French & Italian Comparative Tutorial IV: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously

Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparatives of Superiority, Inferiority, and Equality

English	French	Italian
more ... than	plus ... que / plus de ... que	più ... che / più ... di
less ... than	moins .... que / moins de... que	meno ... che / meno ... di
as ... as	aussi ... que / autant de ... que	così... come / tanto ... quanto

French comparatives are less complicated than Italian comparatives. Plus... que, moins... que, and aussi... que are used with adjectives, while plus de... que, moins de... que and autant de... que are used with nouns. In Italian, più...che and meno... che are used when comparing two qualities of the same thing, and with adjectives, verbs or adverbs; while più... di and meno... di are used when comparing two different things. Così... come and tanto... quanto are used interchangeably with adjectives, but tanto...quanto can also compare two quantities (in which case, the words agree in gender and number with the noun they describe).

Marc a plus d'amis que d'amies. / Marco ha più amici che amiche. Mark has more male friends than female friends.
Paul est plus grand que Franco. / Paolo è più alto di Franco. Paul is taller than Frank.
Paris est aussi belle que Rome. / Parigi è così bella come Roma. Paris is as beautiful as Rome.

Superlatives

Use the correct form of the definite article if using an adjective, or just the masculine singular form if using an adverb, and plus / moins or più / meno. The preposition de / di (plus contractions, if needed) means in with all superlatives.

If the adjective follows the noun, you must repeat the definite article before the superlative form in French, but not in Italian.

C'est la ville la plus riche d'Italie. / È la città più ricca d'Italia. It's the richest city in Italy.

Irregular Forms

English	French	Italian
adjective - comparative - superlative
good - better - best	bon - meilleur/e - le/la meilleur/e	buono - migliore - il/la migliore
bad - worse - worst	mauvais - pire - le/la pire	cattivo - peggio - il/la peggiore
little - less - least	petit - moindre - le/la moindre	piccolo - minore - il/la minimo

adverb - comparative - superlative
well - better - best	bien - mieux - le mieux	bene - meglio - il meglio
badly - worse - worst	mal - pis - le pis	male - peggio - il peggio
little - less - least	peu - moins - le moins	poco - meno - il meno
much - more - most	beaucoup - plus - le plus	molto - più - il più

Clothing & Toiletries

English	French	Italian	English	French	Italian
apron	le tablier	il grembiale	silk	la soie	la seta
barrette	la barrette	il fermaglio	skirt	la jupe	la gonna
bathrobe	le peignoir	l'accappatoio	sleeve	la manche	la manica
belt	la ceinture	la cintura	slippers	les pantoufles	la pantofola
blouse	le chemisier	la camicetta	soap	le savon	il sapone
boot	la botte	lo stivale	sock	les chaussettes	il calzino
bra	le soutien-gorge	il reggiseno	stocking	le bas	la calza
bracelet	le bracelet	il braccialetto	suit (men / women)	le costume / le tailleur	l'abito / il vestito
brush	la brosse	la spazzola per capelli	sunglasses	les lunettes de soleil	gli occhiali da sole
buckle	la boucie	la fibbia	suspenders	les bretelles	le bretelle
button	le bouton	il bottone	sweater	le pull-over	il maglione
cap	la casquette	il berretto	swimsuit	le maillot de bain	il costume da bagno
clothes	les vêtements	i vestiti	thread	le fil	il filo
coat	le manteau	il cappotto	tie	la cravate	la cravatta
collar	le col	il colletto	T-shirt	le t-shirt	la maglietta
comb	le peigne	il pettine	umbrella	le parapluie	l'ombrello
contact lens	les lentilles (f)	le lenti a contatto	underwear	les sous-vêtements	le mutandine
cotton	le coton	il cotone	waistcoat	le gilet	il panciotto
dress	la robe	il vestito	watch	la montre	l'orologio
earmuffs	le cache-oreilles	il paraorecchie	wool	la laine	la lana
earrings	la boucle d'oreille	l'orecchino	toothbrush	la brosse à dents	lo spazzolino
fashion	la mode	la moda	toothpaste	le dentifrice	il dentifricio
glasses	les lunettes	gli occhiali	makeup	le maquillage	il trucco
glove	les gants	il guanto	lipstick	le rouge	il rossetto
handbag	le sac à main	la borsa	nail polish	le vernis à ongles	lo smalto per unghie
handkerchief	le mouchoir	il fazzoletto	nail polish remover	le dissolvant	l'acetone (m)
hat	le chapeau	il cappello	mascara	le mascara	il mascara
jacket	la veste / le blouson	la giacca	blush	le blush	il fard
jeans	le jean	jeans	eyeliner	l'eyeliner	lo spazzolino per unghie
mittens	les moufles	le manopole	eyeshadow	l'ombre à paupière	l'ombretto
necklace	le collier	la collana	foundation	le fond de teint	il fondotinta
needle	l'aiguille (f)	l'ago	lotion	la lotion	la lozione
nightgown	la chemise de nuit	la camicia da notte	shampoo	le shampooing	lo sciampo
outfit	l'ensemble	il corredo	conditioner	l'après-shampooing	il balsamo
overcoat	le pardessus	il soprabito	shaving cream	la mousse à raser	la crema da barba
pajamas	le pyjama	il pigiama	razor	le rasoir	il rasoio
pants	le pantalon	i pantaloni	tweezers	les pinces à épiler	le pinzette
pin	l'épingle (f)	lo spillo	nail clippers	le coupe-ongles	le forbicine
pocket	la poche	la tasca	nail file	la lime	la lima
purse	la bourse	la borsetta	floss	le fil dentaire	il filo interdentale
raincoat	l'imperméable	l'impermeable	curling iron	le fer à friser	il ferro arricciacapelli
ribbon	le ruban	il nastro	straightening iron	le lisseur	la piastra stiracapelli
ring	la bague	l'anello	hairspray	la laque	la lacca
sandals	les sandales	i sandali	hairdryer	le sèche-cheveux	l'asciugacapelli
scarf	l'écharpe	la sciarpa	powder	la poudre	la polvere
shirt	la chemise	la maglia	perfume	le parfum	il profumo
shoe	la chaussure	la scarpa	cologne	le cologne	la colonia
shoelace	le lacet	il laccio	suntan lotion	la lotion solaire	l'emulsione solare
shorts	le short	i pantaloncini	sponge	l'éponge (f)	la spugna

