Have you ever wondered if it’s really possible to review all of Italian grammar in just one article? Articles, verbs, pronouns, subjunctive, conditional sentences… everything, from beginning to end? In this guide we put together the most important pieces of Italian grammar — the ones you really need to speak well — and we organize them in order, like puzzle pieces. By the end you’ll have in your head a complete map, and you won’t feel lost anymore.
All the Italian Grammar Topics You Need to Know to Master the Language
We’ve organized this journey through Italian grammar in three parts. First of all, we’ll start from the foundations, with the 5 topics of the beginner level: without these basics, no house can stand. Then we’ll deal with the 5 topics of the intermediate level: here things get more interesting, and you’ll start to speak like a real Italian. And finally, for the bravest, we’ll tackle the 5 topics of the advanced level: the champion level, the one that makes the difference between “I speak a little Italian” and “I speak Italian very well”.
Part 1 — The Beginner Level (A1/A2)
Let’s start from the foundations. These five topics are the basics without which you can’t build anything: articoli, gender and number, presente, aggettivi and preposizioni.
Topic 1 — The Articoli
Let’s start with the little word you put before almost every noun: the articolo. For a complete overview, check out the guide on Italian definite and indefinite articles.
The articoli determinativi (when you talk about something specific, known) are: il, lo, la, i, gli, le. The articoli indeterminativi (when you talk about something generic, “a… any one”) are: un, uno, una, un’.
The million-dollar question is: when do you use il and when do you use lo? Here’s the golden rule for masculine. You use lo (and in the plural gli, and the indeterminative uno) before masculine words that begin with:
- s + consonant → lo sport, lo studente [the student], gli spaghetti [the spaghetti]
- z → lo zaino [the backpack], lo zio [the uncle]
- gn, ps, pn, x, y → lo gnocco [the dumpling], lo psicologo [the psychologist], lo yogurt [the yogurt]
In all other cases (words that begin with a normal consonant) you use il / i / un: il cane, il libro, i gatti, un tavolo [the dog, the book, the cats, a table]. And before a vowel? Masculine: l’ and un (l’amico, un amico). Feminine: l’ and un’ with the apostrophe (l’amica, un’amica).
For feminine it’s all simpler: before a consonant always la / le / una (la casa, le case, una casa).
| Gender | Determinativo | Indeterminativo | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine (consonant) | il / i | un | il cane / i cani [the dog / the dogs] |
| Masculine (s+cons., z, gn…) | lo / gli | uno | lo zaino / gli zaini [the backpack / the backpacks] |
| Masculine (vowel) | l’ / gli | un | l’amico / gli amici [the friend / the friends] |
| Feminine (consonant) | la / le | una | la casa / le case [the house / the houses] |
| Feminine (vowel) | l’ / le | un’ | l’amica / le amiche [the friend / the friends] |
Topic 2 — The Gender and Number of Nouns
In Italian every noun has a gender (maschile or femminile) and a number (singolare or plurale). And here foreigners break into a cold sweat. The general rule, the easy one, is this:
- Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine, and in the plural they take -i: libro → libri [book → books].
- Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine, and in the plural they take -e: casa → case [house → houses].
- Nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine, and in the plural they always take -i: il fiore → i fiori [the flower → the flowers], la chiave → le chiavi [the key → the keys].
But Italian wouldn’t be Italian without exceptions! Here are some to learn by heart:
- la mano is feminine (even though it ends in -o!) → in the plural le mani [the hands]
- l’uovo is masculine in the singular, but becomes feminine in the plural → le uova [the eggs]
- la foto, la moto, la radio are invariable in the plural (they’re shortened words) → le foto, le moto
- la crisi, la tesi, l’analisi are invariable → le crisi, le tesi
Very useful curiosity: many words ending in -ma are masculine, because they come from Greek! Il problema, il tema, il sistema, il programma, il clima. So never say “la problema”: it’s one of the most common mistakes ever. And in the plural they take -i: i problemi, i temi.
Topic 3 — The Presente Indicativo
Now verbs. The tense you use the most, every day, is the presente indicativo. For a complete guide, you can consult the page on the Italian present indicative.
