Introduction

Cucinare means “to cook”, and this page covers exactly one thing: cucinare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for cucinare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about cucinare in the present. It is the verb for cooking a meal, and it is completely regular in every tense. It takes the dish or the meal as its object, and it is the verb behind every recipe and every kitchen conversation. For example: “Lui cucina la cena ogni giorno.” — “He cooks dinner.” Everything on this page uses the forms of cucinare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Cucinare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io cucino
tu cucini
lui/lei cucina
noi cuciniamo
voi cucinate
loro cucinano
Gerund: cucinando · Past participle: cucinato
The gerund is cucinando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Cucinando la cena, imparo molto.” — “While cooking dinner, I learn a lot.” The past participle is cucinato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho cucinato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how cucinare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cucinare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of cucinare is formed

The present tense of cucinare has six forms: io cucino, tu cucini, lui cucina, noi cuciniamo, voi cucinate, loro cucinano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. cucinare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of cucinare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning cuciniamo and cucinate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so cucino can mean both “I cook” and “I am cooking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because cucinare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of cucinare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use cucinare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and cucinare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” — “I cook dinner.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about cucinare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui cucina la cena ogni giorno.” — “He cooks dinner.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with cucinare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi cuciniamo la cena ogni giorno.” — “We cook dinner.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu cucini la cena ogni giorno.” — “You cook dinner.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and cucinare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro cucinano la cena ogni giorno.” — “They cook dinner.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui cucina la cena ogni giorno.” — “He cooks dinner”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha cucinato la cena questa settimana.” — “He has cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” — “I cook dinner”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho cucinato la cena questa settimana.” — “I have cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu cucini la cena ogni giorno.” — “You cook dinner”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai cucinato la cena questa settimana.” — “You have cooked dinner”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: cucinare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” — “I cook dinner”
  2. “Tu cucini la cena ogni giorno.” — “You cook dinner”
  3. “Lui cucina la cena ogni giorno.” — “He cooks dinner”
  4. “Noi cuciniamo la cena ogni giorno.” — “We cook dinner”
  5. “Voi cucinate la cena ogni giorno.” — “You cook dinner”
  6. “Loro cucinano la cena ogni giorno.” — “They cook dinner”
  7. “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” — “I cook dinner”
  8. “Lui cucina la cena ogni giorno.” — “He cooks dinner”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io cucini la cena.” Right: “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is cucino, not cucini. cucini is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi cucino la cena.” Right: “Noi cuciniamo la cena ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form cuciniamo. cucino belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho cucinato la cena questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho cucinato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io cucinare la cena.” Right: “Io cucino la cena ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive cucinare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form cucino.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucini
    • B) cucino
    • C) cucina
    • D) cuciniamo

  2. What is the tu form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucino
    • B) cucina
    • C) cucini
    • D) cuciniamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucino
    • B) cucini
    • C) cuciniamo
    • D) cucina

  4. What is the noi form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cuciniamo
    • B) cucino
    • C) cucini
    • D) cucina

  5. What is the voi form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucino
    • B) cucinate
    • C) cucini
    • D) cucina

  6. What is the loro form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucino
    • B) cucini
    • C) cucinano
    • D) cucina

  7. What is the io form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucini
    • B) cucina
    • C) cuciniamo
    • D) cucino

  8. What is the tu form of cucinare in the Present indicative?

    • A) cucini
    • B) cucino
    • C) cucina
    • D) cuciniamo

Answer key

  1. B) cucino — the correct form is cucino. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) cucini — the correct form is cucini. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) cucina — the correct form is cucina. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) cuciniamo — the correct form is cuciniamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) cucinate — the correct form is cucinate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) cucinano — the correct form is cucinano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) cucino — the correct form is cucino. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) cucini — the correct form is cucini. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does cucinare mean in English?

cucinare means “to cook”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of cucinare formed?

The six present forms are: io cucino, tu cucini, lui cucina, noi cuciniamo, voi cucinate, loro cucinano. cucinare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of cucinare?

The gerund is cucinando and the past participle is cucinato.

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