Dare Conjugation in Italian
dare means “to give” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 12 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb of giving, and it appears in many set phrases for giving help, giving a hand and giving news. Its present and future are irregular, with a short stem that changes in the singular. This page gives you the complete conjugation of dare — 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 do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I give a book to Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: dare
- English: to give
- Verb type: Irregular -are verb
- Irregular in: present, passato-remoto, future, conditional, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: dando
- Present participle: dante
- Past participle: dato
- 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 dare, 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 dare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about dare
- It is irregular in 10 tense(s): present, passato-remoto, future, conditional, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. 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 dato. 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 dante and dato: 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 dare. 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 | do |
| tu | dai |
| lui/lei | dà |
| noi | diamo |
| voi | date |
| loro | danno |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I give a book to Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diedi |
| tu | desti |
| lui/lei | diede |
| noi | demmo |
| voi | deste |
| loro | diedero |
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 diedi un libro a Maria ieri.” — “I gave a book to Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | davo |
| tu | davi |
| lui/lei | dava |
| noi | davamo |
| voi | davate |
| loro | davano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io davo un libro a Maria una volta.” — “I used to give a book to Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | darò |
| tu | darai |
| lui/lei | darà |
| noi | daremo |
| voi | darete |
| loro | daranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io darò un libro a Maria domani.” — “I will give a book to Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | darei |
| tu | daresti |
| lui/lei | darebbe |
| noi | daremmo |
| voi | dareste |
| loro | darebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io darei un libro a Maria un giorno.” — “I would give a book to Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho dato |
| tu | hai dato |
| lui/lei | ha dato |
| noi | abbiamo dato |
| voi | avete dato |
| loro | hanno dato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has given a book to Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo dato |
| tu | avevi dato |
| lui/lei | aveva dato |
| noi | avevamo dato |
| voi | avevate dato |
| loro | avevano dato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo dato un libro a Maria prima della festa.” — “I had given a book to Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò dato |
| tu | avrai dato |
| lui/lei | avrà dato |
| noi | avremo dato |
| voi | avrete dato |
| loro | avranno dato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò dato un libro a Maria per domani.” — “I will have given a book to Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei dato |
| tu | avresti dato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe dato |
| noi | avremmo dato |
| voi | avreste dato |
| loro | avrebbero dato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei dato un libro a Maria ieri.” — “I would have given a book to Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | dia |
| tu | dia |
| lui/lei | dia |
| noi | diamo |
| voi | diate |
| loro | diano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io dia un libro a Maria.” — “It is important that I give a book to Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | dessi |
| tu | dessi |
| lui/lei | desse |
| noi | dessimo |
| voi | deste |
| loro | dessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io dessi un libro a Maria.” — “It was important that I give a book to Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | dai |
| lui/lei | dia |
| noi | diamo |
| voi | date |
| loro | diano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Dai un libro a Maria!” — “Give a book to Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | dare |
| lui/lei | dia |
| noi | diamo |
| voi | diate |
| loro | diano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non dare un libro a Maria.” — “Do not give a book to Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | dando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Dando un libro a Maria, imparo molto.” — “While giving a book to Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | dante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle dante 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 | dato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have given a book to Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with dare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I give a book to Maria”
- “Tu desti un libro a Maria ieri.” — “You gave a book to Maria”
- “Lui dava un libro a Maria una volta.” — “He used to give a book to Maria”
- “Io darò un libro a Maria domani.” — “I will give a book to Maria”
- “Tu daresti un libro a Maria un giorno.” — “You would give a book to Maria”
- “Lui ha dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has given a book to Maria”
- “Io avevo dato un libro a Maria prima della festa.” — “I had given a book to Maria”
- “Tu avrai dato un libro a Maria per domani.” — “You will have given a book to Maria”
- “È importante che io dia un libro a Maria.” — “It is important that I give a book to Maria”
- “Dai un libro a Maria!” — “Give a book to Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io dare un libro a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.”
The infinitive dare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form do.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io dai un libro a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.”
dai is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with do.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io do un libro a Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho dato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono dato un libro a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of dare is formed with avere plus the past participle dato: the io form is ho dato. 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 do un libro a Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io dia un libro a Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use dia here, not the indicative do.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho dando un libro a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho dato un libro a Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle dato, not the gerund dando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on dare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of dare in the Present indicative?
- A) dai
- B) do
- C) dà
- D) diamo
What is the lui/lei form of dare in the Passato remoto?
- A) diedi
- B) desti
- C) diede
- D) demmo
What is the noi form of dare in the Imperfect?
- A) davo
- B) davi
- C) dava
- D) davamo
What is the tu form of dare in the Future?
- A) darai
- B) darò
- C) darà
- D) daremo
What is the io form of dare in the Conditional?
- A) daresti
- B) darei
- C) darebbe
- D) daremmo
What is the lui/lei form of dare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho dato
- B) hai dato
- C) ha dato
- D) abbiamo dato
What is the lui/lei form of dare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) diamo
- B) diate
- C) diano
- D) dia
What is the io form of dare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) dessi
- B) desse
- C) dessimo
- D) deste
What is the gerund of dare?
- A) dato
- B) dando
- C) dare
- D) do
What does dare mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to give
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) do — the correct form is do. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) diede — the correct form is diede. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) davamo — the correct form is davamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) darai — the correct form is darai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) darei — the correct form is darei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha dato — the correct form is ha dato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) dia — the correct form is dia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) dessi — the correct form is dessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) dando — the correct form is dando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to give — the correct form is to give. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does dare mean in English?
dare means “to give”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is dare regular or irregular?
dare is irregular: it is irregular in present, passato-remoto, future, conditional, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is dando and the past participle is dato.
What are the gerund and past participle of dare?
The gerund is dando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is dato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho dato.
Which auxiliary does dare take in the passato prossimo?
dare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho dato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle dato.
How do I say “I give” in Italian?
Say “Io do un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I give a book to Maria” The io form of the present is do, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of dare — every tense of dare in one place.
- Dare in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Dare 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.
- Fare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Andare 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 dare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise dare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise dare with the interactive tool.