What Is The Periodo Ipotetico In Italian?

The periodo ipotetico in Italian is the conditional sentence used to make hypothesis about the past, present, future or to predict the consequences of an action.
There are three types of conditional clauses, which are used to express certain hypothesis, possible hypothesis or impossible hypothesis. Let’s see some examples:

1. Real, certain hypothesis
Se costa troppo non lo compro. 
If it’s too expensive, I will not buy it.

2. Possible hypothesis
Se avessi i soldi, viaggerei più spesso.
If I had the money, I would travel more.

3. Impossibile hypothesis
Se avessi studiato, avresti passato l’esame.
If you had studied, you would have passed the test.

The difference among these sentences is the tense used, which defines the condition of reality (certainty), possibility or impossibility.

The periodo ipotetico Italian is a structure which is always formed by a main clause and a subordinate clause and is the equivalent of the English “If sentences”.

A conditional sentence contains both a hypothesis, introduced by the preposition se (if), and a statement of consequence.

Now let’s have a look at how to construct the three of them and which tense to use in each situation.

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Certain Hypothesis

Before seeing how to construct the conditional clause for certain hypothesis, let’s see how to distinguish the subordinate from the main clause. The sentence introduced by “se” (if) is the subordinate clause, while the other is the main clause.

Example:

Se non piove (Subordinate), uscirò (Main).
If it doesn’t rain (Subordinate), I will go out (Main).

This type of conditional clause is called in Italian: “periodo ipotetico della realtà” (conditional clause of reality) and is used when we are certain (or quite certain) of the consequences of an action or fact.

• Se vieni con me, ti divertirai
  If you come with me, you’ll have fun
• Se non capisci, te lo spiego di nuovo
  If you don’t understand, I will explain it again

The basic rule for conditional clauses is that the tenses in the two sentences must be conjugated according to the type of conditional used (reality, possibility or unreality). The conditional clause for reality expresses a situation that can happen for sure in the present or in the future.

This 1st Conditional is used to discuss something which is happening in the present or will take place very soon in the future. As you can see, there are three possibilities:

1. Present Simple (Indicative mood) + Present Simple (Indicative mood)
2. Present Simple (Indicative mood) + Future Simple (Indicative mood)
3. Future Simple (Indicative mood) + Future Simple (Indicative mood)

The important thing to remember is that this 1st Conditional is always used to talk about something that will surely happen, or that has a high chance of happening. There is also a fourth case, where Imperative mood is used in the main clause:

• Se vuoi avere successo, fa’ come ti dico
  If you want to be successful, do as I say
• Se ti senti solo, chiamami!
  If you feel lonely, call me!

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Possible Hypothesis

The second conditional is the one used to express a possible hypothesis, something that could happen in the future, but might as well not happen.

In the case of a possible hypothesis, we use the imperfect subjunctive in the clause expressing the condition (subordinate clause), and the present conditional in the clause expressing the consequence (main clause):

• Se fossi ricco, comprerei una casa a New York
  If I was rich, I’d buy a house in New York
• Se ci fosse il sole, andrei al parco
  If it was sunny, I would go to the park

This type of conditional is called periodo ipotetico della possibilità (conditional clause of possibility), because it presents situations which are unreal at present, but could possibly happen, even if it’s unlikely. For this reason, the mood used is the subjunctive + conditional tenses.

If you studied the subjunctive and conditional mood you already know that these are the ones used to talk about possibilities and uncertain situations. The imperfect subjunctive is used to formulate a hypothesis, while the conditional present expresses the possible outcome.