Verbs: Other common irregular verbs

Other irregular verbs to memorize in French in the present tense:

mettre - to wear	vivre - to live	lire - to read	dire - to say	voir - to see
mets	vis	lis	dis	vois
mets	vis	lis	dis	vois
met	vit	lit	dit	voit
mettons	vivons	lisons	disons	voyons
mettez	vivez	lisez	dites	voyez
mettent	vivent	lisent	disent	voient
croire - to believe	écrire - to write	recevoir - to receive	suivre - to follow	mourir - to die
crois	écris	reçois	suis	meurs
crois	écris	reçois	suis	meurs
croit	écrit	reçoit	suit	meurt
croyons	écrivons	recevons	suivons	mourons
croyez	écrivez	recevez	suivez	mourez
croient	écrivent	reçoivent	suivent	meurent

Other irregular verbs to memorize in Italian in the present tense:

dare - to give	bere - to drink	dire - to say, tell	salire - to go up	uscire - to go out
do	bevo	dico	salgo	esco
dai	bevi	dici	sali	esci
dà	beve	dice	sale	esce
diamo	beviamo	diciamo	saliamo	usciamo
date	bevete	dite	salite	uscite
danno	bevono	dicono	salgono	escono

Human Body

English	French	Italian	English	French	Italian
ankle	la cheville	la caviglia	mouth	la bouche	la bocca
arm	le bras	il braccio	muscle	le muscle	il muscolo
artery	l'artère	l'arteria	nail	l'ongle (m)	l'unghia
back	le dos	il dorso	neck	le cou	il collo
beard	la barbe	la barba	nerve	le nerf	il nervo
belly	le ventre	il ventre	pain	la douleur	il dolore
bladder	la vessie	la vescica	nose	le nez	il naso
blood	le sang	il sangue	palm	la paume	la palma
body	le corps	il corpo	pulse	le pouls	il polso
bone	l'os (m)	l'osso	rib	la côte	la costola
brain	la cervelle	il cervello	shin / tibia	le tibia	la tibia
breast	le sein	il seno	shoulder	l'épaule (f)	la spalla
breath	la haleine	l'alito	skeleton	le squelette	lo scheletro
calf	le mollet	il polpaccio	skin	la peau	la pelle
cheek	la joue	la guancia	skull	le crâne	il cranio
chest	la poitrine	il petto	sole	la plante	la pianta
chin	le menton	il mento	spine	l'épine dorsale (f)	la spina dorsale
coccyx	le coccyx	il coccige	stomach	l'estomac (m)	lo stomaco
cold	le rhume	il raffreddore	tear	la larme	la lacrima
complexion	le teint	la carnagione	temple	la tempe	la tempia
cough	la toux	la tosse	thigh	la cuisse	la coscia
disease	la maladie	la malattia	throat	la gorge	la gola
ear	l'oreille (f)	l'orecchio	thumb	le pouce	il pollice
elbow	la coude	il gomito	toe	l'orteil (m)	il dito del piede
eye	l'œil	l'occhio	tongue	la langue	la lingua
eyebrow	le sourcil	il sopracciglio	tooth	la dent	il dente
eyelid	la paupière	la palpebra	vein	la veine	la vena
face	le visage / la figure	la faccia / il viso	wound	la blessure	la ferita
fever	la fièvre	la febbre	waist	la taille	la vita
finger	le doigt	il dito	wrist	le poignet	il polso
fist	le poing	il pugno
flesh	la chair	la carne	see	voir	vedere
foot	le pied	il piede	hear	entendre	udire
forehead	le front	la fronte	smell	sentir	annusare
gum	la gencive	la gengiva	taste	goûter	assaggiare
hair	les cheveux	i capelli	touch	toucher	toccare
hand	la main	la mano
head	la tête	la testa	enamel	l'émail	lo smalto
headache	le mal de tête	il mal di testa	filling	le plombage	l'otturazione
health	la santé	la salute	crown	la couronne	la corona
heart	le cœur	il cuore	gum	la gencive	la gengiva
heel	le talon	il tallone	bone	l'os	l'osso
hip	la hanche	l'anca	root	la racine	la radice
intestine	l'intestin (m)	l'intestino	nerve	la nerf	il nervo
jaw	la mâchoire	la mascella	iris	l'iris	l'iride
kidney	le rein	il rene	cornea	la cornée	la cornea
knee	le genou	il ginocchio	pupil	la pupille	la pupilla
leg	la jambe	la gamba	retina	la rétine	la retina
lip	la lèvre	il labbro	optic nerve	le nerf optique	il nervo ottico
liver	la foie	il fegato	lens	le cristallin	la lente
lung	le poumon	il polmone
moustache	la moustache	i baffi

Verbs: Future / Conditional Tenses

Rather than using auxiliary verbs before the infinitive to form the future and conditional tenses (will and would in English), French and Italian add different endings to the infinitives. There are several irregular stems, but these stems are used to form both the future and conditional tenses. The endings for the future tense are similar to the present tense conjugations of avoir/avere in both French and Italian. However, the French conditional uses the same endings as the imperfect, whereas the Italian conditional uses endings similar to the preterite/simple past instead.

You must drop -e from -re verbs in French and drop -e from all infinitives in Italian, as well as change -ar to -er, before adding the endings. For example, you add the endings to parler-, partir-, and prendr- in French and to parler-, partir-, and prender- in Italian.

Endings for Future and Conditional Tenses for all verbs

Future		Conditional
French	Italian	French	Italian
-ai	-ò	-ais	-ei
-as	-ai	-ais	-esti
-a	-à	-ait	-ebbe
-ons	-emo	-ions	-emmo
-ez	-ete	-iez	-este
-ont	-anno	-aient	-ebbero

Irregular Stems for Future and Conditional

French Stems			Italian Stems
aller	to go	ir-	avere	to have	avr-
avoir	to have	aur-	andare	to go	andr-
courir	to run	courr-	bere	to drink	berr-
devoir	to have to	devr-	cadere	to fall	cadr-
envoyer	to send	enverr-	dare	to give	dar-
être	to be	ser-	dovere	to have to	dovr-
faire	to do	fer-	essere	to be	sar-
falloir	to be necessary	faudr-	fare	to do/make	far-
mourir	to die	mourr-	porre	to put/place	porr-
pleuvoir	to rain	pleuvr-	potere	to be able to	potr-
pouvoir	to be able to	pourr-	rimanere	to remain/stay	rimarr-
recevoir	to receive	recevr-	sapere	to know (facts)	sapr-
savoir	to know	saur-	stare	to be	star-
tenir	to hold	tiendr-	tenere	to hold	terr-
valoir	to be worth	vaudr-	tradurre	to translate	tradurr-
venir	to come	viendr-	vedere	to see	vedr-
voir	to see	verr-	venire	to come	verr-
vouloir	to want	voudr-	volere	to want	vorr-

Notice that the stems for voir (to see) in French and venire (to come) in Italian are the same (verr-).