Italian verbs are divided into three groups, based on the infinitive ending: -ARE (parlare), -ERE (prendere), -IRE (dormire). The present tense endings for regular verbs are:
| Person | parlare | prendere | dormire |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parl-o | prend-o | dorm-o |
| tu | parl-i | prend-i | dorm-i |
| lui/lei | parl-a | prend-e | dorm-e |
| noi | parl-iamo | prend-iamo | dorm-iamo |
| voi | parl-ate | prend-ete | dorm-ite |
| loro | parl-ano | prend-ono | dorm-ono |
However, watch out: some -ire verbs add -isc- between the root and the ending. For example capire: io capisco, tu capisci, lui capisce, noi capiamo, voi capite, loro capiscono. The same happens with finire (finisco), preferire (preferisco), pulire (pulisco).
And then there are the two most important verbs of all, the two kings of Italian grammar, which are irregular: ESSERE (sono, sei, è, siamo, siete, sono) and AVERE (ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno). Other very frequent irregular verbs: andare (vado), fare (faccio), stare (sto), dare (do), venire (vengo), uscire (esco).
Important curiosity: in Italian many sensations and age are expressed with the verb avere, not with “essere”! You say ho fame [I’m hungry], ho sete [I’m thirsty], ho sonno [I’m sleepy], ho freddo [I’m cold], ho 25 anni [I’m 25 years old]. So don’t say “sono fame”: in Italian you don’t are hunger, you have hunger!
Topic 4 — Aggettivi and Agreement
The aggettivo is the word that describes the noun: bello, alto, italiano, interessante. The fundamental rule is just one, but it’s super important: the adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number. There are two types of aggettivi:
- Aggettivi ending in -o, which have four forms: bello, bella, belli, belle → un ragazzo bello, una ragazza bella, dei ragazzi belli, delle ragazze belle [a handsome boy, a beautiful girl, handsome boys, beautiful girls].
- Aggettivi ending in -e, which have only two forms: grande (singular), grandi (plural) → un libro grande, una casa grande, dei libri grandi, delle case grandi. These don’t change based on gender!
Usually the adjective goes after the noun (una macchina rossa [a red car]), but some very common adjectives often go before (una buona idea, un grande artista [a good idea, a great artist]).
Watch Out for “Bello”: It Behaves Like an Article
When the adjective bello goes before the noun, it behaves exactly like the definite article (and like quello). So: un bel film, un bello spettacolo, un bell’amico, i bei film, i begli spettacoli, le belle ragazze. If instead you put it after the noun, it stays normal: un film bello.
Advanced deep-dive: sometimes the position of the adjective changes the meaning! Un grande uomo = an important man; un uomo grande = a big-built man. Un vecchio amico = a friend for a long time; un amico vecchio = an old-aged friend.
Topic 5 — The Preposizioni
And now the little nightmare of every student: the preposizioni. They’re very short words but they drive everyone crazy. To dive deeper, there’s a dedicated guide on Italian simple prepositions.
The preposizioni semplici are nine: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra, fra. When they meet a definite article, some merge and become preposizioni articolate:
| + | il | lo | la | i | gli | le |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di | del | dello | della | dei | degli | delle |
| a | al | allo | alla | ai | agli | alle |
| da | dal | dallo | dalla | dai | dagli | dalle |
| in | nel | nello | nella | nei | negli | nelle |
| su | sul | sullo | sulla | sui | sugli | sulle |
The most frequent doubts of foreigners are two. First: di or da? Di indicates possession, material, topic (il libro di Marco, una statua di marmo, parliamo di sport [Marco’s book, a marble statue, we talk about sports]). Da indicates origin, movement from a place, and the agent (vengo da Roma, esco da casa, il libro è letto da tutti [I come from Rome, I go out of the house, the book is read by everyone]).
Second doubt: a or in for places? Super simple rule: with cities you use a (vado a Roma, abito a Milano); with countries, regions, continents you use in (vado in Italia, vivo in Toscana, viaggio in Europa).
Curiosity: tra and fra mean exactly the same thing! You only choose based on sound, to avoid repeating the same sound. Do you say “fra fratelli”? It sounds bad! Then we say “tra fratelli”. And instead of “tra treni” we say “fra treni”. Italian loves musicality!