• Se facessi sport, non ti ammaleresti così spesso
  If you did some sport, you wouldn’t be sick so often
• Se avessi delle uova, farei una torta
  If I had some eggs, I would bake a cake

In few cases, however, you can find that this 2nd conditional may use the imperfect subjunctive + indicative future simple. This happens when you want to talk about a possible, but future hypothesis. The indicative Future is used in the main clause:

• Se domani il tempo dovesse essere brutto, resteremo a casa
  If tomorrow the weather is bad, we will stay at home
  If the weather has to be bad, we will stay at home (literally)
• Se dovesse venire, lo accoglieremo calorosamente
  If he has to come (if he happens to come), we will welcome him warmly

In the subordinate clause, the possibility of the hypothesis is signaled by the modal verb dovere (to have to), conjugated in the Imperfect Subjunctive. Here, dovere has a different use than in English, so don’t worry too much if you think it sounds weird, as this form is not very common in spoken language.

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Impossible Hypothesis

When there is the impossibility for a certain condition to happen, the third type of hypothetical sentence must be used. This is called the periodo ipotetico dell’irrealtà, (unreal conditional clause). It is used to express the impossibility of something, because we already know it didn’t happen (and there’s no chance to go back in time and change it) or because the circumstances are impossible. For instance:

• Se fossi nato in Italia, parlerei italiano
  If I was born in Italy, I would speak Italian

• Se fossi uscito in tempo, non avresti fatto tardi
  If you had left on time, you wouldn’t have been late

The impossible hypothesis in the past is created by using the pluperfect or imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause and with the conditional present or past in the main clause. When forming this conditional always remember that the action that you’re talking about is impossible, and there’s no way that it can happen.

The 3^rd type conditional can also be used to express regret:

• Se solo avessi studiato di più, ora sarei un avvocato famoso
  If only I had studied more, I would now be a famous lawyer

It’s important to remember that the assumption that we make with the 3^rd conditional will never have a chance to happen. The subordinate clause introduced by “se” can indicate both a present or past situation:

• Se fossi un animale, quale vorresti essere?
  If you were an animal, which one would you be?

In this case we are referring to a present situation, because we are asking something to someone in the present. Therefore, in this particular case, we use the imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause, and the conditional present in the main sentence.

• Se avessi avuto i soldi, sarei andato in vacanza
  If I have had the money, I would have gone on holidays

This second situation, however, is set in the past, so we use the pluperfect subjunctive in the subordinate and the conditional past in the main clause.

Common Mistakes

The periodo ipotetico in Italian is a sentence used to express a condition and a consequence. It’s not easy to immediately understand and use it, so you might want to be aware of two common mistakes people often make (even natives!) The first mistake is to use the conditional present tense both in the subordinate clause and in the main clause:

• Se potrei, verrei
  If I could, I woud come

You should instead use the subjunctive present in the subordinate clause:

• Se potessi, verrei

This sentence expresses a possibility, so it’s classified as second type conditional. Another common mistake, which often occurs in spoken language, is the use of the imperfect indicative in both clauses:

• Se potevo, venivo

This sentence means “If I could, I would have come”, and it refers to a past event which didn’t happen and is therefore an impossible hypothesis. So, we need to form the 3rd type conditional by using the pluperfect subjunctive + conditional past:

• Se avessi potuto, sarei venuto
  If I could, I would have come

To avoid mistakes, remember the general rule: “se” is always set before indicative and subjunctive tenses, never before conditional ones.

Italian Periodo Ipotetico: A Quick Overview

We have seen the three types of Conditional tenses that are used in Italian to talk about real, possible and unreal hypothesis. Now let’s put everything together, so you have a clear overview of the Italian periodo ipotetico.

If you’ve studied the Italian conditional clauses and think they’re too difficult, well… they are, even for Italian native speakers (who also get them wrong!). It’s an advanced Italian grammar topic, but you can master it with practice and time.

Our advice is to first determine whether the hypothesis is set in the present, past or future. Then, you can choose whether the assumption is real, possible or impossible, and finally pick the appropriate tense.

Sometimes, you can also find mixed conditional clauses, where past and present can be combined together:

• Se ieri avessi lavorato, oggi potrei riposarmi
  If I had worked yesterday, I could rest today

Another thing to remember, is that main clause and subordinate can change their order, which means you don’t necessarily have to start a conditional clause with “se”:

• Se hai tempo, telefonami = Telefonami, se hai tempo
  If you have time, call me = Call me, if you have time

Finally, remember that sometimes the subordinate clause with “se” is used as an independent sentence with exclamatory or interrogative intonation, to express desire, regret or blame.

