reality.” You use it to state facts, ask questions, and describe things that are happening, have happened, or definitely will happen.
1. Il Presente (The Present Tense)
This is used to say “I am,” “you are,” “he is,” etc. Notice how the forms change completely depending on the subject.
Io sono (I am) - Io sono molto stanco dopo il lavoro. (I am very tired after work.)
Tu sei (You are - singular, informal) - Tu sei il mio migliore amico. (You are my best friend.)
Lui è (He is) / Lei è (She is / You are - formal) - Lui è un medico eccellente. (He is an excellent doctor.) / Signor Rossi, Lei è molto gentile. (Mr. Rossi, you are very kind.)
Noi siamo (We are) - Oggi noi siamo in ritardo per la riunione. (Today we are late for the meeting.)
Voi siete (You all are - plural) - Voi siete pronti per ordinare? (Are you all ready to order?)
Loro sono (They are) - Loro sono italiani, di Roma. (They are Italian, from Rome.)
(Note: In Italian, the subject pronouns—io, tu, lui, etc.—are usually dropped because the verb itself tells you who is doing the action. You will often just hear “Sono stanco” instead of “Io sono stanco”).
2. L’Imperfetto (The Imperfect Tense)
The imperfect translates to “I was” or “I used to be.” You use it to describe ongoing states in the past, habits, weather, or age in the past.
Io ero (I was) - Da bambino, io ero molto timido. (As a child, I used to be very shy.)
Tu eri (You were) - Dove eri ieri sera alle otto? (Where were you last night at eight o’clock?)
Lui/Lei era (He/She was) - Il tempo era bellissimo durante la nostra vacanza. (The weather was beautiful during our vacation.)
Noi eravamo (We were) - Noi eravamo felici di vederti. (We were happy to see you.)
Voi eravate (You all were) - Voi eravate già a casa quando ha iniziato a piovere. (You all were already home when it started to rain.)
Loro erano (They were) - I negozi erano chiusi perché era domenica. (The shops were closed because it was Sunday.)
3. Il Passato Prossimo (The Present Perfect / Simple Past)
This translates to “I have been” or simply “I was.” It is used for specific, completed events in the recent past.
Crucial Rule: Because “essere” requires itself as a helping verb in the past tense, its past participle is stato. The ending of “stato” must change to match the gender and number of the subject (stato, stata, stati, state).
Io sono stato/stata (I have been / I was) - Io sono stato in Italia due anni fa. (I was in Italy two years ago. - spoken by a male). / Io sono stata a casa tutto il giorno. (I have been home all day. - spoken by a female).
Tu sei stato/stata (You have been) - Tu sei stato molto fortunato oggi! (You were very lucky today!)
Lui è stato / Lei è stata (He has been / She has been) - Lui è stato il primo a finire. (He was the first to finish.) / Lei è stata bravissima all’esame. (She was excellent at the exam.)
Noi siamo stati/state (We have been) - Noi siamo stati in pizzeria ieri. (We were at the pizzeria yesterday. - mixed group or all males).
Voi siete stati/state (You all have been) - Voi siete state le uniche a capire. (You all were the only ones to understand. - spoken to a group of females).
Loro sono stati/state (They have been) - I ragazzi sono stati puniti dal professore. (The boys were punished by the teacher.)
4. Il Futuro Semplice (The Simple Future Tense)
Use this to say “I will be,” “you will be,” etc.
Io sarò (I will be) - Domani io sarò a Milano per lavoro. (Tomorrow I will be in Milan for work.)
Tu sarai (You will be) - Sono sicuro che tu sarai un ottimo padre. (I am sure you will be a great father.)
Lui/Lei sarà (He/She will be) - Il concerto di stasera sarà fantastico. (Tonight’s concert will be fantastic.)
Noi saremo (We will be) - Noi saremo lì verso le cinque. (We will be there around five o’clock.)
Voi sarete (You all will be) - Voi sarete stanchi dopo il lungo viaggio. (You all will be tired after the long trip.)