For the past future (will have) and past conditional (would have) tenses, use the future or conditional of the auxiliary verb (to have or to be) + past participle.

Future + past participle (will have + p.p.)		Conditional + past participle (would have + p.p.)
avoir	avere	avoir	avere
aurai	avrò	aurais	avrei
auras	avrai	aurais	avresti
aura	avrà	aurait	avrebbe
aurons	avremo	aurions	avremmo
aurez	avrete	auriez	avreste
auront	avranno	auraient	avrebbero
être	essere	être	essere
serai	sarò	serais	sarei
seras	sarai	serais	saresti
sera	sarà	serait	sarebbe
serons	saremo	serions	saremmo
serez	sarete	seriez	sareste
seront	saranno	seraient	sarebbero

Agreement of Tenses

Clauses beginning with if (si / se) require different tenses in French and Italian.

In French, if is followed by the present tense, and the verb in the following clause is in the future tense. In Italian, both verbs must be in the future tense:

Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai chez toi. / Se avrò il tempo, verrò a casa tua. If I have the time, I will go to your place.

The conditional is used after if in both languages; however, if the verb in the main clause is in a past tense, then the Italian verb in the subordinate if clause must be in the past conditional. French can use either the present or past conditional in this case.

Je ne sais pas s'il pourrait le faire. / Non so se lo potrebbe fare. I don't know if he would be able to do it.

Je savais que tu ne viendrais pas / Sapevo che non saresti venuto. I knew that you wouldn't come.
[Italian must use past conditional (saresti venuto) instead of present conditional in the if clause since the verb in the main clause is in the past tense (sapevo).]

Verbs: Would, Could, Should

The conditional tenses are used in translating would, could, and should in both French and Italian. Would is slightly different from the others in that would + main verb is one word and would have + main verb is only two words. I have used the verb do (faire / fare) as an example below, but remember that sometimes you may need to use essere as the auxiliary instead of avere in Italian depending on what the main verb is. (Using avere as the auxiliary for all verbs is acceptable in conversational or colloquial Italian.) In addition, for could have and should have, I've listed the formation as conditional of have + past participle instead of past conditional to make it easier to remember that three different words are needed. For example, conditional of avoir + pu is the same as past conditional of pouvoir.

English	French	Italian
WOULD + infinitive	conditional of verb	conditional of verb

I would do	je ferais	farei
you would do	tu ferais	faresti
he would do	il ferait	farebbe
we would do	nous ferions	faremmo
you would do	vous feriez	fareste
they would do	ils feraient	farebbero

WOULD HAVE + past participle	conditional of avoir + past participle of verb	conditional of avere + past participle of verb

I would have done	j'aurais fait	avrei fatto
you would have done	tu aurais fait	avresti fatto
he would have done	il aurait fait	avrebbe fatto
we would have done	nous aurions fait	avremmo fatto
you would have done	vous auriez fait	avreste fatto
they would have done	ils auraient fait	avrebbero fatto

COULD + infinitive	conditional of pouvoir + infinitive	conditional of potere + infinitive

I could do	je pourrais faire	potrei fare
you could do	tu pourrais faire	potresti fare
he could do	il pourrait faire	potrebbe fare
we could do	nous pourrions faire	potremmo fare
you could do	vous pourriez faire	potreste fare
they could do	ils pourraient faire	potrebbero fare

COULD HAVE + past participle	conditional of avoir + pu + infinitive	conditional of avere + potuto + infinitive

I could have done	j'aurais pu faire	avrei potuto fare
you could have done	tu aurais pu faire	avresti potuto fare
he could have done	il aurait pu faire	avrebbe potuto fare
we could have done	nous aurions pu faire	avremmo potuto fare
you could have done	vous auriez pu faire	avreste potuto fare
they could have done	ils auraient pu faire	avrebbero potuto fare

SHOULD + infinitive	conditional of devoir + infinitive	conditional of dovere + infinitive

I should do	je devrais faire	dovrei fare
you should do	tu devrais faire	dovresti fare
he should do	il devrait faire	dovrebbe fare
we should do	nous devrions faire	dovremmo fare
you should do	vous devriez faire	dovreste fare
they should do	ils devraient faire	dovrebbero fare

SHOULD HAVE + past participle	conditional of avoir + dû + infinitive	conditional of avere + dovuto + infinitive

I should have done	j'aurais dû faire	avrei dovuto fare
you should have done	tu aurais dû faire	avresti dovuto fare
he should have done	il aurait dû faire	avrebbe dovuto fare
we should have done	nous aurions dû faire	avremmo dovuto fare
you should have done	vous auriez dû faire	avreste dovuto fare
they should have done	ils auraient dû faire	avrebbero dovuto fare

But wait, it gets more confusing!

There are other - not quite as common - structures that translate to could have and should have in French and Italian that are word-for-word translations into English (therefore, easier to remember), but they have slightly different meanings than the structures above that use the past conditional of pouvoir/potere and devoir/dovere. The above structures imply that the action did not take place, while the following structures imply that the action might have happened or was supposed/expected to happen.

When could have means might have, use the conditional of pouvoir/potere + avoir/avere + a past participle. You will see this form used in newspapers when the facts are still being verified.

Il pourrait avoir aidé
Potrebbe aver aiutato
He could have helped = He might have helped (but it is not known whether he did or not)

Compare this with the forms above:
Il aurait pu aider
Avrebbe potuto aiutare
He could have helped (but he did not)

When should have means supposed to, use the conditional of devoir/dovere + avoir/avere + a past participle.

Il devrait avoir aidé
Dovrebbe aver aiutato
He should have helped = He was supposed to help (and it is expected that he did so)

Compare this with the forms above:
Il aurait dû aider
Avrebbe dovuto aiutare
He should have helped (but he did not)

Y & en / Ci & ne

Y and ci are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with any preposition except de / di, and they translate as it or there in English.

J'y pense. / Ci penso. I'm thinking about it.
J'y suis allé. / Ci sono andato. I went there.
N'y pense pas. / Non pensarci. Don't think about it.

En and ne are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with de / di, da or to replace the noun following a number, and they translate as about it/them or of it/them in English.

J'en ai quatre. / Ne ho quattro. I have four (of them).
Parles-en. / Parlane. Talk about it.
Je n'en doute pas. / Non ne dubito. I don't doubt it.

In French, y and en are placed before a conjugated verb and between a conjugated verb and infinitive, but after an imperative (and connected to it by a hypen). In Italian, ci and ne are placed before a conjugated verb, but after an imperative, infinitive or gerund (and they are written together as one word).