• Se tu mi avessi ascoltato!
  If you had listened to me!
• Se riuscissi a capirci qualcosa!
  If only I could understand anything!
• Se solo fossi ricco!
  If I were rich!

Conclusion

The Italian periodo ipotetico is a complicated and very elegant use of the congiuntivo and condizionale. If you want to speak Italian to an advanced level, you must learn how to use the Italian period ipotetico! Once you master it, you’ll be able to make hypothesis about any situation, be it real, possible or impossible.

If clauses are widely used in everyday language, so this gives you a great opportunity to practice and show off your skills with your Italian friends! What are you waiting for? Go out and try!

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

What Is The Passato Remoto In Italian?

Passato remoto is  one of the past tenses in Italian.

As we know the most used past tense in Italian is the passato prossimo but Italian past tenses are way more than one. Here we will learn how the passato remoto is used in Italian.

In English the passato remoto refers to the simple past tense.

Examples:
Parlai con Vito – I talked to Vito
Il nonno giocai con i bambini – I played with the kids

When Do I Use The Passato Remoto In Italian?

Passato Remoto in Italian is generally used in the following situations:

To express the historical past

Examples:
Albert Einstein vinse il Premio Nobel nel 1921
Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921

Dante Alighieri, autore de La Divina Commedia, nacque a Firenze nel 1265
Dante Alighieri, author of La Divina Commedia, was born in Florence in 1265

Roma distrusse Cartagine dopo un lungo assedio
Rome destroyed Carthage after a long siege

To talk about an action that happened and ended in the past

Example:
Quando iniziò la Seconda Guerra Mondiale i miei nonni erano molto piccoli
When the Second World War began, my grandparents were very young

In literature such as novels, books or fairy tales

Example:
La principessa Aurora si svegliò dopo essere stata baciata dal principe Filippo
Princess Aurora woke up after being kissed by Prince Philip

Regional Use Of The Passato Remoto In Italian

In the written language it is a stylistic choice to use the passato remoto instead of the passato prossimo.
While in the spoken language the passato remoto can be employed to express emotional distance from what we say or can simply be a regional use.

The passato remoto is more commonly used in Southern Italy, especially in Sicily where it could be even used to talk about recents events, and some central regions, like Tuscany, then in Northern Italy (here replaced by the passato prossimo).

In Southern Italy
Quando andai a trovare mia nonna mi disse che era malata.
When I visited my grandmother, she told me she was sick.

In Northern Italy
Quando sono andato a trovare mia nonna mi ha detto che era malata.
When I visited my grandmother, she told me she was sick.

How Do I Conjugate The Passato Remoto In Italian?

There are three types of passato remoto verbs: regular verbs, irregular verbs and partially irregular verbs.

Regular Verbs

This type of verb has specific endings that can vary among the three main verb classes (- are, – ere and –ire). To form regular verbs, remove the infinitive ending (- are, – ere or –ire) and add endings of the remote past to the root word. Here are some common regular verbs in the passato remoto:

NOTES:

• In literature or old grammar books, instead of lui/lei (he/she) or loro (they) you can also find alternative pronouns like egli/ella or essi/esse. They are not used anymore, except in formal or literary contexts
• As you can see, for –ere verbs there are two choices for the first person singular (temei or temetti), the third person singular (temette or temé) and the third person plural (temerono or temettero). You can find either of these two options in writing.

Examples:

Egli amò solo una donna nella sua vita: sua moglie! – He just loved a woman in his life: his wife!

Temei/ temetti di non superare il test perchè avevo studiato poco il giorno precedente – I was afraid of failing the test because I had studied very little the day before

Mia sorella mentì e costrinse anche me a mentire – My sister lied and she made me lie too.

