Chiudere Conjugation in Italian
chiudere means “to close” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 69 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to close a door, a window or a book, and it is irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is chiuso, while the present is regular. This page gives you the complete conjugation of chiudere — 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 chiudo la porta ogni giorno.” — “I close the door.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: chiudere
- English: to close
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: chiudendo
- Present participle: chiudente
- Past participle: chiuso
- 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 chiudere, 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 chiudere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about chiudere
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. 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 chiuso. 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 chiudente and chiuso: 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 chiudere. 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 | chiudo |
| tu | chiudi |
| lui/lei | chiude |
| noi | chiudiamo |
| voi | chiudete |
| loro | chiudono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io chiudo la porta ogni giorno.” — “I close the door”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiusi |
| tu | chiudesti |
| lui/lei | chiuse |
| noi | chiudemmo |
| voi | chiudeste |
| loro | chiusero |
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 chiusi la porta ieri.” — “I closed the door”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiudevo |
| tu | chiudevi |
| lui/lei | chiudeva |
| noi | chiudevamo |
| voi | chiudevate |
| loro | chiudevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io chiudevo la porta una volta.” — “I used to close the door”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiuderò |
| tu | chiuderai |
| lui/lei | chiuderà |
| noi | chiuderemo |
| voi | chiuderete |
| loro | chiuderanno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io chiuderò la porta domani.” — “I will close the door”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiuderei |
| tu | chiuderesti |
| lui/lei | chiuderebbe |
| noi | chiuderemmo |
| voi | chiudereste |
| loro | chiuderebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io chiuderei la porta un giorno.” — “I would close the door”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho chiuso |
| tu | hai chiuso |
| lui/lei | ha chiuso |
| noi | abbiamo chiuso |
| voi | avete chiuso |
| loro | hanno chiuso |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha chiuso la porta questa settimana.” — “He has closed the door”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo chiuso |
| tu | avevi chiuso |
| lui/lei | aveva chiuso |
| noi | avevamo chiuso |
| voi | avevate chiuso |
| loro | avevano chiuso |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo chiuso la porta prima della festa.” — “I had closed the door”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò chiuso |
| tu | avrai chiuso |
| lui/lei | avrà chiuso |
| noi | avremo chiuso |
| voi | avrete chiuso |
| loro | avranno chiuso |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò chiuso la porta per domani.” — “I will have closed the door”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei chiuso |
| tu | avresti chiuso |
| lui/lei | avrebbe chiuso |
| noi | avremmo chiuso |
| voi | avreste chiuso |
| loro | avrebbero chiuso |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei chiuso la porta ieri.” — “I would have closed the door”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiuda |
| tu | chiuda |
| lui/lei | chiuda |
| noi | chiudiamo |
| voi | chiudiate |
| loro | chiudano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io chiuda la porta.” — “It is important that I close the door”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiudessi |
| tu | chiudessi |
| lui/lei | chiudesse |
| noi | chiudessimo |
| voi | chiudeste |
| loro | chiudessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io chiudessi la porta.” — “It was important that I close the door”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | chiudi |
| lui/lei | chiuda |
| noi | chiudiamo |
| voi | chiudete |
| loro | chiudano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Chiudi la porta!” — “Close the door!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | chiudere |
| lui/lei | chiuda |
| noi | chiudiamo |
| voi | chiudiate |
| loro | chiudano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non chiudere la porta.” — “Do not close the door.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | chiudendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Chiudendo la porta, imparo molto.” — “While closing the door, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | chiudente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle chiudente 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 | chiuso |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho chiuso la porta questa settimana.” — “I have closed the door.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with chiudere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io chiudo la porta ogni giorno.” — “I close the door”
- “Tu chiudesti la porta ieri.” — “You closed the door”
- “Lui chiudeva la porta una volta.” — “He used to close the door”
- “Io chiuderò la porta domani.” — “I will close the door”
- “Tu chiuderesti la porta un giorno.” — “You would close the door”
- “Lui ha chiuso la porta questa settimana.” — “He has closed the door”
- “Io avevo chiuso la porta prima della festa.” — “I had closed the door”
- “Tu avrai chiuso la porta per domani.” — “You will have closed the door”
- “È importante che io chiuda la porta.” — “It is important that I close the door”
- “Chiudi la porta!” — “Close the door!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io chiudere la porta.”
✓ Right: “Io chiudo la porta ogni giorno.”
The infinitive chiudere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form chiudo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io chiudi la porta.”
✓ Right: “Io chiudo la porta ogni giorno.”
chiudi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with chiudo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io chiudo la porta ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiuso la porta questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho chiuso for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono chiuso la porta.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiuso la porta questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of chiudere is formed with avere plus the past participle chiuso: the io form is ho chiuso. 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 chiudo la porta.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io chiuda la porta.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use chiuda here, not the indicative chiudo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho chiudendo la porta.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiuso la porta questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle chiuso, not the gerund chiudendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on chiudere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of chiudere in the Present indicative?
- A) chiudi
- B) chiudo
- C) chiude
- D) chiudiamo
What is the lui/lei form of chiudere in the Passato remoto?
- A) chiusi
- B) chiudesti
- C) chiuse
- D) chiudemmo
What is the noi form of chiudere in the Imperfect?
- A) chiudevo
- B) chiudevi
- C) chiudeva
- D) chiudevamo
What is the tu form of chiudere in the Future?
- A) chiuderai
- B) chiuderò
- C) chiuderà
- D) chiuderemo
What is the io form of chiudere in the Conditional?
- A) chiuderesti
- B) chiuderei
- C) chiuderebbe
- D) chiuderemmo
What is the lui/lei form of chiudere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho chiuso
- B) hai chiuso
- C) ha chiuso
- D) abbiamo chiuso
What is the lui/lei form of chiudere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) chiudiamo
- B) chiudiate
- C) chiudano
- D) chiuda
What is the io form of chiudere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) chiudessi
- B) chiudesse
- C) chiudessimo
- D) chiudeste
What is the gerund of chiudere?
- A) chiuso
- B) chiudendo
- C) chiudere
- D) chiudo
What does chiudere mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to close
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) chiudo — the correct form is chiudo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) chiuse — the correct form is chiuse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) chiudevamo — the correct form is chiudevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) chiuderai — the correct form is chiuderai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) chiuderei — the correct form is chiuderei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha chiuso — the correct form is ha chiuso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) chiuda — the correct form is chiuda. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) chiudessi — the correct form is chiudessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) chiudendo — the correct form is chiudendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to close — the correct form is to close. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does chiudere mean in English?
chiudere means “to close”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is chiudere regular or irregular?
chiudere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is chiudendo and the past participle is chiuso.
What are the gerund and past participle of chiudere?
The gerund is chiudendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is chiuso — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho chiuso.
Which auxiliary does chiudere take in the passato prossimo?
chiudere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho chiuso. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle chiuso.
How do I say “I close” in Italian?
Say “Io chiudo la porta ogni giorno.” — “I close the door” The io form of the present is chiudo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of chiudere — every tense of chiudere in one place.
- Chiudere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Chiudere 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.
- Sedersi conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Tenere 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 chiudere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise chiudere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise chiudere with the interactive tool.