One place to learn Italian
Join the LearnAmo AcademyPart 2 — The Intermediate Level (B1/B2)
Welcome to the intermediate level! Here things get more interesting: past, future, pronouns, conditional and imperative are the tools that will take you from “communicating” to “conversing”.
Topic 6 — Passato Prossimo and Imperfetto
Let’s start right away with the pair that makes students and teachers fight all over the world: passato prossimo and imperfetto. They are the two main ways to talk about the past, but they’re used in different situations. For a complete guide, check out the page on passato prossimo and imperfetto compared.
The passato prossimo is formed like this: auxiliary (essere or avere) in the present + participio passato (ho mangiato, hai parlato, abbiamo dormito…). The regular past participle follows these endings: -are → –ato (parlato), -ere → –uto (creduto), -ire → –ito (dormito). When the auxiliary is essere, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: Marco è andato, Maria è andata, loro sono andati.
When do you use essere and when avere? You use avere with most transitive verbs (ho visto, ho comprato). You use essere with verbs of movement and state, reflexive verbs and many verbs that describe a change: andare, venire, partire, arrivare, entrare, uscire, nascere, morire, essere, stare, diventare, alzarsi…
Watch out for the irregular past participles: fare → fatto, dire → detto, leggere → letto, scrivere → scritto, vedere → visto, prendere → preso, mettere → messo, aprire → aperto, chiudere → chiuso, venire → venuto, nascere → nato, morire → morto.
The imperfetto, on the other hand, is beautiful because it’s almost always regular: parlavo, prendevo, dormivo. The irregular ones are also few: essere → ero, fare → facevo, dire → dicevo, bere → bevevo.
When Do You Use One and When the Other?
- The passato prossimo describes completed, precise, punctual actions: things that happened and are over. “Ieri ho mangiato una pizza. Sono andato al cinema.” [Yesterday I ate a pizza. I went to the cinema.]
- The imperfetto describes continuous, habitual, descriptions, background situations: how things were, what was happening. “Da bambino mangiavo sempre la pizza. C’era il sole e faceva caldo.” [As a child I always ate pizza. It was sunny and hot.]
The classic example that will make you understand everything: “Mentre dormivo (background action, in progress — imperfetto), è suonato il telefono (sudden action that interrupts — passato prossimo).” [While I was sleeping, the phone rang.]
Curiosity: the imperfetto is also used to be polite! At the bar you can say “Volevo un caffè” instead of “voglio”. And children use it in games: “Facciamo che io ero il re e tu eri il drago!” [Let’s pretend I was the king and you were the dragon!].
Topic 7 — The Future
Now let’s look ahead: the futuro semplice. The endings are: parlerò, prenderò, dormirò — then -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno. Notice that -are verbs change the “a” to “e”: parlare → parlerò.
Here too there are super frequent irregulars, and it’s worth learning them: essere → sarò, avere → avrò, fare → farò, andare → andrò, venire → verrò, vedere → vedrò, dovere → dovrò, potere → potrò, volere → vorrò, bere → berrò, rimanere → rimarrò.
Watch out for spelling! Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h to keep the hard sound: cercare → cercherò, pagare → pagherò. Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare, on the other hand, lose the i: cominciare → comincerò, mangiare → mangerò.
What is the future for? Obviously to talk about future actions (“Domani partirò per Roma” [Tomorrow I will leave for Rome]). But there’s a use you’ll love, because it will make you sound like a native: the future to express probability or supposition in the present. “Che ore sono? Mah, saranno le tre” [What time is it? Well, it must be three] (= probably it’s three). “Quanti anni ha quella signora? Avrà cinquant’anni” [How old is that lady? She must be fifty] (= in my opinion she’s about fifty).
Curiosity: in spoken Italian, for the near future, Italians very often use the present! Instead of “Domani andrò al mare”, we simply say “Domani vado al mare” [Tomorrow I’m going to the beach]. It’s super natural.
There’s also the futuro anteriore (avrò/sarò + participle), which indicates an action that will be completed before another future action: “Quando avrò finito di studiare, ti chiamerò“ [When I’ve finished studying, I’ll call you].
Topic 8 — Direct and Indirect Pronouns
And here we are at one of the most feared topics: pronouns. They serve to avoid repeating the same words over and over. For a complete overview, check out the guide on Italian direct and indirect pronouns.
