Abitare Conjugation in Italian
abitare means “to live in” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 210 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to live in a place, and it is completely regular. It is different from vivere, which means to live a life in general: abitare always takes a place, as in living in Rome, while vivere takes a life or a way of living. This page gives you the complete conjugation of abitare — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.” — “I live in Rome.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: abitare
- English: to live in
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: abitando
- Present participle: abitante
- Past participle: abitato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abitare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read abitare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about abitare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle abitato. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are abitante and abitato: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for abitare. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abito |
| tu | abiti |
| lui/lei | abita |
| noi | abitiamo |
| voi | abitate |
| loro | abitano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.” — “I live in Rome”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abitai |
| tu | abitasti |
| lui/lei | abitò |
| noi | abitammo |
| voi | abitaste |
| loro | abitarono |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io abitai a Roma ieri.” — “I lived in Rome”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abitavo |
| tu | abitavi |
| lui/lei | abitava |
| noi | abitavamo |
| voi | abitavate |
| loro | abitavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io abitavo a Roma una volta.” — “I used to live in Rome”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abiterò |
| tu | abiterai |
| lui/lei | abiterà |
| noi | abiteremo |
| voi | abiterete |
| loro | abiteranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io abiterò a Roma domani.” — “I will live in Rome”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abiterei |
| tu | abiteresti |
| lui/lei | abiterebbe |
| noi | abiteremmo |
| voi | abitereste |
| loro | abiterebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io abiterei a Roma un giorno.” — “I would live in Rome”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho abitato |
| tu | hai abitato |
| lui/lei | ha abitato |
| noi | abbiamo abitato |
| voi | avete abitato |
| loro | hanno abitato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha abitato a Roma questa settimana.” — “He has lived in Rome”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo abitato |
| tu | avevi abitato |
| lui/lei | aveva abitato |
| noi | avevamo abitato |
| voi | avevate abitato |
| loro | avevano abitato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo abitato a Roma prima della festa.” — “I had lived in Rome”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò abitato |
| tu | avrai abitato |
| lui/lei | avrà abitato |
| noi | avremo abitato |
| voi | avrete abitato |
| loro | avranno abitato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò abitato a Roma per domani.” — “I will have lived in Rome”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei abitato |
| tu | avresti abitato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe abitato |
| noi | avremmo abitato |
| voi | avreste abitato |
| loro | avrebbero abitato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei abitato a Roma ieri.” — “I would have lived in Rome”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abiti |
| tu | abiti |
| lui/lei | abiti |
| noi | abitiamo |
| voi | abitiate |
| loro | abitino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io abiti a Roma.” — “It is important that I live in Rome”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | abitassi |
| tu | abitassi |
| lui/lei | abitasse |
| noi | abitassimo |
| voi | abitaste |
| loro | abitassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io abitassi a Roma.” — “It was important that I live in Rome”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | abita |
| lui/lei | abiti |
| noi | abitiamo |
| voi | abitate |
| loro | abitino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Abita a Roma!” — “Live in Rome!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | abitare |
| lui/lei | abiti |
| noi | abitiamo |
| voi | abitiate |
| loro | abitino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non abitare a Roma.” — “Do not live in Rome.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | abitando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Abitando a Roma, imparo molto.” — “While living in Rome, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | abitante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle abitante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | abitato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho abitato a Roma questa settimana.” — “I have lived in Rome.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with abitare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.” — “I live in Rome”
- “Tu abitasti a Roma ieri.” — “You lived in Rome”
- “Lui abitava a Roma una volta.” — “He used to live in Rome”
- “Io abiterò a Roma domani.” — “I will live in Rome”
- “Tu abiteresti a Roma un giorno.” — “You would live in Rome”
- “Lui ha abitato a Roma questa settimana.” — “He has lived in Rome”
- “Io avevo abitato a Roma prima della festa.” — “I had lived in Rome”
- “Tu avrai abitato a Roma per domani.” — “You will have lived in Rome”
- “È importante che io abiti a Roma.” — “It is important that I live in Rome”
- “Abita a Roma!” — “Live in Rome!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io abitare a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.”
The infinitive abitare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form abito.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io abiti a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.”
abiti is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with abito.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io abito a Roma ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho abitato a Roma questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho abitato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono abitato a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io ho abitato a Roma questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of abitare is formed with avere plus the past participle abitato: the io form is ho abitato. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io abito a Roma.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io abiti a Roma.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use abiti here, not the indicative abito.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho abitando a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io ho abitato a Roma questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle abitato, not the gerund abitando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on abitare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of abitare in the Present indicative?
- A) abiti
- B) abito
- C) abita
- D) abitiamo
What is the lui/lei form of abitare in the Passato remoto?
- A) abitai
- B) abitasti
- C) abitò
- D) abitammo
What is the noi form of abitare in the Imperfect?
- A) abitavo
- B) abitavi
- C) abitava
- D) abitavamo
What is the tu form of abitare in the Future?
- A) abiterai
- B) abiterò
- C) abiterà
- D) abiteremo
What is the io form of abitare in the Conditional?
- A) abiteresti
- B) abiterei
- C) abiterebbe
- D) abiteremmo
What is the lui/lei form of abitare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho abitato
- B) hai abitato
- C) ha abitato
- D) abbiamo abitato
What is the lui/lei form of abitare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) abitiamo
- B) abitiate
- C) abitino
- D) abiti
What is the io form of abitare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) abitassi
- B) abitasse
- C) abitassimo
- D) abitaste
What is the gerund of abitare?
- A) abitato
- B) abitando
- C) abitare
- D) abito
What does abitare mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to live in
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) abito — the correct form is abito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) abitò — the correct form is abitò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) abitavamo — the correct form is abitavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) abiterai — the correct form is abiterai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) abiterei — the correct form is abiterei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha abitato — the correct form is ha abitato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) abiti — the correct form is abiti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) abitassi — the correct form is abitassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) abitando — the correct form is abitando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to live in — the correct form is to live in. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does abitare mean in English?
abitare means “to live in”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is abitare regular or irregular?
abitare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is abitando and the past participle is abitato.
What are the gerund and past participle of abitare?
The gerund is abitando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is abitato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho abitato.
Which auxiliary does abitare take in the passato prossimo?
abitare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho abitato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle abitato.
How do I say “I live” in Italian?
Say “Io abito a Roma ogni giorno.” — “I live in Rome” The io form of the present is abito, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of abitare — every tense of abitare in one place.
- Abitare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Abitare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Chiamare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Cercare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise abitare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise abitare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise abitare with the interactive tool.