Irregular Verbs

Unfortunately, there are no rules to form the passato remoto of irregular verbs. The only things you can do are: learning them by heart or writing down the conjugation of those most used (such as essere, bere, dare, dire, fare, stare).

Examples:

Alessandro Manzoni fu il più importante scrittore italiano dell’Ottocento –Alessandro Manzoni was the most important Italian novelist of the 19^th century

Bevve un bicchiere di vino e poi andò a letto – She drank a glass of wine and then went to bed

Quando lo vide gli diede un bacio – When she saw him, she gave him a kiss

Mi dissero che sarebbero partiti per le vacanze estive il 5 agosto – They told me they would leave for summer holidays on 5^th August

I dottori fecero del loro meglio per salvarlo – Doctors did their best to save him

Stette a Cordoba più a lungo del previsto – He stayed in Cordoba longer than planned

Partially Irregular Verbs

This category of verbs presents a combination of regular and irregular forms. In these verbs the first and third person singular and third plural are irregular, while the second person singular and the first and second plural are regular.

Also in this case there are no formation rules. Anyway, you may consider the ending of the root in the infinitive:

1. If the root ends with M, R, V, GG, RR, T, you will use two SS to form the first and second person singular and third plural (such as scriv-ere – to write) →

2. If the root ends with double RR, you use only one S or RS to form the first and second person singular and third plural (such as corr-ere – to run) →

3. If the root ends with N, V or ND, you will use an S to form the first and second person singular and third plural (such as prend-ere – to take) →

4. If the root ends with D, you can have use only an S at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as chied-ere – to ask) →

5. if the root ends with C or SC, you will have use CQU at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as tac-ere – to keep quiet) →

6. if the root ends with NG, you will find use NS at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as piang-ere – to cry) →

7. If the root ends with GL, you can have use only LS at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as cogl-iere – to pick) →

8. If the root ends with RG, you will have use RS at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as porg-ere – to hand out) →

More Verbs In the Passato Remoto

Conoscere

The verb conosc-ere (to know): although the root ends with SC, you will find OBB at in the first and second person singular and third plural →

Cadere 

Some verbs double the consonant of the root at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as cad-ere – to fall) →

Sapere

Other verbs change their root completely at in the first and second person singular and third plural (such as sapere – to know) →

The Verb Avere In The Passato Remoto

Also avere (to have) is considered a partially irregular verb and has its own forms form at in the first and second person singular and third plural →

Conclusions

Now you are finally able to recognize the passato remoto in literary works, documentaries or when listening to a conversation in South Italy!

As we saw, the use of this particular verbal time is not so too difficult… the real problem is its formation! Well, you should know the same Italian people often have some problems forming it. This could be comforting in a certain way for you! So, don’t worry if you sometimes make mistakes!

You will probably never use this tense when speaking to an Italian. In any case, it is useful to learn it because you could find it in Italian literature or novels, as we already said.

Even if it is gradually disappearing, there are often some exercises where the knowledge of passato remoto is required in exams to acquire Italian linguistic certification.

To gain some confidence with this tense, I suggest you to read Italian classic novels or tales.

If you want to check the correct formation of the verbs in the remote past, please consult one of the verb conjugators online, such as Il Coniugatore. With Il Coniugatore, you can insert the infinitive form of the verb and then look for the conjugation of passato remoto along with all the other Italian tenses.

By: Alfonso Di Somma

Born and raised in Italy, he is an Italian professional translator and a tireless traveler. His main passion? Foreign languages!

The Subjunctive, or congiuntivo in Italian, is a mood that you can find in many situations, mostly used to connect subordinate clauses to main clauses. Unlike in Italian language, the subjunctive is rarely used in English.

Knowing how to use the subjunctive will help you sound more like a native and communicate a bit more accurately. In this lesson we will take a look at all the different subjunctive tenses and their use in Italian.

What Is Congiuntivo? 

While the indicative is the mood of reality, subjunctive is the mood of possibility. The congiuntivo in Italian is used to talk about hopes, fears, doubts and other uncertain situations.
It usually follows the marker word “che” (that). The Italian subjunctive has four tenses that can have different translations in English.