The direct pronouns replace the direct object (they answer who? what?) and are: mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le.
- “Vedi Maria? — Sì, la vedo.” [Do you see Maria? — Yes, I see her.] (la = Maria)
- “Compri i biglietti? — Sì, li compro.” [Are you buying the tickets? — Yes, I’m buying them.] (li = i biglietti)
The indirect pronouns replace the indirect object (they answer to whom?) and are: mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli (a loro).
- “Telefoni a Marco? — Sì, gli telefono.” [Are you calling Marco? — Yes, I’m calling him.] (gli = a Marco)
- “Scrivi a Maria? — Sì, le scrivo.” [Are you writing to Maria? — Yes, I’m writing to her.] (le = a Maria)
Where do these pronouns go? Usually before the conjugated verb (“lo vedo, gli parlo”). But they attach to the end of the infinitive, imperative and gerund: “voglio vederti“, “guardalo!”, “sto guardandola“.
Watch out for an important detail: with the direct pronouns lo, la, li, le, in the passato prossimo the participle agrees! “Hai visto Maria? — Sì, l’ho vista“ [Have you seen Maria? — Yes, I’ve seen her.] (la → l’, and “vista” feminine). “Hai visto i ragazzi? — Sì, li ho visti“.
Topic 9 — The Condizionale
The condizionale is the mood of politeness, wishes and hypotheses. It’s what takes you from rude tourist to charming person! For a complete lesson, check out the guide on the Italian conditional.
The condizionale presente uses the same root as the future + special endings: parlerei, prenderei, dormirei — then -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. And the irregulars? The same as the future: sarei, avrei, farei, vorrei, potrei, dovrei, andrei…
The condizionale passato is formed with avrei/sarei + past participle: avrei mangiato, sarei andato.
What is it for?
- To be polite: at the restaurant you say “Vorrei una pizza” [I would like a pizza], not “voglio una pizza”.
- To express a wish: “Mi piacerebbe visitare il Giappone” [I would like to visit Japan].
- To give a piece of advice: “Dovresti studiare di più” [You should study more], “Al posto tuo, io andrei“ [If I were you, I would go].
- For the future in the past: “Ha detto che sarebbe venuto“ [He said he would come] (= he said: “verrò”). To express a future action seen from the past, in Italian you use the past conditional, not the present!
Topic 10 — The Imperativo
The imperativo is the mood of commands, orders, instructions and direct advice. “Mangia!”, “Ascolta!”, “Vieni qui!” [Eat!, Listen!, Come here!]. Here are the regular forms (for tu, noi, voi):
| Person | parlare | prendere | dormire |
|---|---|---|---|
| tu | parl-a! | prend-i! | dorm-i! |
| noi | parl-iamo! | prend-iamo! | dorm-iamo! |
| voi | parl-ate! | prend-ete! | dorm-ite! |
To tell a person not to do something (the negative form with tu), you use non + infinitive: “Non parlare!“ [Don’t speak!], “Non andare!“ [Don’t go!]. Never “non parla”!
Some very short and very useful irregular imperatives: andare → va’ (or vai), dare → da’ (or dai), fare → fa’ (or fai), stare → sta’ (or stai), dire → di’. And then essere → sii!, avere → abbi!.
Pronouns attach to the informal imperative (the one with “tu”): “Guardalo!”, “Ascoltami!”, “Dimmi tutto!” [Look at it!, Listen to me!, Tell me everything!]. And here’s a gem: with the five short imperatives (va’, da’, fa’, sta’, di’), the consonant of the pronoun doubles! → da’ + mi = dammi, fa’ + lo = fallo, di’ + mi = dimmi, va’ + ci = vacci. The only exception is the pronoun gli, which doesn’t double: digli, dagli.
And for the polite form (the “Lei”)? Two things change. First: you use the subjunctive (“Scusi!“, “Senta!“, “Prenda pure!” [Excuse me!, Listen!, Please take!]). Second: the pronoun no longer attaches, but goes before the verb! So to a friend you say “Dimmi!“ (pronoun after, attached), but to the person with whom you’re formal you say “Mi dica!“ [Tell me!] (pronoun before, detached). Never “Dicami”!
