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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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).]
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 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).
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.
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 |
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 |
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 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. |
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. |
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.
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 |
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 |
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