Verbs: Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs

Add these endings to the ils/elles present tense stem of French (ils boivent; boiv-) and the regular verb stem (parlare; parl-) in Italian:

French	Italian
all verbs	-are	-ere / -ire	2nd -ire
-e	-i	-a	-isca
-es	-i	-a	-isca
-e	-i	-a	-isca
-ions	-iamo	-iamo	-iamo
-iez	-iate	-iate	-iate
-ent	-ino	-ano	-iscano

Present Subjunctive of Common Verbs

All of the following Italian verbs are irregular, but only a few of the French verbs are considered irregular. Notice that in both languages, if the verb has a stem change in the subjunctive, it is usually only the singular forms and the third person plural that is affected.

French	Italian	French	Italian	French	Italian	French	Italian
être	essere / stare	avoir	avere	faire	fare	aller	andare
sois	sia / stia	aie	abbia	fasse	faccia	aille	vada
sois	sia / stia	aies	abbia	fasses	faccia	ailles	vada
soit	sia / stia	ait	abbia	fasse	faccia	aille	vada
soyons	siamo / stiamo	ayons	abbiamo	fassions	facciamo	allions	andiamo
soyez	siate / stiate	ayez	abbiate	fassiez	facciate	alliez	andiate
soient	siano / stiano	aient	abbiano	fassent	facciano	aillent	vadano

venir	venire	vouloir	volere	pouvoir	potere	devoir	dovere
vienne	venga	veuille	voglia	puisse	possa	doive	debba
viennes	venga	veuilles	voglia	puisses	possa	doives	debba
vienne	venga	veuille	voglia	puisse	possa	doive	debba
venions	veniamo	voulions	vogliamo	puissions	possiamo	devions	dobbiamo
veniez	veniate	vouliez	vogliate	puissiez	possiate	deviez	dobbiate
viennent	vengano	veuillent	vogliano	puissent	possano	doivent	debbano

savoir	sapere	boire	bere	dire	dire	donner	dare
sache	sappia	boive	beva	dise	dica	donne	dia
saches	sappia	boives	beva	dises	dica	donnes	dia
sache	sappia	boive	beva	dise	dica	donne	dia
sachions	sappiamo	buvions	beviamo	disions	diciamo	donnions	diamo
sachiez	sappiate	buviez	beviate	disiez	diciate	donniez	diate
sachent	sappiano	boivent	bevano	disent	dicano	donnent	diano

sortir	uscire	poser	porre	rester	rimanere	monter	salire*
sorte	esca	pose	ponga	reste	rimanga	monte	salga
sortes	esca	poses	ponga	restes	rimanga	montes	salga
sorte	esca	pose	ponga	reste	rimanga	monte	salga
sortions	usciamo	posions	poniamo	restions	rimaniamo	montions	saliamo
sortiez	usciate	posiez	poniate	restiez	rimaniate	montiez	saliate
sortent	escano	posent	pongano	restent	rimangano	montent	salgano

* The verb scegliere in Italian follows this same pattern.

Some impersonal verbs in French have irregular subjunctive forms: pleuvoir - il pleuve, falloir - il faille, valoir - il vaille

Uses of Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood must be used in subordinate clauses when the verb in the dependent clause expresses want, wish, doubt, fear, necessity, feelings, etc. for both French and Italian.

Italian also requires the subjunctive after verbs of hope and opinion, while French uses the indicative after these verbs (however, verbs of opinion in the negative or interrogative do in fact use the subjunctive in French).

Je veux que Paul me réponde. / Voglio che Paolo mi risponda. I want Paul to answer me.
Il faut que Giacomo visite le centre. / Bisogna che Giacomo visiti il centro. Giacomo must visit the center.
Je suis triste qu'il parte. / Sono triste che lui parta. I'm sad that he's leaving.
Je pense qu'elle comprend l'allemand. / Penso che lei capisca il tedesco. I think that she understands German.

The subjunctive must also be used after certain impersonal phrases and conjunctions:

il est (im)possible que / è (im)possibile che it's (im)possible that
il est probable que / è probabile che it's probable that
il est utile que / è utile che it's useful that
il est juste que / è giusto che it's right that
il suffit que / basta che it's enough that
bien que / benché, sebbene, nonostante although
pourvu que, à condition que / purché, a condizione che, a patto che provided that
afin que / affinché so that
pour que / perché in order that
à moins que / a meno che unless
sans que / senza che without
avant que / prima che before

The imperfect subjunctive is rarely used nowadays in French, but it is still very common in Italian.

Imperfect Subjunctive of Regular Verbs

French uses the il/elle form of the simple past to form the stem for the imperfect subjunctive; while Italian uses the regular stem.

French	Italian
all verbs	-are	-ere	-ire
-sse	-assi	-essi	-issi
-sses	-assi	-essi	-issi
-^t	-asse	-esse	-isse
-ssions	-assimo	-essimo	-issimo
-ssiez	-aste	-este	-iste
-ssent	-assero	-assero	-issero

The third person singular in French adds a circonflexe accent over the vowel that occurs before the t.

Imperfect Subjunctive of Irregular Verbs

Verbs that are irregular in the imperfect indicative are also irregular in the imperfect subjunctive in Italian.

essere	avere	bere	dare	dire	fare	stare
fossi	avessi	bevessi	dessi	dicessi	facessi	stessi
fossi	avessi	bevessi	dessi	dicessi	facessi	stessi
fosse	avesse	bevesse	desse	dicesse	facesse	stesse
fossimo	avessimo	bevessimo	dessimo	dicessimo	facessimo	stessimo
foste	aveste	beveste	deste	diceste	faceste	steste
fossero	avessero	bevessero	dessero	dicessero	facessero	stessero

Agreement of tenses is stricter in Italian, so you must use the imperfect sujunctive in a subordinate clause if the dependent clause is in a past indicative or conditional tense. Furthermore, the imperfect subjunctive is required in Italian after come se (as if) and se (if) in hypothetical sentences (with verbs that require the subjunctive); whereas the imperfect indicative is used in French.

Il parle comme s'il était italien. / Parla come se fosse italiano. He speaks as if he were Italian.
Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais un palais. / Se fossi ricco, comprerei un palazzo. If I were rich, I would buy a palace.
J'ai pensé qu'il me comprenait. / Ho pensato che lui mi capisse. I thought that he understood me.