Part 3 — The Advanced Level (C1/C2)
And here we are at the last great level, the champions’ one. Subjunctive, conditional sentences, combined pronouns, passive form and indirect speech: the topics that make the difference between “I speak a little Italian” and “I speak Italian very well”.
Topic 11 — The Congiuntivo
And now… drum roll… the congiuntivo! The final boss, the boss level, the topic that scares even Italians. If you master this, you’re a true champion. To dive deeper, check out the guide on how and when to use the congiuntivo.
The congiuntivo is the mood of doubt, opinion, emotion, wish and possibility. It’s used almost always in subordinate clauses introduced by che. The forms of the congiuntivo presente:
| Person | parlare | prendere | dormire |
|---|---|---|---|
| che io | parl-i | prend-a | dorm-a |
| che tu | parl-i | prend-a | dorm-a |
| che lui/lei | parl-i | prend-a | dorm-a |
| che noi | parl-iamo | prend-iamo | dorm-iamo |
| che voi | parl-iate | prend-iate | dorm-iate |
| che loro | parl-ino | prend-ano | dorm-ano |
Notice one important thing: the first three persons (io, tu, lui/lei) are identical! That’s why the pronoun is often added: “che io parli”, “che tu parli”. Frequent irregulars: sia, abbia, faccia, vada, dia, stia, possa, voglia, sappia.
When Is the Congiuntivo Used?
After verbs and expressions of:
- opinion and doubt: Penso che…, Credo che…, Dubito che…, Non sono sicuro che…
- emotion: Sono felice che…, Ho paura che…, Mi dispiace che…
- will and wish: Voglio che…, Spero che…, Desidero che…
- impersonal expressions: È importante che…, Bisogna che…, È possibile che…, Sembra che…
- some conjunctions: affinché, benché, sebbene, nonostante, prima che, a meno che, purché
The golden rule: the congiuntivo is used when the subject of the main clause is different from that of the subordinate one. “Penso che tu abbia ragione.” [I think you’re right.] If instead the subject is the same, you use di + infinitive: “Penso di avere ragione.” [I think I’m right.]
And the sequence of tenses: with a main verb in the present, you use the congiuntivo presente or passato (“Penso che venga“ / “Penso che sia venuto“). With a main verb in the past, you use the congiuntivo imperfetto or trapassato (“Pensavo che venisse“ / “Pensavo che fosse venuto“).
Topic 12 — The Periodo Ipotetico
Now that you know the congiuntivo and the condizionale, we can put them together in the periodo ipotetico: that is, the sentences with “se”, the ones that express a condition and its consequence. For a detailed guide, check out the page on the Italian periodo ipotetico. There are three types.
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reality (certain or probable condition) | se + indicative, indicative | “Se studi, impari.” [If you study, you learn.] |
| Possibility (possible condition) | se + congiuntivo imperfetto, condizionale presente | “Se studiassi, imparerei.” [If I studied, I would learn.] |
| Unreality (impossible condition, often in the past) | se + congiuntivo trapassato, condizionale passato | “Se avessi studiato, avrei superato l’esame.” [If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.] |
A very useful little clarification: if the condition is in the past but the consequence concerns the present, the consequence goes in the present conditional. For example: “Se fossi nato ricco, ora non lavorerei“ [If I had been born rich, now I wouldn’t work] (the birth is in the past, but “ora” is now). It’s the so-called “mixed” periodo ipotetico, and in Italian it’s used a lot.
Notice the mechanism: congiuntivo and condizionale work in pairs. In the sentence with “se” goes the congiuntivo, in the consequence goes the condizionale.
Watch Out, Deadly Mistake!
In the sentence with “se” you NEVER use the condizionale. The horrible “se avrei tempo” makes every Italian teacher shudder. You say “se avessi tempo”. Promise it solemnly: never again “se avrei”!
| To avoid | Correct |
|---|---|
| “Se avrei tempo, studierei.” | “Se avessi tempo, studierei.” [If I had time, I would study.] |
| “Se sarei ricco, viaggerei.” | “Se fossi ricco, viaggerei.” [If I were rich, I would travel.] |
Topic 13 — Combined Pronouns
Do you remember the direct and indirect pronouns from the intermediate level? Well, now we put them together, and combined pronouns are born. They seem super complicated, but they follow a precise rule.
