Cantare Conjugation in Italian
cantare means “to sing” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 35 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to sing a song, and it is completely regular. It is one of the model -are verbs, so its tables show the plain -are endings in every tense. This page gives you the complete conjugation of cantare — 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 canto una canzone ogni giorno.” — “I sing a song.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: cantare
- English: to sing
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: cantando
- Present participle: cantante
- Past participle: cantato
- 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 cantare, 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 cantare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about cantare
- 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 cantato. 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 cantante and cantato: 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 cantare. 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 | canto |
| tu | canti |
| lui/lei | canta |
| noi | cantiamo |
| voi | cantate |
| loro | cantano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io canto una canzone ogni giorno.” — “I sing a song”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | cantai |
| tu | cantasti |
| lui/lei | cantò |
| noi | cantammo |
| voi | cantaste |
| loro | cantarono |
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 cantai una canzone ieri.” — “I sang a song”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | cantavo |
| tu | cantavi |
| lui/lei | cantava |
| noi | cantavamo |
| voi | cantavate |
| loro | cantavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io cantavo una canzone una volta.” — “I used to sing a song”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | canterò |
| tu | canterai |
| lui/lei | canterà |
| noi | canteremo |
| voi | canterete |
| loro | canteranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io canterò una canzone domani.” — “I will sing a song”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | canterei |
| tu | canteresti |
| lui/lei | canterebbe |
| noi | canteremmo |
| voi | cantereste |
| loro | canterebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io canterei una canzone un giorno.” — “I would sing a song”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho cantato |
| tu | hai cantato |
| lui/lei | ha cantato |
| noi | abbiamo cantato |
| voi | avete cantato |
| loro | hanno cantato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha cantato una canzone questa settimana.” — “He has sung a song”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo cantato |
| tu | avevi cantato |
| lui/lei | aveva cantato |
| noi | avevamo cantato |
| voi | avevate cantato |
| loro | avevano cantato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo cantato una canzone prima della festa.” — “I had sung a song”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò cantato |
| tu | avrai cantato |
| lui/lei | avrà cantato |
| noi | avremo cantato |
| voi | avrete cantato |
| loro | avranno cantato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò cantato una canzone per domani.” — “I will have sung a song”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei cantato |
| tu | avresti cantato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe cantato |
| noi | avremmo cantato |
| voi | avreste cantato |
| loro | avrebbero cantato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei cantato una canzone ieri.” — “I would have sung a song”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | canti |
| tu | canti |
| lui/lei | canti |
| noi | cantiamo |
| voi | cantiate |
| loro | cantino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io canti una canzone.” — “It is important that I sing a song”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | cantassi |
| tu | cantassi |
| lui/lei | cantasse |
| noi | cantassimo |
| voi | cantaste |
| loro | cantassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io cantassi una canzone.” — “It was important that I sing a song”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | canta |
| lui/lei | canti |
| noi | cantiamo |
| voi | cantate |
| loro | cantino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Canta una canzone!” — “Sing a song!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | cantare |
| lui/lei | canti |
| noi | cantiamo |
| voi | cantiate |
| loro | cantino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non cantare una canzone.” — “Do not sing a song.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | cantando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Cantando una canzone, imparo molto.” — “While singing a song, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | cantante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle cantante 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 | cantato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho cantato una canzone questa settimana.” — “I have sung a song.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with cantare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io canto una canzone ogni giorno.” — “I sing a song”
- “Tu cantasti una canzone ieri.” — “You sang a song”
- “Lui cantava una canzone una volta.” — “He used to sing a song”
- “Io canterò una canzone domani.” — “I will sing a song”
- “Tu canteresti una canzone un giorno.” — “You would sing a song”
- “Lui ha cantato una canzone questa settimana.” — “He has sung a song”
- “Io avevo cantato una canzone prima della festa.” — “I had sung a song”
- “Tu avrai cantato una canzone per domani.” — “You will have sung a song”
- “È importante che io canti una canzone.” — “It is important that I sing a song”
- “Canta una canzone!” — “Sing a song!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io cantare una canzone.”
✓ Right: “Io canto una canzone ogni giorno.”
The infinitive cantare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form canto.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io canti una canzone.”
✓ Right: “Io canto una canzone ogni giorno.”
canti is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with canto.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io canto una canzone ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho cantato una canzone questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho cantato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono cantato una canzone.”
✓ Right: “Io ho cantato una canzone questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of cantare is formed with avere plus the past participle cantato: the io form is ho cantato. 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 canto una canzone.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io canti una canzone.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use canti here, not the indicative canto.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho cantando una canzone.”
✓ Right: “Io ho cantato una canzone questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle cantato, not the gerund cantando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on cantare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of cantare in the Present indicative?
- A) canti
- B) canto
- C) canta
- D) cantiamo
What is the lui/lei form of cantare in the Passato remoto?
- A) cantai
- B) cantasti
- C) cantò
- D) cantammo
What is the noi form of cantare in the Imperfect?
- A) cantavo
- B) cantavi
- C) cantava
- D) cantavamo
What is the tu form of cantare in the Future?
- A) canterai
- B) canterò
- C) canterà
- D) canteremo
What is the io form of cantare in the Conditional?
- A) canteresti
- B) canterei
- C) canterebbe
- D) canteremmo
What is the lui/lei form of cantare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho cantato
- B) hai cantato
- C) ha cantato
- D) abbiamo cantato
What is the lui/lei form of cantare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) cantiamo
- B) cantiate
- C) cantino
- D) canti
What is the io form of cantare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) cantassi
- B) cantasse
- C) cantassimo
- D) cantaste
What is the gerund of cantare?
- A) cantato
- B) cantando
- C) cantare
- D) canto
What does cantare mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to sing
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) canto — the correct form is canto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) cantò — the correct form is cantò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) cantavamo — the correct form is cantavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) canterai — the correct form is canterai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) canterei — the correct form is canterei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha cantato — the correct form is ha cantato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) canti — the correct form is canti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) cantassi — the correct form is cantassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) cantando — the correct form is cantando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to sing — the correct form is to sing. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does cantare mean in English?
cantare means “to sing”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is cantare regular or irregular?
cantare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is cantando and the past participle is cantato.
What are the gerund and past participle of cantare?
The gerund is cantando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is cantato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho cantato.
Which auxiliary does cantare take in the passato prossimo?
cantare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho cantato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle cantato.
How do I say “I sing” in Italian?
Say “Io canto una canzone ogni giorno.” — “I sing a song” The io form of the present is canto, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of cantare — every tense of cantare in one place.
- Cantare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Cantare 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 cantare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise cantare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise cantare with the interactive tool.