The Subjunctive Present Tense corresponds to the English subjunctive, although it is used more often in Italian than in modern English.

The Present tense of congiuntivo is the equivalent of the English subjunctive structures such as:

• God save the Queen! – Dio salvi la regina
• God bless you! – Che Dio ti benedica
• Heaven help us! – Che il cielo ci aiuti

When Do I Use The Italian Congiuntivo?

The Italian indicative mood tells us about the world as it is, no matter if we’re talking about the past, the present or the future. The Italian subjunctive, however, is used to talk about situations that are unreal, uncertain or that we have feelings about.

• Hai fatto uno sbaglio (Indicative mood)
  You made a mistake
• Penso che tu abbia fatto uno sbaglio (Subjunctive mood)
  I think that you made a mistake

Congiuntivo in Italian is often used in a subordinate clause to talk about events that are not certain to happen, or when expressing hopes or a wish.
Depending on the situation and tense used, the subjunctive can be translated in English with present tense, past tense or sometimes even with the construction would + verb.

Our advice is to not to rely too much on the English translation to understand the use of congiuntivo in Italian, since it does not always (or even often) correspond to the English subjunctive.

Here are some examples to help you understand the circumstances when subjunctive is used:

• Spero che domani non piova
  I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow
• Speravo tanto che ce la facesse a venire alla festa
  I really hoped he would make it to the party
• Dobbiamo partire prima che faccia buio
  We need to leave before it gets dark
• Che tu venga o meno, io andrò lo stesso
  Whether you will come or not, I’ll go anyway

Marker Words With Congiuntivo

In Italian language, marker words such as che (that), nonostante, così che (so that), affinché (in order to) and similar phrases trigger the use of subjunctive.

• Farò di tutto affinché tu sia felice
  I’ll do anything in order for you to be happy
• Nonostante piova, Luca è uscito lo stesso
  Luca went outside despite the rain

How Do I Make Congiuntivo In Italian?

The Italian congiuntivo has four different tenses:

• presente (present),
• passato (perfect),
• imperfetto (imperfect) and
• trapassato (pluperfect).

Presente and imperfetto are simple tenses, while passato and trapassato are compound tenses.

Similar to the indicative mood, when forming the subjunctive you need to change the endings of the verb and add the congiuntivo suffixes. We will see how to conjugate each tense one by one.

Congiuntivo Presente – Present Subjunctive

When forming the congiuntivo presente (Present Subjunctive) in Italian, you will add different endings for the three different verb groups (-are, -ere, -ire).

The singular persons of the present subjunctive are the same. In fact, when we use the subjunctive with first, second or third person singular, it’s better to indicate the right pronoun (I, you, he, she or it), to avoid misunderstandings.

• È meglio che io vada – I’d better go
• È meglio che tu vada – You’d better go
• È meglio che lui/lei vada – He/she’d better go

The verb in the first plural person noi (we) is the same of the Indicative present tense.

• Domani parliamo con Maria (Indicative – Present tense)
  Tomorrow we talk (we’ll talk) with Maria
• È meglio che domani parliamo con Maria (Subjunctive – Present tense)
  It’s better that tomorrow we talk with Maria

Other than expressing beliefs or doubts, the Present subjunctive is also used in the following cases:

1. To give polite orders when using the third person form:

• Parli più lentamente, per favore
  Speak slowly, please (referred to you, singular)
• Mi dica pure di cosa ha bisogno
  Ask me whatever you need (referred to you, singular)

2. After impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che, such as bisogna che (it’s necessary that), basta che (it’s enough that)

• Bisogna che tu studi di più
  It’s necessary that you study more
• Non portare un regalo alla festa, basta che tu venga
  Do not bring any gift to the party, it’s enough that you come

Congiuntivo Passato – Perfect Subjunctive

The perfect subjunctive, or congiuntivo passato, is a compound tense formed with the auxiliary verbs essere (to be) or avere (to have) conjugated in the Subjunctive Present and the past participle of the verb indicating the action. essere and avere are irregular verbs, so let’s see first how to form their present subjunctive.

