Updated on November 27, 2024
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.
The essere conjugation in the present tense is used to describe current states and simple facts.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | sono | I am |
tu | sei | you are |
lui/lei | è | he/she is |
noi | siamo | we are |
voi | siete | you are |
loro | sono | they are |
* 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.
The passato prossimo describes recent past actions that still hold relevance in the present.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | sono stato/a | I have been |
tu | sei stato/a | you have been |
lui/lei | è stato/a | he/she has been |
noi | siamo stati/e | we have been |
voi | siete stati/e | you have been |
loro | sono stati/e | they have been |
The past participle of essere is stato. Its ending changes to match the gender and number of the subject.
Masculine singular | stato | Tu sei stato in Italia. | You have been to Italy. |
Feminine singular | stata | Lei è stata in Italia. | She has been to Italy. |
Masculine plural | stati | Loro sono stati in Italia. | They have been to Italy. |
Feminine plural | state | Noi siamo state in Italia. | We have been to Italy. |
The trapassato prossimo indicates what happened before another past event. It adds clarity to your timeline when telling a story.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | ero stato/a | I had been |
tu | eri stato/a | you had been |
lui/lei | era stato/a | he/she had been |
noi | eravamo stati/e | we had been |
voi | eravate stati/e | you had been |
loro | erano stati/e | they had been |
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 pronoun | Italian | English |
io | fui stato/a | I had been |
tu | fosti stato/a | you had been |
lui/lei | fu stato/a | he/she had been |
noi | fummo stati/e | we had been |
voi | foste stati/e | you had been |
loro | furono stati/e | they had been |
The imperfetto describes repeated or habitual actions in the past. It’s used to set the background in stories and describe recurring situations.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | ero | I was |
tu | eri | you were |
lui/lei | era | he/she was |
noi | eravamo | we were |
voi | eravate | you were |
loro | erano | they were |
The passato remoto is rarely used in everyday conversation but appears frequently in literature, describing actions or events completed in the distant past.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | fui | I was |
tu | fosti | you were |
lui/lei | fu | he/she was |
noi | fummo | we were |
voi | foste | you were |
loro | furono | they were |
The futuro semplice describes future states or events. It is straightforward and essential for making plans or predictions.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | sarò | I will be |
tu | sarai | you will be |
lui/lei | sarà | he/she will be |
noi | saremo | we will be |
voi | sarete | you will be |
loro | saranno | they will be |
The futuro anteriore describes an action that will be completed before another future event.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
io | sarò stato/a | I will have been |
tu | sarai stato/a | you will have been |
lui/lei | arà stato/a | he/she will have been |
noi | saremo stati/e | we will have been |
voi | sarete stati/e | you will have been |
loro | saranno stati/e | they will have been |
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 | English |
io sarei | I would be |
tu saresti | you would be |
lui/lei sarebbe | he/she would be |
noi saremmo | we would be |
voi sareste | you would be |
loro sarebbero | they would be |
Condizionale passato | English |
io sarei stato/a | I would have been |
tu saresti stato/a | you would have been |
lui/lei sarebbe stato/a | he/she would have been |
noi saremmo stati/e | we would have been |
voi sareste stati/e | you would have been |
loro sarebbero stati/e | they would have been |
The congiuntivo expresses doubts, wishes, emotions or hypothetical scenarios, and it’s usually introduced by che (that).
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
(che) io | sia | (that) I am |
(che) tu | sa | (that) you are |
(che) lui/lei | sia | (that) he/she is |
(che) noi | siamo | (that) we are |
(che) voi | siate | (that) you are |
(che) loro | siano | (that) they are |
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
(che) io | sia stato/a | (that) I have been |
(che) tu | sia stato/a | (that) you have been |
(che) lui/lei | sia stato/a | (that) he/she have been |
(che) noi | siamo stati/e | (that) we have been |
(che) voi | siate stati/e | (that) you have been |
(che) loro | siano stati/e | (that) they have been |
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
(che) io | fossi | (that)I were |
(che) tu | fossi | (that) you were |
(che) lui/lei | fosse | (that) he/she were |
(che) noi | fossimo | (that) we were |
(che) voi | foste | (that) you were |
(che) loro | fossero | (that) they were |
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
(che) io | fossi stato/a | (that) I had been |
(che) tu | fossi stato/a | (that) you had been |
(che) lui/lei | fosse stato/a | (that) he/she had been |
(che) noi | fossimo stati/e | (that) we had been |
(che) voi | foste stati/e | (that) you had been |
(che) loro | fossero stati/e | (that) they had been |
The imperativo is used to give commands, requests or advice. It can express encouragement, instructions or expectations, depending on the context.
Subject pronoun | Italian | English |
tu | sii | you be |
noi | siamo | let’s be |
voi | siate | you be |
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.
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.
C’è (there is) and ci sono (there are) are used to describe the presence of people, objects or situations. For example:
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.
Lui è un insegnante. (He is a teacher.)
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 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.