When an indirect pronoun meets a direct pronoun (lo, la, li, le, ne), the indirect pronoun changes the final -i to -e:
- mi + lo = me lo → “Me lo dai?” [Will you give it to me?]
- ti + lo = te lo → “Te lo spiego io.” [I’ll explain it to you.]
- ci + lo = ce lo
- vi + lo = ve lo
And the pronouns gli (to him) and le (to her)? Watch out, here a kind of magic happens: both become “glie-“ and they’re written attached to the direct pronoun! → gli/le + lo = glielo; + la = gliela; + li = glieli; + le = gliele; + ne = gliene.
So glielo means both “it to him” and “it to her”: it’s the context that tells you who it is!
- “Hai dato il libro a Marco? — Sì, gliel’ho dato.” [Did you give the book to Marco? — Yes, I gave it to him.]
- “Hai dato il libro a Maria? — Sì, gliel’ho dato.” (same!)
It also works with ne: “Quanti libri hai dato a Luca? — Gliene ho dati tre.” [How many books did you give Luca? — I gave him three.]
Topic 14 — The Passive Form
The passive form serves to shift attention: instead of saying who performs the action, we put at the center the one who undergoes it. From “Marco mangia la pizza” (active) to “La pizza è mangiata da Marco” (passive).
In Italian there are several ways to make the passive:
- With the verb essere + past participle (+ da to indicate who performs the action): “La lettera è scritta da Maria” [The letter is written by Maria]. It works in all tenses: è stata scritta, sarà scritta.
- With the verb venire + participle (only in simple tenses): “La porta viene chiusa alle otto” [The door is closed at eight]. It puts the emphasis on the action, on the process.
- With the verb andare + participle, to express an obligation: “Le tasse vanno pagate“ [Taxes must be paid] (= devono essere pagate).
And then there’s the famous si passivante, super handy: it’s formed with si + verb, and the verb agrees with the subject!
- “In Italia si parla italiano.” [In Italy Italian is spoken.] (= Italian is spoken)
- “Qui si vendono case.” [Houses are sold here.] (watch out: the verb is plural because “case” is plural! Si vende casa singular / Si vendono case plural.)
Curiosity: don’t confuse the si passivante with the si impersonale! “Si mangia bene in questo ristorante” [One eats well in this restaurant] = people eat well (impersonal, generic subject). “In questo ristorante si mangiano ottime pizze” [In this restaurant excellent pizzas are eaten] = many pizzas are eaten (passivante, agrees with “pizze”).
In Italy, on shop windows, you’ll often see signs like “Affittasi”, “Vendesi”, “Cercasi”. It’s always the passive, but in an old, attached form. Translation: “for rent”, “for sale”, “wanted”.
Topic 15 — Indirect Speech
And we arrive at the last topic, the one you need to… gossip in Italian! The discorso indiretto serves to report what someone has said, without using their exact words. From “Marco dice: «Sono stanco»” to “Marco dice che è stanco”.
When the introducing verb is in the past, some changes are triggered in the verbal tenses:
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| Present → imperfetto | «Sono stanco» → disse che era stanco [he said he was tired] |
| Passato prossimo → trapassato | «Ho mangiato» → disse che aveva mangiato [he said he had eaten] |
| Future → condizionale passato | «Verrò» → disse che sarebbe venuto [he said he would come] |
| Imperative → di + infinitive | «Vieni!» → mi disse di venire [he told me to come] |
Pronouns and possessives also change (io → lui/lei, mio → suo) along with expressions of time and place: oggi → quel giorno; ieri → il giorno prima; domani → il giorno dopo; qui → lì; questo → quello.
Let’s see it all in action. Direct sentence: “Anna ha detto: «Domani verrò qui con il mio cane».” [Anna said: “Tomorrow I’ll come here with my dog.”] Indirect sentence: “Anna ha detto che il giorno dopo sarebbe venuta lì con il suo cane.” [Anna said that the next day she would come there with her dog.] Did you see how many things have changed? Verb, tense, pronoun and possessive!
And questions? They’re introduced with se (for yes/no questions) or with the question word: “Mi ha chiesto se avevo fame. Mi ha chiesto dove abitavo.” [He asked me if I was hungry. He asked me where I lived.]