Animals & Insects

English	French	Italian	English	French	Italian
animal	l'animal (m)	l'animale (m)	lark	l'alouette (f)	l'allodola
ant	la fourmi	la formica	lion	le lion	il leone
antelope	l'antilope	l'antilope (f)	lizard	le lézard	la lucertola
antenna	l'antenne	l'antenna	lobster (spiny)	la langouste	l'aragosta
antler	la ramure	le corna	louse	le pou	il pidocchio
badger	le badger	il tasso	mackerel	la maquereau	lo sgombro
bat	la chauve-souris	il pipistrello	mole	la taupe	la talpa
beak	le bec	il becco	monkey	le singe	la scimmia
bear	l'ours (m)	l'orso	mosquito	la moustique	la zanzara
bee	l'abeille (f)	l'ape (f)	moth	le papillon de nuit	la falena
beetle	la scarabée	lo scarabeo	mouse	la souris	il topo
bird	l'oiseau (m)	l'uccello	mule	le mulet	il mulo
blackbird	le merle	il merlo	mussel	la moule	il pidocchio
bull	le taureau	il toro	nest	le nid	il nido
butterfly	le papillon	la farfalla	nightingale	le rossignol	l'usignolo
calf	le veau	il vitello	octopus	la pieuvre	il polpo
carp	la carpe	la carpa	ostrich	l'autruche	lo struzzo
cat	le chat	il gatto	owl	le hibou	il gufo
caterpillar	le chenille	il bruco	ox	le bœuf	il bue
cheetah	le guépard	il ghepardo	oyster	l'huître (f)	l'ostrica
chicken	le poulet	il pollo	parrot	le perroquet	il pappagallo
chimpanzee	le chimpanzé	lo scimpanzé	partridge	la perdrix	la pernice
claw	la griffe	l'artiglio	paw	la patte	la zampa
cockroach	le cafard	lo scarafaggio	penguin	le pingouin	il pinguino
cod	la morue	il merluzzo	pig	le cochon	il porco
cocoon	le cocon	il bozzolo	pigeon	le pigeon	il piccione
cow	la vache	la vacca	pike	le brochet	il luccio
crab	le crabe	il granchio	pony	le poney	il pony
crayfish	l'écrevisse (f)	il gambero	rabbit	le lapin	il coniglio
crocodile	le crocodile	il coccodrillo	raccoon	le raton laveur	il procione
crow	le corbeau	il corvo	rat	le rat	il ratto / il sorcio
deer	le cerf	il cervo	rooster	le coq	il gallo
dog	le chien	il cane	salmon	le saumon	il salmone
donkey	l'âne (m)	l'asino	scale	l'écaille (f)	la squama
dragonfly	la libellule	la libellula	scorpion	le scorpion	lo scorpione
duck	le canard	l'anitra	sea gull	la mouette	il gabbiano
eagle	l'aigle (m)	l'aquila	seahorse	l'hippocampe (m)	il cavalluccio marino
eel	l'anguille (f)	l'anguilla	seal	le phoque	la foca
egg	l'œuf	l'uovo	shark	le requin	lo squalo
elephant	l'éléphant (m)	l'elefante (m)	sheep	la mouton	la pecora
feather	la plume	la penna	shrimp	la crevette	il gamberetto / il gambero
fin	la nageoire	la pinna	skin	le peau	la pelle
fish	le poisson	il pesce	slug	la limace	la lumaca
flea	la puce	la pulce	snail	l'escargot (m)	la chiocciola
fly	la mouche	la mosca	snake	le serpent / la couleuvre	il serpente / la biscia
fox	le renard	la volpe	sole	la sole	la sogliola
frog	la grenouille	il ranocchio	sparrow	le moineau	il passero
fur	la fourrure	la pelliccia	spider	l'araignée (f)	il ragno
gill	la branchie	la branchia	squid	le calmar	il calamaro
giraffe	la girafe	la giraffa	squirrel	l'écureuil (m)	la scoiattolo
goat	la chèvre	la capra	starfish	l'étoile de mer	la stella di mare
goose	l'oie (f)	l'oca	stork	la cigogne	la cicogna
gorilla	le gorille	il gorilla	swallow	l'hirondelle (f)	la rondine
grasshopper	la sauterelle	la cavalletta	swan	le cygne	il cigno
hamster	le hamster	il criceto	tadpole	le têtard	il girino
hare	le lièvre	la lepre	tail	la queue	la coda
hedgehog	le hérisson	il riccio	tiger	le tigre	la tigre
hen	la poule	la gallina	toad	le crapaud	il rospo
heron	le héron	l'airone (m)	trout	la truite	la trota
herring	la hareng	l'aringa	tuna	le thon	il tonno
hoof	le sabot	lo zoccolo	turkey	le dindon	il tacchino
horn	la corne	il corno	turtle	la tortue	la tartaruga
horse	le cheval	il cavallo	wasp	la guêpe	la vespa
hummingbird	le colibri	il colibrì	weasel	la belette	la donnola
iguana	l'iguane	l'iguana	whale	la baleine	la balena
insect	l'insecte (m)	l'insetto	wing	l'aile (f)	l'ala
jellyfish	la méduse	la medusa	wolf	le loup	il lupo
kitten	le chaton	il gattino	worm	le ver	il verme
ladybug	la coccinelle	la coccinella	zebra	le zèbre	la zebra
lamb	l'agneau (m)	l'agnello