Loro saranno (They will be) - I biglietti saranno disponibili da lunedì. (The tickets will be available starting Monday.)
5. Il Passato Remoto (The Historical Past)
You will mostly see this tense in literature, history books, or fairytales. It describes actions that happened a very long time ago and have no connection to the present. It translates to “I was.”
Io fui (I was) - Io fui molto sorpreso dalla sua decisione. (I was very surprised by his decision.)
Tu fosti (You were) - Tu fosti un eroe in quella battaglia. (You were a hero in that battle.)
Lui/Lei fu (He/She was) - Giulio Cesare fu un grande generale romano. (Julius Caesar was a great Roman general.)
Noi fummo (We were) - Noi fummo costretti a partire all’alba. (We were forced to leave at dawn.)
Voi foste (You all were) - Voi foste testimoni di un evento storico. (You all were witnesses to a historical event.)
Loro furono (They were) - I Romani furono grandi costruttori. (The Romans were great builders.)
6. Other Compound Indicative Tenses (Quick Overview)
Using the rules of agreement (stato/stata/stati/state), “essere” forms other compound tenses:
Trapassato Prossimo (Past Perfect): “I had been.” Formed with the imperfect of essere + stato. Example: Io ero stato avvertito del pericolo. (I had been warned of the danger.)
Futuro Anteriore (Future Perfect): “I will have been.” Formed with the future of essere + stato. Example: Entro domani, noi saremo stati pagati. (By tomorrow, we will have been paid.)
Trapassato Remoto (Preterite Perfect): “I had been” (literary). Formed with the passato remoto of essere + stato. Example: Non appena lui fu stato informato, partì. (As soon as he had been informed, he left.)
Part 2: Il Congiuntivo (The Subjunctive Mood)
The subjunctive is the mood of doubt, emotion, hope, fear, and opinion. You use it in subordinate clauses, usually introduced by the word “che” (that).
1. Congiuntivo Presente (Present Subjunctive)
Translates roughly to “that I be” or “that I am.”
Che io sia - Spero che io sia in tempo per il treno. (I hope that I am in time for the train.)
Che tu sia - Voglio che tu sia felice. (I want you to be happy.)
Che lui/lei sia - Dubito che lui sia a casa adesso. (I doubt that he is home right now.)
Che noi siamo - Mia madre è felice che noi siamo qui. (My mother is happy that we are here.)
Che voi siate - È importante che voi siate onesti. (It is important that you all are honest.)
Che loro siano - Penso che loro siano fratelli. (I think that they are brothers.)
2. Congiuntivo Imperfetto (Past Subjunctive)
Used when the main verb is in a past tense or conditional, expressing “that I were” or “that I was.”
Che io fossi - Credeva che io fossi inglese. (He believed that I was English.)
Che tu fossi - Vorrei che tu fossi qui con me. (I wish that you were here with me.)
Che lui/lei fosse - Era strano che la porta fosse aperta. (It was strange that the door was open.)
Che noi fossimo - Speravano che noi fossimo d’accordo. (They hoped that we were in agreement.)
Che voi foste - Non sapevo che voi foste sposati. (I didn’t know that you all were married.)
Che loro fossero - Sembrava che loro fossero molto arrabbiati. (It seemed that they were very angry.)
(Note: The subjunctive also has two compound past tenses—the Passato and Trapassato—formed using “sia stato” and “fosse stato” respectively).
Part 3: Il Condizionale (The Conditional Mood)
The conditional mood translates to “would be.” It expresses conditions, possibilities, and polite requests.
1. Condizionale Presente (Present Conditional)
Io sarei (I would be) - Io sarei molto felice di aiutarti. (I would be very happy to help you.)
Tu saresti (You would be) - Tu saresti perfetto per questo lavoro. (You would be perfect for this job.)
Lui/Lei sarebbe (He/She would be) - Sarebbe bello andare al mare questo fine settimana. (It would be nice to go to the beach this weekend.)