Summary Table of the 15 Topics
Here’s a table summarizing all 15 topics of Italian grammar that you’ve just reviewed.
| Level | Topic | Key example |
|---|---|---|
| A1/A2 | 1. The articoli | “lo zaino, l’amico, una casa” [the backpack, the friend, a house] |
| A1/A2 | 2. Gender and number of nouns | “il problema, le mani, le uova” [the problem, the hands, the eggs] |
| A1/A2 | 3. The presente indicativo | “io ho 25 anni, faccio colazione” [I’m 25, I have breakfast] |
| A1/A2 | 4. Aggettivi and agreement | “un bel film, una casa grande” [a nice movie, a big house] |
| A1/A2 | 5. The preposizioni | “vado a Roma, vivo in Italia” [I’m going to Rome, I live in Italy] |
| B1/B2 | 6. Passato prossimo and imperfetto | “mentre dormivo, è suonato il telefono” [while I was sleeping, the phone rang] |
| B1/B2 | 7. The future | “saranno le tre, partirò domani” [it must be three, I’ll leave tomorrow] |
| B1/B2 | 8. Direct and indirect pronouns | “la vedo, gli telefono” [I see her, I call him] |
| B1/B2 | 9. The condizionale | “vorrei una pizza, dovresti studiare” [I would like a pizza, you should study] |
| B1/B2 | 10. The imperativo | “dimmi tutto!, mi dica!” [tell me everything!, tell me!] |
| C1/C2 | 11. The congiuntivo | “penso che tu abbia ragione” [I think you’re right] |
| C1/C2 | 12. The periodo ipotetico | “se avessi tempo, studierei” [if I had time, I would study] |
| C1/C2 | 13. Combined pronouns | “me lo dai?, gliel’ho detto” [will you give it to me?, I told him] |
| C1/C2 | 14. The passive form | “in Italia si parla italiano” [in Italy Italian is spoken] |
| C1/C2 | 15. Indirect speech | “disse che sarebbe venuto” [he said he would come] |
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Most Difficult Topic in Italian Grammar?
Without a doubt the congiuntivo. It’s the mood of doubt, opinion and emotion, and it scares Italians too! Right after come the periodo ipotetico (because it combines congiuntivo and condizionale) and combined pronouns (like “glielo”, “me ne”, “te la”). All three are C1/C2 level topics.
When Do You Use “Essere” and When “Avere” in the Passato Prossimo?
You use avere with most verbs (the transitive ones, that have an object): “ho visto, ho mangiato, ho comprato”. You use essere with verbs of movement and state, reflexive verbs and many verbs that describe a change: andare, venire, partire, arrivare, nascere, morire, essere, stare, diventare, alzarsi. With essere, remember that the participle agrees with the subject: “Maria è andata”.
What’s the Difference Between Passato Prossimo and Imperfetto?
The passato prossimo describes completed, precise and punctual actions: “Ieri ho mangiato una pizza” [Yesterday I ate a pizza]. The imperfetto describes continuous, habitual or background actions: “Da bambino mangiavo sempre la pizza” [As a child I always ate pizza]. The practical rule: when an action interrupts another ongoing action, you use the imperfetto for the ongoing one and the passato prossimo for the one that interrupts it: “Mentre dormivo, è suonato il telefono”.
Do You Say “Se Avrei” or “Se Avessi”?
You always say “se avessi”! In the sentence with “se” of the periodo ipotetico you NEVER use the condizionale. It’s one of the most serious mistakes in Italian grammar. The correct structure is: “se + congiuntivo imperfetto, condizionale presente”. So: “Se avessi tempo, studierei il cinese” [If I had time, I would study Chinese].
How Do You Study Italian Grammar Effectively?
The key is to proceed by levels, without skipping the basics. Start with the A1/A2 level (articoli, gender, presente, aggettivi, preposizioni), then move to the B1/B2 (past, future, pronouns, condizionale, imperativo), and finally tackle the C1/C2 (congiuntivo, periodo ipotetico, combined pronouns, passive, indirect speech). And remember: grammar is learned through constant practice and lots of exposure to real language.
Want the lesson PDF with exercises and solutions?
Join the LearnAmo AcademyLoading quiz…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (95.3MB)
Iscriviti: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | Altri...