So what you need to do is just pick the right auxiliary and add the past participle. The Subjunctive Perfect will eventually look like this:

Remember that with the verb essere (to be), you need to change the verb endings whether it refers to a man or a woman (or a group of men or women).

The congiuntivo passato is similar to the congiuntivo presente as you use it when talking about possibilities, opinions, desires, doubts. The difference is that the perfect subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause to express something that happened before the action expressed in the main clause.

• Temo che abbia parlato troppo
  I’m afraid I said too much
• Credo che siano partiti ieri
  I believe they left yesterday
• Nonostante abbia studiato molto, non ha superato l’esame
  Despite studying a lot, he didn’t pass the test

Congiuntivo Imperfetto – Subjunctive Imperfect

The congiuntivo imperfetto is a simple conjugation (not composed). The Subjunctive Imperfect is also used to talk about hypothetical situations or to express a wish.

It is used in the subordinate clause when the main clause has past tense, conditional tense or imperfect tense. The congiuntivo imperfetto can be used to express contemporaneity in the past or in the present between main and secondary clause.

• Speravo che Marco parlasse con me
  I hoped that Marco would talk to me
• Sarei felice se tu partissi in viaggio con me
  I would be happy if you left for a trip with me
• Vorrei che mi aiutassi
  I would like you to help me

Congiuntivo Trapassato – Pluperfect Subjunctive

The congiuntivo trapassato is the fourth and last subjunctive tense. In order to construct the pluperfect subjunctive you simply use the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verbs essere and avere, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here is the imperfect subjunctive of essere and avere:

And here is how we use them to form the pluperfect subjunctive of the regular verbs belonging to the three groups:

The congiuntivo trapassato is used when talking about the past to refer to things that had happened. It is used to describe a past action that occurred before another action described in the sentence. The verb in the main clause will be used in its past tense form, or conditional.

The congiuntivo trapassato is normally used to talk about a possibility or a necessity that didn’t happen. It corresponds to the English “I had left” structure. It is used to say what you thought, wished or hoped about something in the past, to talk about the past after impersonal verbs or after impersonal constructions:

• Ho sperato fino all’ultimo che Marco fosse partito con te
  I hoped until the last moment that Marco had left with you
• Sembrava che ci avesse creduto
  It seemed that he had believed that
• Sarebbe stato meglio se ne aveste parlato
  It would have been better if you had talked about that

Expressions Used With Congiuntivo

Confused? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! The Italian Congiuntivo is a mystery to many, but the good news is that there are some key phrases triggering the subjunctive that you can learn to recognize.
If the sentence starts with a verb followed by “che”, you will need to use the subjunctive after:

Useful Irregular Verbs

We’ve seen how to form the subjunctive of regular verbs in all tenses: presente, passato, imperfetto and trapassato. However, Italian has many irregular verbs that are widely used and you need to know if you want to form the subjunctive properly and sound more like a native.

The first two irregular verbs that we’ll see are the auxiliary essere and avere.

These irregular verbs also happen to be the most important and frequently used:

• Andare (to go): io vada, tu vada, lui/lei vada, noi andiamo, voi andiate, loro vadano
• Dare (to give): io dia, tu dia, lui/lei dia, noi diamo, voi diate, loro diano
• Dire (to say): io dica, tu dica, lui/lei dica, noi diciamo, voi diciate, loro dicano
• Dovere (to have to): io debba, tu debba, lui/lei debba, noi dobbiamo, voi dobbiate, loro debbano
• Fare (to do, to make): io faccia, tu faccia, lui/lei faccia, noi facciamo, voi facciate, loro facciano
• Potere (to be able to): io possa, tu possa, lui/lei possa, noi possiamo, voi possiate, loro possano
  

You can always look up for the right conjugation for the Italian congiuntivo on a conjugator online like .

Conclusions: Do I Really Need To Know Congiuntivo?