Noi saremmo (We would be) - Senza di te, noi saremmo persi. (Without you, we would be lost.)
Voi sareste (You all would be) - Voi sareste disposti a trasferirvi all’estero? (Would you all be willing to move abroad?)
Loro sarebbero (They would be) - Loro sarebbero entusiasti di conoscerti. (They would be thrilled to meet you.)
2. Condizionale Passato (Past Conditional)
Translates to “would have been.” Formed with the present conditional + stato.
Io sarei stato/a - Sarei stato felice di venire, ma ero malato. (I would have been happy to come, but I was sick.)
Noi saremmo stati/e - Saremmo stati puntuali se non ci fosse stato traffico. (We would have been on time if there hadn’t been traffic.)
Part 4: L’Imperativo (The Imperative Mood)
The imperative is used to give commands, orders, or strong advice. You cannot command yourself (”io”) or “they” (”loro”) directly in everyday speech, so we focus on the remaining forms.
Sii (Be! - informal to one person) - Sii gentile con tua sorella! (Be kind to your sister!)
Sia (Be! - formal to one person) - Sia paziente, per favore, il dottore arriva subito. (Be patient, please, the doctor will be right here.)
Siamo (Let’s be!) - Siamo realisti, questo progetto è troppo costoso. (Let’s be realistic, this project is too expensive.)
Siate (Be! - plural to a group) - Ragazzi, siate pronti per le otto in punto! (Guys, be ready for eight o’clock sharp!)
Part 5: I Modi Indefiniti (The Indefinite Moods)
These are the forms of the verb that do not change based on the person (I, you, he) performing the action.
1. L’Infinito (The Infinitive)
Essere (To be) - È meraviglioso essere innamorati. (It is wonderful to be in love.)
Essere stato/a/i/e (To have been) - Penso di essere stato chiaro. (I think I have been clear. / I think I made myself clear.)
2. Il Gerundio (The Gerund)
Used to express “being” or “having been,” often explaining the reason for something.
Essendo (Being) - Essendo in ritardo, ho preso un taxi. (Being late, I took a taxi.)
Essendo stato/a/i/e (Having been) - Essendo stata in Spagna molte volte, lei parla bene lo spagnolo. (Having been to Spain many times, she speaks Spanish well.)
3. Il Participio (The Participle)
Essente (Present participle: “being”) - This is almost never used in modern Italian.
Stato/a/i/e (Past participle: “been”) - As we have seen, this is the building block for all the compound tenses of “essere.” Example: Sono stato a Parigi. (I have been to Paris.)
A Final, Crucial Note: Essere as an Auxiliary Verb
While “essere” means “to be,” its most critical grammatical function in Italian is acting as a “helping” verb.
In English, we form the past tense using the verb “to have” (I have walked, I have gone).
In Italian, you use “avere” (to have) for most verbs, but you must use “essere” for specific categories of verbs. When you use “essere” as a helper, the past participle of the main verb must match the subject in gender and number.
You use “essere” as an auxiliary with:
Verbs of Motion: andare (to go), venire (to come), partire (to leave).
Marco è andato a scuola. (Marco went to school.)
Maria e Anna sono partite. (Maria and Anna left.)
Verbs of State / Lack of Motion: restare (to stay), rimanere (to remain).
Noi siamo rimasti a casa. (We stayed home.)
Verbs of Life and Death: nascere (to be born), morire (to die), crescere (to grow).
Mia nonna è nata nel 1940. (My grandmother was born in 1940.)
All Reflexive Verbs: svegliarsi (to wake oneself up), lavarsi (to wash oneself).
Io mi sono svegliato presto. (I woke up early.)
Conclusion
Mastering the verb “essere” takes time and repetition, but it is the key that unlocks the rest of the Italian language. By studying these examples and reading them out loud, the irregular patterns of sono, sei, è, siamo, siete, sono will soon become second nature to you. Buono studio! (Happy studying!)