Nature & Geography

English	French	Italian	English	French	Italian
air	l'air (m)	l'aria (f)	rain	la pluie	la pioggia
archipelago	l'archipel	l'arcipelago (m)	rainbow	l'arc-en-ciel (m)	l'arcobaleno (m)
bank	la rive	la riva	river	la fleuve	il fiume
bay	la baie	la baia	rock	le rocher	lo scoglio
barn	la grange	la stalla	root	la racine	la radice
beach	la plage	la spiaggia	rose	la rose	la rosa
branch	la branche	il ramo	sand	le sable	la sabbia
bridge	le pont	il ponte	sea	la mer	il mare
bud	le bouton	il bocciolo	shadow	l'ombre (f)	l'ombra
bush	le buisson	l'arbusto (m)	sky	le ciel	il cielo
cape	le cap	il capo / promontorio	snow	la neige	la neve
cave	la caverne	la caverna	soil	la terre	il terreno
city	la ville	la città	south	le sud	il sud
climate	le climat	il clima	spring (water)	la source	la sorgente
cloud	le nuage	la nube / nuvola	star	l'étoile	la stella
coast	la côte	la costa	stem	la tige	il gambo
comet	la comète	la cometa	storm	l'orage (f) / la tempête	il temporale
constellation	la constellation	la costellazione	strait	le détroit	lo stretto
country	le pays	il paese	stream	le ruisseau	il ruscello
country(side)	la campagne	la campagna	street	la rue	la strada
current	le courant	la corrente	sun	le soleil	il sole
daffodil	la jonquille	il narciso	sunflower	le tournesol	il girasole
daisy	la marguerite	la margherita	thaw	la fonte	il disgelo
darkness	l'obscurité	l'oscurità (f)	thunder	le tonnerre	il tuono
desert	le désert	il deserto	tornado	la tornade	il turbine
dew	la rosée	la rugiada	tree	l'arbre	l'albero
dust	la poussière	la polvere	trunk	le tronc	il tronco
earth	la terre	la terra	tulip	la tulipe	il tulipano
east	l'est (m)	l'est (m)	valley	la vallée	la valle
farm	la ferme	la tenuta	view	la vue	la vista
field	le champ	il campo	water	l'eau (f)	l'acqua
flower	la blume	il fiore	fresh water	l'eau douce	l'acqua dolce
foam	l'écume (f)	la schiuma	salt water	l'eau salée	l'acqua salata
fog	le brouillard	la nebbia	watering can	l'arrosoir	l'annaffiatoio
foliage	le feuillage	il fogliame	waterfall	la cascade	la cascata
forest	la forêt	il bosco / la foresta	wave	la vague / l'onde (f)	l'onda (f)
frost	la gelée	il gelo	weather	le temps	il tempo
grass	l'herbe (f)	l'erba (f)	west	l'ouest (m)	l'ovest (m)
gulf	la golfe	il golfo	wind	le vent	il vento
hail	la grêle	la grandine	world	le monde	il mondo
hay	le foin	il fieno
high tide	la marée haute	l'alta marea	North Pole	le pôle Nord	il Polo Nord
hill	la colline	la collina	South Pole	le pôle Sud	il Polo Sud
ice	la glace	il ghiaccio	Northern Hemisphere	l'hémisphère nord	l'emisfero settentrionale
island	I'île (f)	I'isola (f)	Soutern Hemisphere	l'hémisphère sud	l'emisfero meridionale
isthmus	l'isthme	l'istmo (m)	Arctic Circle	la cercle polaire	il circolo polare artico
jungle	la jungle	la giungla	equator	l'équateur (m)	l'equatore (m)
lake	le lac	il lago	Arctic Ocean	l'océan Arctique	l'Oceano Artico
leaf	la feuille	la foglia	Atlantic Ocean	l'océan Atlantique	l'Oceano Atlantico
light	la lumière	la luce	Pacific Ocean	l'océan Pacifique	l'Oceano Pacifico
lightning	l'éclair (m)	il fulmine / lampo	Indian Ocean	l'océan Indien	l'Oceano Indiano
lily	le lis	il giglio	Caribbean Sea	la mer des Antilles	il Mar dei Caraibi
low tide	la marée basse	la bassa marea	Mediterranean Sea	la Méditerranée	il Mar Mediterraneo
meadow	le pré	il prato	North Sea	la mer du Nord	il Mare del Nord
moon	la lune	la luna	Red Sea	la mer Rouge	il Mar Rosso
mountain	la montagne	la montagna	Black Sea	la mer Noire	il Mar Nero
mountain range	la chaîne de montagnes	la catena montuosa
mouth (river)	l'embouchure (f)	l'imboccatura	Mercury	Mercure	Mercurio
mud	la vase	il fango	Venus	Vénus	Venere
nature	la nature	la natura	Earth	Terre	Terra
north	le nord	il nord	Mars	Mars	Marte
peninsula	la péninsule	la penisola	Jupiter	Jupiter	Giove
plain	la plaine	il piano / la pianura	Saturn	Saturne	Saturno
planet	la planète	il pianeta	Uranus	Uranus	Uranio
plant	la plante	la pianta	Neptune	Neptuno	Nettuno
pond	l'étang (m)	lo stagno	Pluto	Pluton	Plutone
pot (for plants)	le pot à fleurs	il vaso da fiori

Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives

English	French	Italian	English	French	Italian
each	chacun	ciascuno / ognuno	some	quelque	alcuno
each / every	chaque	ogni	as much / many	autant de	altrettanto
everyone	tout le monde	tutti	other	autre	altro
everything	tout	tutto	some / certain	certain	certo
everywhere	partout	dappertutto / ovunque	a lot of	beaucoup de	molto
someone	quelqu'un	qualcuno	not one / none	aucun	nessuno
something	quelque chose	qualcosa	several	plusieurs	parecchio
somewhere	quelque part	da qualche parte	few	peu de	poco / pochi
no one	personne	nessuno	some	quelque(s)	qualche
nothing	rien	niente / nulla	such a	tel	tale / tali
nowhere	nulle part	da nessuna parte	so much/many	tant de	tanto
whoever	n'importe qui / quiconque	chiunque	too much	trop de	troppo
which/whatever	n'importe quel / quelconque	qualunque / qualsiasi	everything	tout	tutto
wherever	n'importe où	dovunque	various	différents	vario / vari

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are slightly easier to learn in Italian than French.

	French	Italian
who / that (subject)	qui	che
who / that (object)	que	che
about which / whom	dont	di cui
whose	dont	il/la/i/le cui
from where	d'où	da cui
preposition + whom	prep. + qui	prep. + cui
preposition + which	prep. + form of lequel	prep. + cui

Notice that cui remains invariable at all times; however, when translating whose in Italian, you must change the article before cui to agree with the noun and not the antecedent. Il quale can always replace cui, but it does agree with the gender and number of its antecedent (comparable to how lequel agrees in French). Plus you have to remember to use the prepositional contractions with the article before quale, so in general, it is easier to just use cui in everyday speech. Il quale is preferred in formal writing.

Forms of lequel and il quale

	French	Italian
masc. sing.	lequel	il quale
fem. sing.	laquelle	la quale
masc. plural	lesquels	i quali
fem. plural	lesquelles	le quali

Sample Sentences

La fille qui parle est sympathique. La ragazza che parla è simpatica.	The girl who is talking is nice.
La femme que je rencontre s'appelle Lorenza. La donna che incontro si chiama Lorenza.	The woman that I'm meeting is named Lorenza.
Les livres dont je parle sont d'Elsa. I libri di cui parlo sono di Elsa.	The books about which I'm talking are Elsa's.
L'homme dont les cheveux sont blancs est mon grand-père. L'uomo i cui capelli sono bianchi è mio nonno.	The man whose hair is white is my grandfather.
Les personnes à qui je pense sont loin. Le persone a cui penso sono lontane.	The people about whom I'm thinking are far away.
La maison dans laquelle je vis est très grande. La casa in cui vivo è grande. = La casa nella quale vivo è grande.	The house in which I live is very big.

