How to conjugate ‘essere’ in Italian: All tenses and moods explained

Learning the verb essere (to be) conjugation is one of the very first steps to mastering Italian. After all, essere is a fundamental verb that you’ll use virtually every time you speak Italian. But knowing the verb itself isn’t enough. You’ll also need to know all the ways to conjugate it, so that you can use it with a variety of different subjects and tenses.


Because essere is an irregular verb, its forms don’t follow typical conjugation patterns. This means you’ll need to memorize and practice all of these conjugations consistently so that you can feel comfortable whether you’re talking about the present, past or future.

Black man, sitting at his desk and taking notes on how the essere conjugation works in Italian

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How it works

‘Presente indicativo’ of ‘essere’ (Present simple)

The essere conjugation in the present tense is used to describe current states and simple facts.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish 
io sonoI am
tuseiyou are
lui/leièhe/she is
noisiamowe are
voisieteyou are
lorosonothey are
  • Io sono* italiano. (I am Italian.)
  • Noi siamo* amici. (We are friends.)

* In Italian, you can omit the subject pronoun, since the verb ending infers it. The -amo in eravamo, for instance, tells you the verb is conjugated in the first-person plural and thus refers to the subject pronoun noi

‘Passato prossimo’ of ‘essere’ (Present perfect)

The passato prossimo describes recent past actions that still hold relevance in the present. 

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io sono stato/aI have been
tusei stato/ayou have been
lui/leiè stato/ahe/she has been
noisiamo stati/ewe have been
voisiete stati/eyou have been
lorosono stati/ethey have been

How to use the past participle ‘stato’

The past participle of essere is stato. Its ending changes to match the gender and number of the subject. 

Masculine singularstatoTu sei stato in Italia.You have been to Italy.
Feminine singularstataLei è stata in Italia.She has been to Italy.
Masculine pluralstatiLoro sono stati in Italia.They have been to Italy. 
Feminine pluralstateNoi siamo state in Italia.We have been to Italy.

‘Trapassato prossimo’ of ‘essere’ (Past perfect)

The trapassato prossimo indicates what happened before another past event. It adds clarity to your timeline when telling a story.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io ero stato/aI had been
tueri stato/ayou had been
lui/leiera stato/ahe/she had been
noieravamo stati/ewe had been
voieravate stati/eyou had been
loroerano stati/ethey had been
  • Io ero già stato lì. (I had been there before.)
  • Lei era stata fuori tutto il giorno. (She had been out all day.)

‘Trapassato remoto’ of ‘essere’ (Past perfect)

The trapassato remoto describes actions completed before another past action. Although rarely used in spoken Italian, it appears in historical writing and formal documents.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io fui stato/aI had been
tufosti stato/ayou had been
lui/leifu stato/ahe/she had been
noifummo stati/ewe had been
voifoste stati/eyou had been
lorofurono stati/ethey had been

‘Imperfetto’ of ‘essere’ (Past simple/past continuous)

The imperfetto describes repeated or habitual actions in the past. It’s used to set the background in stories and describe recurring situations.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io eroI was
tueriyou were
lui/leierahe/she was
noieravamowe were
voieravateyou were
loroeranothey were
  • Quando ero bambino, ero timido. (When I was a child, I was shy.)
  • Eravamo sempre felici. (We were always happy.)

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‘Passato remoto’ of ‘essere’ (Past simple)

The passato remoto is rarely used in everyday conversation but appears frequently in literature, describing actions or events completed in the distant past.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io fuiI was
tufostiyou were
lui/leifuhe/she was
noifummowe were
voifosteyou were
lorofuronothey were
  • Fu un giorno importante. (It was an important day.)
  • I Romani furono qui molto tempo fa. (The Romans were here a long time ago.)

‘Futuro semplice’ of ‘essere’ (Future simple)

The futuro semplice describes future states or events. It is straightforward and essential for making plans or predictions.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish 
io saròI will be
tusaraiyou will be
lui/leisaràhe/she will be
noisaremowe will be
voisareteyou will be
lorosarannothey will be
  • Sarai a casa domani? (Will you be home tomorrow?)
  • Noi saremo felici di aiutarti. (We will be happy to help you.)

‘Futuro anteriore’ of ‘essere’ (Future perfect)

The futuro anteriore describes an action that will be completed before another future event. 

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
io sarò stato/aI will have been
tusarai stato/ayou will have been
lui/leiarà stato/ahe/she will have been
noisaremo stati/ewe will have been
voisarete stati/eyou will have been
lorosaranno stati/ethey will have been

‘Condizionale’ of ‘essere’ (Conditional mood)

The condizionale expresses polite requests or desires. It helps you talk about what would happen under certain conditions and make expressions more courteous.

‘Condizionale presente’ of ‘essere’ (Present conditional)

Condizionale presenteEnglish 
io sareiI would be
tu sarestiyou would be
lui/lei sarebbehe/she would be
noi saremmowe would be
voi saresteyou would be
loro sarebberothey would be
  • Sarei felice di aiutarti. (I would be happy to help you.)

‘Condizionale passato’ of ‘essere’ (Past conditional)

Condizionale passatoEnglish
io sarei stato/aI would have been
tu saresti stato/ayou would have been 
lui/lei sarebbe stato/ahe/she would have been
noi saremmo stati/ewe would have been
voi sareste stati/eyou would have been 
loro sarebbero stati/ethey would have been
  • Saremmo stati più tranquilli a casa. (We would have been calmer at home.)