After studying congiuntivo in Italian, most learners just want to avoid it: the good news is, you can sometimes do that (but now always!). Especially in spoken language, you can use the indicative mood instead of the subjunctive:

• I didn’t know you arrived already
  Non sapevo che fossi già arrivato (subjunctive)
  Non sapevo che eri già arrivato (indicative)
  
  

• Do you think that dress fits me well?
  Pensi che questo vestito mi stia bene? (subjunctive)
  Pensi che questo vestito mi sta bene? (indicative)

Congiuntivo can be hard to master, even Italian people sometimes use Indicative over subjunctive, although it is grammatically wrong.

Subjunctive is so tricky even for native speakers that there’s a common joke in Italy, saying that being able to use the congiuntivo right makes you sound sexier! So now you have one good reason more to study and practice it!

This song, presented at the Sanremo Music Festival, can give you the idea on how often even Italian speakers butcher the congiuntivo:

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

What is an Italian reflexive verb?

A reflexive verb, in Italian verbo riflessivo, is a verb that ends in -si in its infinitive form (the ‘’to’’ form).
The -si in the infinitive is a reflexive pronoun and can be translated as “to self” or “to oneself” and it expresses that there is a reflection of the action on the subject.

As far as we know, all the Italian verbs end in – are, – ere, – ire in infinitive.
The reflexive verbs, instead, end in -si. All we have to do is drop the last letter -e from the infinitive form (-are, -ere, -ire) and add the reflexive pronoun si.
For example:

Non-reflexive verbs
svegliare → to wake up
sedere → to sit down
vestire → to dress

Reflexive verbs
svegliarsi → to wake oneself up
sedersi → to sit oneself down
vestirsi → to dress oneself

NOTE: Keep in mind that not all verbs can be turned into reflexive verbs. Some of them can either be used as reflexive or non-reflexive, others are used only in their reflexive form and should be memorized as such.

But, don’t worry, once you figure out when and how the reflexive verbs are used, you will start using them without even noticing!

When to use a reflexive verb in Italian?

In order to understand when to use a reflexive verb, we must first understand the relationship between the crucial parts of one simple sentence:

• the subject: the person doing the action
• the object: the person/object on which the action is performed
• the verb: the action

Let’s start with an example: the verbs lavare (to wash) and lavarsi (to wash oneself).

LAVARE

In this case, the verb lavare is transitive, non-reflexive verb because the action passes from one person to another person or, in this case, object. The subject is me (io). The object are the dishes (i piatti). So, the subject and the object are not the same.

LAVARSI

In this case, the subject and the object are the same. The person doing the washing is me (io). The person receiving the washing is again me (me stessa). Therefore, we use reflexive verbs when the action that the subject does have effects on the subject itself.

This formulation se stessi means “oneself”, or “to self” (that the action is carried out by me and to me).
Unfortunately, se stessi is used extremely rarely and we find it in the form of a reflexive pronoun, as part of the verb in the infinitive form:

And in between the subject and the verb in the conjugated form:

Reflexive pronouns

The reflexive pronoun -si is needed while conjugating reflexive verbs and it changes in form depending on the subject of the sentence.

Here the chart of Italian reflexive pronouns:

How to conjugate reflexive verbs in present

Finally we have all the information to conjugate reflexive verbs! All you have to do is follow this simple formula:

• subject + reflexive pronoun + verb conjugated in the present tense.

As shown on this chart, it is all very simple once you follow these few steps:

1. Pick the subject of the sentence (io, tu, lui, Marco, la mamma…)
2. Use the reflexive pronoun according to the personal pronoun (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si).
3. Conjugate the verb as you would normally do for -are, -ere, -ire verbs.

In order to understand what conjugation to follow, drop the final -si from the infinitive and see what is the vowel before the -r-. For example the verb svegliarsi follows the -are conjugation, because there is an -a– before the -r-. The base of the verb would be svegli- to which you will have to add the right final ending connected to the subject.