Verbs: Passive Voice

Only verbs that can take a direct object can be made passive in French and Italian. The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive sentence (expressed by par in French and da + contractions in Italian), and the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The verb becomes a form of be (in the same tense as in the active sentence) + a past participle, which agrees with the subject of the passive sentence. Remember that you can avoid the passive voice by using on / si as explained earlier (especially for verbs that only take indirect objects). The passive voice is used more often in English than in French or Italian, and it is usually best to avoid it in formal writing.

	Active	Passive
English	The cat eats the mouse. (present) The cat ate the mouse. (past) The cat has eaten the mouse. (pres. perf.) The cat will eat the mouse. (future)	The mouse is eaten by the cat. The mouse was eaten by the cat. The mouse has been eaten by the cat. The mouse will be eaten by the cat.
French	Le chat mange la souris. Le chat mangeais la souris. Le chat a mangé la souris. Le chat mangera la souris.	La souris est mangée par le chat. La souris étais mangée par le chat. La souris a été mangée par le chat. La souris sera mangée par le chat.
Italian	Il gatto mangia il topo. Il gatto mangiava il topo. Il gatto ha mangiato il topo. Il gatto mangerá il topo.	Il topo é mangiato dal gatto. Il topo era mangiato dal gatto. Il topo é stato mangiato dal gatto. Il topo sará mangiato dal gatto.

Faire / Fare Causative

You can use the verbs faire / fare + an infinitive to the express the idea of having or getting something done or having or making someone do something (instead of doing it yourself.) If the object of the verb is a noun, it is placed after the infinitive. If it is a pronoun, then it is placed before faire or fare (except for loro, which is always placed after the infinitive).

In the present perfect tense, the past participle does not agree with the preceding direct object as it normally would in French, but it does in Italian.

Je fais réparer la voiture. / Faccio riparare la macchina. I'm having the car fixed.
Je la fais réparer. / La faccio riparare. I'm having it fixed.
Je l'ai fait réparer. / La ho fatta riparare. I had it fixed. [No agreement with preceding direct object in French only.]

The reflexive verbs se faire / farsi can also be used in this way when expressing having something done or made for oneself. Remember that être / essere are used as the auxiliary verb in compound tenses.

Je me fais couper les cheveux. / Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. I'm getting my hair cut.
Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. / Mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli. I got my hair cut.

Italian only:

When a causative sentence has two objects, the person being made to do something becomes the indirect object. In Italian, the indirect object is introduced by a.

Il maestro fa leggere lo studente. The teacher makes the student read.
Il maestro fa leggere la lettura allo studente. The teacher makes the student read the passage.

To avoid ambiguity with the indirect object, the preposition da instead of a can be used. The sentence Abbiamo fatto mandare il pacco a Maria can mean two things: 1) We had Mary send the package or 2) We had the package sent to Mary. If the first meaning is intended, then da can replace a.

Verbs followed by Prepositions before an Infinitive

Many verbs require the prepositions à / a or de / di before an infinitive. In French, de contracts to d' before an infinitive beginning with a vowel. In Italian, a becomes ad before infinitives beginning with a-. Before infinitives beginning with other vowels, either a or ad may be used.

French verbs + à + infinitive		Italian verbs + a + infinitive
aider à	to help	abituarsi a	to get used to
apprendre à	to learn	aiutare a	to help
arriver à	to manage	andare a	to be going to
chercher à	to look for	apprendere a	to learn
commencer à	to begin	aspettare a	to wait
consister à	to consist	cominciare	to begin
continuer à	to continue	consentire a	to agree
demander à	to ask to	continuare a	to continue
donner à	to give	convincere a	to convince
encourager à	to encourage	correre a	to run
enseigner à	to teach	dare a	to give
hésiter à	to hesitate	decidersi a	to decide
inciter à	to incite	divertirsi a	to have fun
insister à	to insist	esitare a	to hesitate
inviter à	to invite	fare bene a	to do well
obliger à	to force to	fare in tempo a	to be on time
parvenir à	to succeed	fare meglio a	to be better off
persister à	to persist in	fare presto a	to hurry up
pousser à	to push	forzare a	to force
provoquer à	to provoke	giocare a	to play
renoncer à	to give up	godere a	to enjoy
réussir à	to succeed	imparare a	to learn
s'acharner à	to be bent on	insegnare a	to teach
s'amuser à	to have fun	invitare a	to invite
s'appliquer à	to apply oneself to	mandare a	to send
s'apprêter à	to prepare to	mettersi a	to begin to
s'attacher à	to become attached	passare a	to go on
s'attendre à	to expect to	pensare a	to think of
se décider à	to decide	persuadere a	to persuade
se mettre à	to begin to	preparare a	to prepare
se plaire à	to enjoy	procedere a	to proceed
se préparer à	to get ready	provare a	to try
se refuser à	to refuse to	restare a	to stay
se résigner à	to resign oneself to	rimanere a	to remain
se résoudre à	to resolve to	rinunciare a	to give up
se risquer à	to risk	ritornare a	to come back
s'employer à	to use	riuscire a	to succeed
servir à	to be useful for	salire a	to go up
s'exercer à	to practice/learn	scendere a	to come down
s'habituer à	to get used to	seguitare a	to keep on
s'obstiner à	to insist	servire a	to be good for
songer à	to consider	stare a	to stay, stand
tarder à	to be slow to	stare attento a	to be careful
tendre à	to tend to	tardare a	to be late
tenir à	to be anxious to	temere a	to be afraid to
veiller à	to look after	tornare a	to return
viser à	to aim	venire a	to come to

