Bere Conjugation in Italian
bere means “to drink” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 17 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to drink, and it is irregular in almost every tense, with the stem bev- in the present and the infinitive shortened to bere. Its forms are worth learning whole, starting with the present and the passato prossimo. This page gives you the complete conjugation of bere — 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 bevo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I drink a coffee.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: bere
- English: to drink
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: bevendo
- Present participle: bevente
- Past participle: bevuto
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bere, 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 bere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about bere
- It is irregular in 15 tense(s): present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle bevuto. 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 bevente and bevuto: 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 bere. 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 | bevo |
| tu | bevi |
| lui/lei | beve |
| noi | beviamo |
| voi | bevete |
| loro | bevono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io bevo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I drink a coffee”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bevvi |
| tu | bevesti |
| lui/lei | bevve |
| noi | bevemmo |
| voi | beveste |
| loro | bevvero |
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 bevvi un caffè ieri.” — “I drank a coffee”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bevevo |
| tu | bevevi |
| lui/lei | beveva |
| noi | bevevamo |
| voi | bevevate |
| loro | bevevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io bevevo un caffè una volta.” — “I used to drink a coffee”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | berrò |
| tu | berrai |
| lui/lei | berrà |
| noi | berremo |
| voi | berrete |
| loro | berranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io berrò un caffè domani.” — “I will drink a coffee”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | berrei |
| tu | berresti |
| lui/lei | berrebbe |
| noi | berremmo |
| voi | berreste |
| loro | berrebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io berrei un caffè un giorno.” — “I would drink a coffee”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho bevuto |
| tu | hai bevuto |
| lui/lei | ha bevuto |
| noi | abbiamo bevuto |
| voi | avete bevuto |
| loro | hanno bevuto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha bevuto un caffè questa settimana.” — “He has drunk a coffee”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo bevuto |
| tu | avevi bevuto |
| lui/lei | aveva bevuto |
| noi | avevamo bevuto |
| voi | avevate bevuto |
| loro | avevano bevuto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo bevuto un caffè prima della festa.” — “I had drunk a coffee”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò bevuto |
| tu | avrai bevuto |
| lui/lei | avrà bevuto |
| noi | avremo bevuto |
| voi | avrete bevuto |
| loro | avranno bevuto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò bevuto un caffè per domani.” — “I will have drunk a coffee”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei bevuto |
| tu | avresti bevuto |
| lui/lei | avrebbe bevuto |
| noi | avremmo bevuto |
| voi | avreste bevuto |
| loro | avrebbero bevuto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei bevuto un caffè ieri.” — “I would have drunk a coffee”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | beva |
| tu | beva |
| lui/lei | beva |
| noi | beviamo |
| voi | beviate |
| loro | bevano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io beva un caffè.” — “It is important that I drink a coffee”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bevessi |
| tu | bevessi |
| lui/lei | bevesse |
| noi | bevessimo |
| voi | beveste |
| loro | bevessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io bevessi un caffè.” — “It was important that I drink a coffee”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | bevi |
| lui/lei | beva |
| noi | beviamo |
| voi | bevete |
| loro | bevano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Bevi un caffè!” — “Drink a coffee!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | bere |
| lui/lei | beva |
| noi | beviamo |
| voi | beviate |
| loro | bevano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non bere un caffè.” — “Do not drink a coffee.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | bevendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Bevendo un caffè, imparo molto.” — “While drinking a coffee, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | bevente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle bevente 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 | bevuto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho bevuto un caffè questa settimana.” — “I have drunk a coffee.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with bere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io bevo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I drink a coffee”
- “Tu bevesti un caffè ieri.” — “You drank a coffee”
- “Lui beveva un caffè una volta.” — “He used to drink a coffee”
- “Io berrò un caffè domani.” — “I will drink a coffee”
- “Tu berresti un caffè un giorno.” — “You would drink a coffee”
- “Lui ha bevuto un caffè questa settimana.” — “He has drunk a coffee”
- “Io avevo bevuto un caffè prima della festa.” — “I had drunk a coffee”
- “Tu avrai bevuto un caffè per domani.” — “You will have drunk a coffee”
- “È importante che io beva un caffè.” — “It is important that I drink a coffee”
- “Bevi un caffè!” — “Drink a coffee!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io bere un caffè.”
✓ Right: “Io bevo un caffè ogni giorno.”
The infinitive bere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form bevo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io bevi un caffè.”
✓ Right: “Io bevo un caffè ogni giorno.”
bevi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with bevo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io bevo un caffè ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho bevuto un caffè questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho bevuto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono bevuto un caffè.”
✓ Right: “Io ho bevuto un caffè questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of bere is formed with avere plus the past participle bevuto: the io form is ho bevuto. 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 bevo un caffè.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io beva un caffè.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use beva here, not the indicative bevo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho bevendo un caffè.”
✓ Right: “Io ho bevuto un caffè questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle bevuto, not the gerund bevendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on bere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of bere in the Present indicative?
- A) bevi
- B) bevo
- C) beve
- D) beviamo
What is the lui/lei form of bere in the Passato remoto?
- A) bevvi
- B) bevesti
- C) bevve
- D) bevemmo
What is the noi form of bere in the Imperfect?
- A) bevevo
- B) bevevi
- C) beveva
- D) bevevamo
What is the tu form of bere in the Future?
- A) berrai
- B) berrò
- C) berrà
- D) berremo
What is the io form of bere in the Conditional?
- A) berresti
- B) berrei
- C) berrebbe
- D) berremmo
What is the lui/lei form of bere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho bevuto
- B) hai bevuto
- C) ha bevuto
- D) abbiamo bevuto
What is the lui/lei form of bere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) beviamo
- B) beviate
- C) bevano
- D) beva
What is the io form of bere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) bevessi
- B) bevesse
- C) bevessimo
- D) beveste
What is the gerund of bere?
- A) bevuto
- B) bevendo
- C) bere
- D) bevo
What does bere mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to drink
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) bevo — the correct form is bevo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) bevve — the correct form is bevve. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) bevevamo — the correct form is bevevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) berrai — the correct form is berrai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) berrei — the correct form is berrei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha bevuto — the correct form is ha bevuto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) beva — the correct form is beva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) bevessi — the correct form is bevessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) bevendo — the correct form is bevendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to drink — the correct form is to drink. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does bere mean in English?
bere means “to drink”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is bere regular or irregular?
bere is irregular: it is irregular in present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is bevendo and the past participle is bevuto.
What are the gerund and past participle of bere?
The gerund is bevendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is bevuto — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho bevuto.
Which auxiliary does bere take in the passato prossimo?
bere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho bevuto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle bevuto.
How do I say “I drink” in Italian?
Say “Io bevo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I drink a coffee” The io form of the present is bevo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of bere — every tense of bere in one place.
- Bere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Bere examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Essere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Avere 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 bere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise bere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise bere with the interactive tool.