‘Congiuntivo’ of ‘essere’ (Subjunctive mood) 

The congiuntivo expresses doubts, wishes, emotions or hypothetical scenarios, and it’s usually introduced by che (that).

‘Congiuntivo presente’ (Present subjunctive)

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
(che) io sia(that) I am
(che) tusa(that) you are
(che) lui/leisia(that) he/she is
(che) noisiamo(that) we are
(che) voisiate(that) you are
(che) lorosiano(that) they are
  • Spero che tu sia felice. (I hope you are happy.)
  • È importante che noi siamo puntuali. (It is important that we are on time.)

‘Congiuntivo passato’ (Present perfect subjunctive)

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
(che) io sia stato/a(that) I have been
(che) tusia stato/a(that) you have been
(che) lui/leisia stato/a(that) he/she have been
(che) noisiamo stati/e(that) we have been
(che) voisiate stati/e(that) you have been
(che) lorosiano stati/e(that) they have been
  • Spero che tu sia stato sincero con me. (I hope you have been honest with me.)
  • Dubito che loro siano stati al museo. (I doubt that they have been to the museum.)

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‘Congiuntivo imperfetto’ (Past subjunctive)

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
(che) io fossi(that)I were
(che) tufossi(that) you were
(che) lui/leifosse(that) he/she were
(che) noifossimo(that) we were
(che) voifoste(that) you were 
(che) lorofossero(that) they were
  • Se fossi ricco, viaggerei molto. (If I were rich, I would travel a lot.)
  • Se lei fosse qui, sarebbe felice. (If she were here, she would be happy.)

‘Congiuntivo trapassato’ (Past perfect subjunctive)

Subject pronounItalianEnglish
(che) io fossi stato/a(that) I had been
(che) tufossi stato/a(that) you had been
(che) lui/leifosse stato/a(that) he/she had been
(che) noifossimo stati/e(that) we had been
(che) voifoste stati/e(that) you had been
(che) lorofossero stati/e(that) they had been
  • Se fossi stato più attento, non avresti fatto quell’errore. (If you had been more careful, you wouldn’t have made that mistake.)
  • Dubitavo che loro fossero stati al concerto. (I doubted that they had been at the concert.)

‘Imperativo’ of ‘essere’ (Imperative mood)

The imperativo is used to give commands, requests or advice. It can express encouragement, instructions or expectations, depending on the context.

Subject pronounItalianEnglish 
tusiiyou be
noisiamolet’s be
voisiateyou be
  • Sii coraggioso! (Be brave!)
  • Siamo sempre onesti. (Let’s always be honest.)

‘Gerundio’ of ‘essere’ (Gerund)

Gerundio describes actions that happen simultaneously with or as a result of another action.

The present gerund of essere is essendo (being). It’s used for current or ongoing states.

The past gerund of essere is essendo stato/a (having been). It’s used for completed actions that influence a second action.

  • Essendo ammalato, sono rimasto a casa. (Being sick, I stayed home.)
  • Essendo stato gentile, è stato apprezzato da tutti. (Having been kind, he was appreciated by everyone.)

‘Participio’ of ‘essere’ (Participles)

The participio presente, essente (being), is found in very technical or poetic contexts, and rarely seen in everyday language.

The participio passato, stato (been), is used in tenses like the passato prossimo and trapassato prossimo. It must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

  • Sono stata a Roma. (I have been to Rome.)
  • Siamo stati al museo. (We have been to the museum.)

Essential expressions with ‘essere’: ‘C'è’ and ‘Ci Sono’

C’è (there is) and ci sono (there are) are used to describe the presence of people, objects or situations. For example:

  • C’è un libro sul tavolo. (There is a book on the table.)
  • Ci sono molti turisti in città. (There are many tourists in the city.)

FAQs

What's the difference between essere and stare?

Essere means “to be” in terms of identity, states and descriptions, whereas stare means “to be” or “to stay” in a temporary condition or location.

What is an example of essere in a sentence?

Lui è un insegnante. (He is a teacher.)

How do you tell if a verb is essere or avere?

Essere is used for movement verbs (e.g. andare, partire), reflexive verbs and changes of state (e.g. nascere, morire). Avere is used for most other verbs, especially those with direct objects (e.g. mangiare, leggere).

‘Essere’ conjugation, ‘approvato!’

Essere is one of the most important verbs in Italian and a key to mastering the language, as you’ll constantly rely on its different tenses and moods. Practicing its conjugations is a must if you want to feel confident and natural in conversation!

If you’re ready to take your Italian to the next level, check out Lingoda’s Italian courses. Our native instructors and small group classes guarantee you’ll have everything you need to converse in real-life situations.

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Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi is a Uruguayan polyglot writer with a moderate obsession for world music research. As a former Literature student who realized he should’ve aimed for Ethnography instead, he has spent serious amounts of time thoroughly traveling through over 40 countries, engaging with locals to a maximum degree with the hopes of understanding their traditions, habits, languages, religions, virtues and vices directly from the source. Writing and traveling aside, he’s an Abhyanga massage therapist and loves mixing music.