Svegliarsi → svegli-ar-si → mi sveglio

Examples:

alzarsi – to get up (literally: to get up yourself)
Ragazze, voi quando vi alzate? – Girls, when do you get up?

perdersi – to get lost (literally: to lose oneself)
Maria si perde sempre – Maria always gets lost

divertirsi – to have fun (literally: to enjoy oneself)
Mi diverto un sacco – I have a lot of fun.

Reflexive verbs in negative form

To make a negative sentence with reflexive verbs in Italian, just add non before the reflexive pronoun:

Subject + non + reflexive pronoun + verb

Examples:
(io) Non mi diverto – I don’t have fun
(io) Non mi sono alzato in tempo – I didn’t wake up in time
(io) Non mi sono vestita bene – I didn’t dress nicely

Reflexive verbs in infinitive tense

If the verb is in the infinitive form the reflexive pronoun is attached to the verb.

Examples:
Rilassarsi – to relax (oneself)
In vacanza voglio rilassarmi – On vacation I want to relax (myself).

Laurearsi – to graduate
Voglio laurearmi in Lingue.
I want to graduate in languages.

Ubriacarsi – to get drunk
Se una persona beve troppo vino, può ubriacarsi.
If a person drinks too much wine, he can get drunk.

How to conjugate reflexive verbs in passato prossimo

If you have already studied the past tense in Italian, you can continue reading, if not, I recommend reading our article on the passato prossimo first.

The structure of the sentence of reflexive verbs in past tense is the same as the one for the present the present tense:

• Subject + reflexive pronoun + verb

The verb would be conjugated in passato prossimo, using the verb auxiliary essere and the past participle of the main verb.

Remember that when using the auxiliary essere the past participle has to agree in gender and number with the subject.

Examples:
Io mi sono lavato. – I washed myself (the subject is male)
Io mi sono lavata. – I washed myself (the subject is female)
Noi ci siamo lavati. – we washed ourselves – (the subject is masculine plural)
Noi ci siamo lavate. – we washed ourselves – (the subject is feminine plural)

Here’s the example of the verb lavarsi (to wash oneself) conjugated in the past tense:

In case the passato prossimo and auxilIary verbs are new subject for you, please check our lesson about passato prossimo.

Most common Italian reflexive verbs

There are plenty of reflexive verbs in Italian. Let’s take a look at some of them and their practical use in a sentence:

Different kinds of reflexive verbs in Italian

There are two more groups of reflexive verbs in Italian.

I group:
Verbi Riflessivi Reciproci – Reciprocal reflexive verbs

In these verbs the reflexive pronoun doesn’t mean “oneself”, but “to each other” or “one another”.
For example:
vedersi – to see each other
(Noi) ci vediamo domani. – We’ll see each other tomorrow.

incontrarsi – to meet each other
Dove vi incontrate? – Where will you meet (each other?)

amarsi – to love each other
(Loro) si amano tanto. – They love each other a lot.

innamorarsi – to fall in love with each other
Stefania e Nicola si sono innamorati al primo sguardo
Stefania and Nicola fell in love (with each other) at first sight.

II group:
Verbi Riflessivi Apparenti – Apparent reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs that are not connected with the subject directly, but indirectly.

Examples:
lavarsi I denti – to brush the teeth?
Quante volte al giorno ti lavi i denti?
How many times a day do you brush your teeth?

farsi la barba – shave (the beard)
Io mi faccio la barba tutti i giorni.
I shave my beard every day.

asciugarsi i capelli – to dry one’s hair
Ti sei già asciugata i capelli?
Have you already dried your hair?

farsi la doccia – take a shower
Noi ci facciamo la doccia dopo la palestra.
We take a shower after the gym.

Conclusions

Now you are finally able to esprimerti (express yourself) using Italian reflexive verbs.

All you need to remember is:

• Follow the structure:subject + reflexive pronoun + verb
• Always use the auxiliary verb essere in passato prossimo

Expose yourself as much as possible to Italian songs, Italian books and Italian news and you will be surprised how frequent reflexive verbs are!

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.