Bisognare Conjugation in Italian
bisognare means “to be necessary” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 752 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to be necessary, and it is used impersonally: the real use is the third person, as in 'Bisogna studiare' — it is necessary to study — followed by an infinitive. It takes avere in the passato prossimo in the tables on this page, and the full six-person tables are given as the verb is listed, even though only the third-person forms are used in practice. This page gives you the complete conjugation of bisognare — 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: “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.” — “It is necessary to study.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: bisognare
- English: to be necessary
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: bisognando
- Present participle: bisognante
- Past participle: bisognato
- 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 bisognare, 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 bisognare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about bisognare
- 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 bisognato. 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 bisognante and bisognato: 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.
A note on bisognare
A note on the construction: bisognare is used impersonally, in the third person, followed by an infinitive — “Bisogna studiare”, it is necessary to study. The tables give all six persons as the verb is listed, but the example sentences on this page use the third-person forms, which is how the verb is really used.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for bisognare. 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 | bisogno |
| tu | bisogni |
| lui/lei | bisogna |
| noi | bisogniamo |
| voi | bisognate |
| loro | bisognano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.” — “It is necessary to study”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisognai |
| tu | bisognasti |
| lui/lei | bisognò |
| noi | bisognammo |
| voi | bisognaste |
| loro | bisognarono |
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: “Bisognò studiare ieri.” — “It was necessary to study”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisognavo |
| tu | bisognavi |
| lui/lei | bisognava |
| noi | bisognavamo |
| voi | bisognavate |
| loro | bisognavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Bisognava studiare una volta.” — “It used to be necessary to study”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisognerò |
| tu | bisognerai |
| lui/lei | bisognerà |
| noi | bisogneremo |
| voi | bisognerete |
| loro | bisogneranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Bisognerà studiare domani.” — “It will be necessary to study”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisognerei |
| tu | bisogneresti |
| lui/lei | bisognerebbe |
| noi | bisogneremmo |
| voi | bisognereste |
| loro | bisognerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Bisognerebbe studiare un giorno.” — “It would be necessary to study”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho bisognato |
| tu | hai bisognato |
| lui/lei | ha bisognato |
| noi | abbiamo bisognato |
| voi | avete bisognato |
| loro | hanno bisognato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Ha bisognato lavorare questa settimana.” — “It has been necessary to work”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo bisognato |
| tu | avevi bisognato |
| lui/lei | aveva bisognato |
| noi | avevamo bisognato |
| voi | avevate bisognato |
| loro | avevano bisognato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Aveva bisognato studiare prima della festa.” — “It had been necessary to study”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò bisognato |
| tu | avrai bisognato |
| lui/lei | avrà bisognato |
| noi | avremo bisognato |
| voi | avrete bisognato |
| loro | avranno bisognato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Avrà bisognato studiare per domani.” — “It will have been necessary to study”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei bisognato |
| tu | avresti bisognato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe bisognato |
| noi | avremmo bisognato |
| voi | avreste bisognato |
| loro | avrebbero bisognato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Avrebbe bisognato studiare ieri.” — “It would have been necessary to study”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisogni |
| tu | bisogni |
| lui/lei | bisogni |
| noi | bisogniamo |
| voi | bisogniate |
| loro | bisognino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che bisogni studiare.” — “It is important to study”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | bisognassi |
| tu | bisognassi |
| lui/lei | bisognasse |
| noi | bisognassimo |
| voi | bisognaste |
| loro | bisognassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che bisognasse studiare.” — “It was important to study”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | bisogna |
| lui/lei | bisogni |
| noi | bisogniamo |
| voi | bisognate |
| loro | bisognino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Bisogna partire!” — “It is necessary to leave!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | bisognare |
| lui/lei | bisogni |
| noi | bisogniamo |
| voi | bisogniate |
| loro | bisognino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non bisogna partire.” — “It is not necessary to leave.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | bisognando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Bisognando, imparo molto.” — “While being necessary, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | bisognante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle bisognante 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 | bisognato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ha bisognato studiare questa settimana.” — “It has been necessary to study.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with bisognare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.” — “It is necessary to study”
- “Bisognò partire ieri.” — “It was necessary to leave”
- “Bisognava lavorare una volta.” — “It used to be necessary to work”
- “Bisognerà studiare domani.” — “It will be necessary to study”
- “Bisognerebbe partire un giorno.” — “It would be necessary to leave”
- “Ha bisognato lavorare questa settimana.” — “It has been necessary to work”
- “Aveva bisognato studiare prima della festa.” — “It had been necessary to study”
- “Avrà bisognato partire per domani.” — “It will have been necessary to leave”
- “È importante che bisogni studiare.” — “It is important to study”
- “Bisogna partire!” — “It is necessary to leave!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io bisognare.”
✓ Right: “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.”
The infinitive bisognare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form bisogno.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io bisogni.”
✓ Right: “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.”
bisogni is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with bisogno.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io bisogno ieri.”
✓ Right: “Ha bisognato studiare questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho bisognato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono bisognato.”
✓ Right: “Ha bisognato studiare questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of bisognare is formed with avere plus the past participle bisognato: the io form is ho bisognato. 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 bisogno.”
✓ Right: “È importante che bisogni studiare.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use bisogni here, not the indicative bisogno.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho bisognando.”
✓ Right: “Ha bisognato studiare questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle bisognato, not the gerund bisognando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on bisognare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of bisognare in the Present indicative?
- A) bisogni
- B) bisogno
- C) bisogna
- D) bisogniamo
What is the lui/lei form of bisognare in the Passato remoto?
- A) bisognai
- B) bisognasti
- C) bisognò
- D) bisognammo
What is the noi form of bisognare in the Imperfect?
- A) bisognavo
- B) bisognavi
- C) bisognava
- D) bisognavamo
What is the tu form of bisognare in the Future?
- A) bisognerai
- B) bisognerò
- C) bisognerà
- D) bisogneremo
What is the io form of bisognare in the Conditional?
- A) bisogneresti
- B) bisognerei
- C) bisognerebbe
- D) bisogneremmo
What is the lui/lei form of bisognare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho bisognato
- B) hai bisognato
- C) ha bisognato
- D) abbiamo bisognato
What is the lui/lei form of bisognare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) bisogniamo
- B) bisogniate
- C) bisognino
- D) bisogni
What is the io form of bisognare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) bisognassi
- B) bisognasse
- C) bisognassimo
- D) bisognaste
What is the gerund of bisognare?
- A) bisognato
- B) bisognando
- C) bisognare
- D) bisogno
What does bisognare mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to be necessary
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) bisogno — the correct form is bisogno. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) bisognò — the correct form is bisognò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) bisognavamo — the correct form is bisognavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) bisognerai — the correct form is bisognerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) bisognerei — the correct form is bisognerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha bisognato — the correct form is ha bisognato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) bisogni — the correct form is bisogni. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) bisognassi — the correct form is bisognassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) bisognando — the correct form is bisognando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to be necessary — the correct form is to be necessary. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does bisognare mean in English?
bisognare means “to be necessary”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is bisognare regular or irregular?
bisognare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is bisognando and the past participle is bisognato.
What are the gerund and past participle of bisognare?
The gerund is bisognando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is bisognato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho bisognato.
Which auxiliary does bisognare take in the passato prossimo?
bisognare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho bisognato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle bisognato.
How do I say “it is necessary” in Italian?
Say “Bisogna studiare ogni giorno.” — “It is necessary to study” The io form of the present is bisogno, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of bisognare — every tense of bisognare in one place.
- Bisognare in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Bisognare 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.
- 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 bisognare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise bisognare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise bisognare with the interactive tool.