Conoscere Conjugation in Italian
conoscere means “to know” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 95 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to know a person or a place, and to be acquainted with something, and it is different from sapere, which means to know a fact. Only its passato remoto is irregular; the rest of the conjugation is regular. This page gives you the complete conjugation of conoscere — 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 conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: conoscere
- English: to know
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto
- Gerund: conoscendo
- Present participle: conoscente
- Past participle: conoscuto
- 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 conoscere, 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 conoscere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about conoscere
- It is irregular in 1 tense(s): passato-remoto. 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 conoscuto. 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 conoscente and conoscuto: 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 conoscere. 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 | conosco |
| tu | conosci |
| lui/lei | conosce |
| noi | conosciamo |
| voi | conoscete |
| loro | conoscono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conobbi |
| tu | conoscesti |
| lui/lei | conobbe |
| noi | conoscemmo |
| voi | conosceste |
| loro | conobbero |
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 conobbi Maria ieri.” — “I knew Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conoscevo |
| tu | conoscevi |
| lui/lei | conosceva |
| noi | conoscevamo |
| voi | conoscevate |
| loro | conoscevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io conoscevo Maria una volta.” — “I used to know Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conoscerò |
| tu | conoscerai |
| lui/lei | conoscerà |
| noi | conosceremo |
| voi | conoscerete |
| loro | conosceranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io conoscerò Maria domani.” — “I will know Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conoscerei |
| tu | conosceresti |
| lui/lei | conoscerebbe |
| noi | conosceremmo |
| voi | conoscereste |
| loro | conoscerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io conoscerei Maria un giorno.” — “I would know Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho conoscuto |
| tu | hai conoscuto |
| lui/lei | ha conoscuto |
| noi | abbiamo conoscuto |
| voi | avete conoscuto |
| loro | hanno conoscuto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “He has known Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo conoscuto |
| tu | avevi conoscuto |
| lui/lei | aveva conoscuto |
| noi | avevamo conoscuto |
| voi | avevate conoscuto |
| loro | avevano conoscuto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo conoscuto Maria prima della festa.” — “I had known Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò conoscuto |
| tu | avrai conoscuto |
| lui/lei | avrà conoscuto |
| noi | avremo conoscuto |
| voi | avrete conoscuto |
| loro | avranno conoscuto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò conoscuto Maria per domani.” — “I will have known Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei conoscuto |
| tu | avresti conoscuto |
| lui/lei | avrebbe conoscuto |
| noi | avremmo conoscuto |
| voi | avreste conoscuto |
| loro | avrebbero conoscuto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei conoscuto Maria ieri.” — “I would have known Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conosca |
| tu | conosca |
| lui/lei | conosca |
| noi | conosciamo |
| voi | conosciate |
| loro | conoscano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io conosca Maria.” — “It is important that I know Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | conoscessi |
| tu | conoscessi |
| lui/lei | conoscesse |
| noi | conoscessimo |
| voi | conosceste |
| loro | conoscessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io conoscessi Maria.” — “It was important that I know Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | conosci |
| lui/lei | conosca |
| noi | conosciamo |
| voi | conoscete |
| loro | conoscano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Conosci Maria!” — “Know Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | conoscere |
| lui/lei | conosca |
| noi | conosciamo |
| voi | conosciate |
| loro | conoscano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non conoscere Maria.” — “Do not know Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | conoscendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Conoscendo Maria, imparo molto.” — “While knowing Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | conoscente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle conoscente 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 | conoscuto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “I have known Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with conoscere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria”
- “Tu conoscesti Maria ieri.” — “You knew Maria”
- “Lui conosceva Maria una volta.” — “He used to know Maria”
- “Io conoscerò Maria domani.” — “I will know Maria”
- “Tu conosceresti Maria un giorno.” — “You would know Maria”
- “Lui ha conoscuto Maria questa settimana.” — “He has known Maria”
- “Io avevo conoscuto Maria prima della festa.” — “I had known Maria”
- “Tu avrai conoscuto Maria per domani.” — “You will have known Maria”
- “È importante che io conosca Maria.” — “It is important that I know Maria”
- “Conosci Maria!” — “Know Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io conoscere Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.”
The infinitive conoscere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form conosco.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io conosci Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.”
conosci is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with conosco.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io conosco Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho conoscuto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono conoscuto Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of conoscere is formed with avere plus the past participle conoscuto: the io form is ho conoscuto. 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 conosco Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io conosca Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use conosca here, not the indicative conosco.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho conoscendo Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho conoscuto Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle conoscuto, not the gerund conoscendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on conoscere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of conoscere in the Present indicative?
- A) conosci
- B) conosco
- C) conosce
- D) conosciamo
What is the lui/lei form of conoscere in the Passato remoto?
- A) conobbi
- B) conoscesti
- C) conobbe
- D) conoscemmo
What is the noi form of conoscere in the Imperfect?
- A) conoscevo
- B) conoscevi
- C) conosceva
- D) conoscevamo
What is the tu form of conoscere in the Future?
- A) conoscerai
- B) conoscerò
- C) conoscerà
- D) conosceremo
What is the io form of conoscere in the Conditional?
- A) conosceresti
- B) conoscerei
- C) conoscerebbe
- D) conosceremmo
What is the lui/lei form of conoscere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho conoscuto
- B) hai conoscuto
- C) ha conoscuto
- D) abbiamo conoscuto
What is the lui/lei form of conoscere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) conosciamo
- B) conosciate
- C) conoscano
- D) conosca
What is the io form of conoscere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) conoscessi
- B) conoscesse
- C) conoscessimo
- D) conosceste
What is the gerund of conoscere?
- A) conoscuto
- B) conoscendo
- C) conoscere
- D) conosco
What does conoscere mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to know
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) conosco — the correct form is conosco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) conobbe — the correct form is conobbe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) conoscevamo — the correct form is conoscevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) conoscerai — the correct form is conoscerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) conoscerei — the correct form is conoscerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha conoscuto — the correct form is ha conoscuto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) conosca — the correct form is conosca. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) conoscessi — the correct form is conoscessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) conoscendo — the correct form is conoscendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to know — the correct form is to know. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does conoscere mean in English?
conoscere means “to know”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is conoscere regular or irregular?
conoscere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto. The gerund is conoscendo and the past participle is conoscuto.
What are the gerund and past participle of conoscere?
The gerund is conoscendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is conoscuto — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho conoscuto.
Which auxiliary does conoscere take in the passato prossimo?
conoscere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho conoscuto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle conoscuto.
How do I say “I know” in Italian?
Say “Io conosco Maria ogni giorno.” — “I know Maria” The io form of the present is conosco, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of conoscere — every tense of conoscere in one place.
- Conoscere in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Conoscere 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.
- 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 conoscere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise conoscere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise conoscere with the interactive tool.