French verbs + de + infinitive		Italian verbs + di + infinitive
accepter de	to accept	accettare di	to accept
arrêter de	to stop	ammettere di	to admit
avoir envie de	to feel like	aspettare di	to wait for
avoir honte de	to be ashamed	aspettarsi di	to expect
avoir peur de	to be afraid	augurare di	to wish
avoir raison de	to be right	avere bisogno di	to need
avoir tort de	to be wrong	avere il piacere di	to have the pleasure
cesser de	to stop	avere intenzione di	to intend
choisir de	to choose	avere paura di	to be afraid
conseiller de	to advise	avere voglia di	to feel like
convenir de	to agree upon	avvertire di	to warn, caution
craindre de	to fear	cercare di	to try
décider de	to decide	cessare di	to cease
défendre de	to forbid	chiedere di	to ask
demander de	to ask	comandare di	to command
désespérer de	to despair	credere di	to believe
dire de	to say	decidere di	to decide
dissuader de	to dissuade	dimenticare di	to forget
empêcher de	to prevent	dire di	to say, tell
entreprendre de	to undertake	dispensare di	to excuse
envisager de	to contemplate	domandare di	to ask
essayer de	to try	dubitare di	to doubt
être heureux de	to be happy	fingere di	to pretend
être obligé de	to be required	finire di	to finish
éviter de	to avoid	lamentarsi di	to complain
finir de	to finish	mancare di	to lack
interdire de	to forbid	minacciare di	to threaten
menacer de	to threaten	offrire di	to offer
négliger de	to neglect	ordinare di	to order
oublier de	to forget	pensare di	to plan
permettre de	to permit	permettere di	to permit
persuader de	to persuade	proibire di	to prevent, prohibit
prier de	to beg	promettere di	to promise
promettre de	to promise	rendersi conto di	to realize
recommander de	to recommend	ricordare di	to remember
refuser de	to refuse	sapere di	to know
regretter de	to regret	sbagliare di	to make a mistake
remercier de	to thank	scrivere di	to write
reprocher de	to reproach	scusarsi di	to apologize
rêver de	to dream	smettere di	to stop, cease
risquer de	to risk	sognare di	to dream
se dépêcher de	to hurry up	sperare di	to hope
se garder de	to keep oneself	suggerire di	to suggest
s'étonner de	to astonish	tentare di	to try, attempt
s'excuser de	to apologize	tratarre di	to bargain
venir de	to have just

Preterite / Simple Past Tense

The preterite is not used very often in French, except in literature. It is also rare in spoken Italian in the north of the country, but it used in the south. The preterite is the simple past tense that translates as one word in English (did), as compared to the compound past tense of the present perfect (have done) and the continuous past expressed by the imperfect (was doing/used to do). You may not need to know how to produce these forms, but you should at least recognize them in writing.

French		Italian
-er verbs	-ir / -re verbs	-are verbs	-ere verbs	-ire verbs
-ai	-is	-ai	-ei	-ii
-as	-is	-asti	-esti	-isti
-a	-it	-ò	-è	-ì
-âmes	-îmes	-ammo	-emmo	-immo
-âtes	-îtes	-aste	-este	-iste
-èrent	-irent	-arono	-erono	-irono

Irregular French verbs that follow a pattern: Some verbs use their past participle as a stem, and then add endings for the simple past. In this case, the six endings are similar to those for -ir/-re verbs: -s, -s, -t, -^mes, -^tes, -rent.

avoir	croire	lire	dire	dormir	devoir	recevoir	vivre
eus	crus	lus	dis	dormis	dus	reçus	vécus
eus	crus	lus	dis	dormis	dus	reçus	vécus
eut	crut	lut	dit	dormit	dut	reçut	vécut
eûmes	crûmes	lûmes	dîmes	dormîmes	dûmes	reçûmes	vécûmes
eûtes	crûtes	lûtes	dîtes	dormîtes	dûtes	reçûtes	vécûtes
eurent	crurent	lurent	dirent	dormirent	durent	reçurent	vécurent

prendre	sortir	vouloir	mettre	connaître	savoir	pouvoir
pris	sortis	voulus	mis	connus	sus	pus
pris	sortis	voulus	mis	connus	sus	pus
prit	sortit	voulut	mit	connut	sut	put
prîmes	sortîmes	voulûmes	mîmes	connûmes	sûmes	pûmes
prîtes	sortîtes	voulûtes	mîtes	connûtes	sûtes	pûtes
prirent	sortirent	voulurent	mirent	connurent	surent	purent

Other French verbs do not use their past participles as stems, but they still take the same endings.

être	faire	écrire	venir	voir	conduire
fus	fis	écrivis	vins	vis	conduisis
fus	fis	écrivis	vins	vis	conduisis
fut	fit	écrivit	vint	vit	conduisit
fûmes	fîmes	écrivîmes	vînmes	vîmes	conduisîmes
fûtes	fîtes	écrivîtes	vîntes	vîtes	conduisîtes
furent	firent	écrivirent	vinrent	virent	conduisirent

mourir	naître	ouvrir	craindre	battre
mourus	naquis	ouvris	craignis	battis
mourus	naquis	ouvris	craignis	battis
mourut	naquit	ouvrit	craignit	battit
mourûmes	naquîmes	ouvrîmes	craignîmes	battîmes
mourûtes	naquîtes	ouvrîtes	craignîtes	battîtes
moururent	naquirent	ouvrirent	craignirent	battirent

Italian verbs that are irregular in the preterite tend to end in -ere. The io, lui/lei, and loro forms have an irregular stem, while the tu, noi, and voi forms mostly use a regular stem. These irregular verbs usually use either an -s- or a double consonant in the irregular forms. Avere and essere are the most irregular.

avere	essere	chiedere	decidere	mettere
ebbi	fui	chiesi	decisi	misi
avesti	fosti	chiedesti	decidesti	mettesti
ebbe	fu	chiese	decise	mise
avemmo	fummo	chiedemmo	decidemmo	mettemo
aveste	foste	chiedeste	decideste	metteste
ebbero	furono	chiesero	decisero	misero

prendere	ridere	rimanere	vincere	leggere
presi	risi	rimasi	vinsi	lessi
prendesti	ridesti	rimanesti	vincesti	leggesti
prese	rise	rimase	vinse	lesse
prendemmo	ridemmo	rimanemmo	vincemmo	leggemo
prendeste	rideste	rimaneste	vinceste	leggeste
presero	risero	rimasero	vinsero	lessero

scrivere	vivere	conoscere	rompere	sapere
scrissi	vissi	conobbi	ruppi	seppi
scrivesti	vincesti	conoscesti	rompesti	sapesti
scrisse	visse	conobbe	ruppe	seppe
scrivemmo	vincemmo	conoscemmo	rompemmo	sapemmo
scriveste	vinceste	conosceste	rompeste	sapeste
scrissero	vissero	conobbero	ruppero	seppero

tenere	volere	dire	venire	divenire
tenni	volli	dissi	venni	divenni
tenesti	volesti	dicesti	venisti	divenisti
tenne	volle	disse	venne	divenne
tenemmo	volemmo	dicemmo	venimmo	divenimmo
teneste	voleste	diceste	veniste	diveniste
tennero	vollero	dissero	vennero	divennero

Bere and fare use stems from their original Latin infinitives, while nascere and piacere use -qu- in the irregular forms.

bere	fare	nascere	piacere
bevvi	feci	nacqui	piacqui
bevesti	facesti	nascesti	piacesti
bevve	fece	nacque	piacque
bevemmo	facemmo	nascemmo	piacemmo
beveste	faceste	nasceste	piaceste
bevvero	fecero	nacquero	piacquero