Decidere Conjugation in Italian
decidere means “to decide” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 173 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for making a decision, and its present is regular while its passato remoto and past participle are irregular: the participle is deciso and the remoto is decisi. It is often followed by di plus an infinitive, as in deciding to stay. This page gives you the complete conjugation of decidere — 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 decido di restare ogni giorno.” — “I decide to stay.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: decidere
- English: to decide
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: decidendo
- Present participle: decidente
- Past participle: deciso
- 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 decidere, 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 decidere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about decidere
- 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. Its passato remoto and past participle are irregular: the participle is deciso and the remoto io form is decisi.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle deciso. 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 decidente and deciso: 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.
A note on decidere
A note on the pattern: decidere is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto — io decisi — and in the past participle, which is deciso. Learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for decidere. 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 | decido |
| tu | decidi |
| lui/lei | decide |
| noi | decidiamo |
| voi | decidete |
| loro | decidono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io decido di restare ogni giorno.” — “I decide to stay”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | decisi |
| tu | decidesti |
| lui/lei | decise |
| noi | decidemmo |
| voi | decideste |
| loro | decisero |
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 decisi di restare ieri.” — “I decided to stay”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | decidevo |
| tu | decidevi |
| lui/lei | decideva |
| noi | decidevamo |
| voi | decidevate |
| loro | decidevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io decidevo di restare una volta.” — “I used to decide to stay”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | deciderò |
| tu | deciderai |
| lui/lei | deciderà |
| noi | decideremo |
| voi | deciderete |
| loro | decideranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io deciderò di restare domani.” — “I will decide to stay”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | deciderei |
| tu | decideresti |
| lui/lei | deciderebbe |
| noi | decideremmo |
| voi | decidereste |
| loro | deciderebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io deciderei di restare un giorno.” — “I would decide to stay”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho deciso |
| tu | hai deciso |
| lui/lei | ha deciso |
| noi | abbiamo deciso |
| voi | avete deciso |
| loro | hanno deciso |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha deciso di restare questa settimana.” — “He has decided to stay”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo deciso |
| tu | avevi deciso |
| lui/lei | aveva deciso |
| noi | avevamo deciso |
| voi | avevate deciso |
| loro | avevano deciso |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo deciso di restare prima della festa.” — “I had decided to stay”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò deciso |
| tu | avrai deciso |
| lui/lei | avrà deciso |
| noi | avremo deciso |
| voi | avrete deciso |
| loro | avranno deciso |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò deciso di restare per domani.” — “I will have decided to stay”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei deciso |
| tu | avresti deciso |
| lui/lei | avrebbe deciso |
| noi | avremmo deciso |
| voi | avreste deciso |
| loro | avrebbero deciso |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei deciso di restare ieri.” — “I would have decided to stay”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | decida |
| tu | decida |
| lui/lei | decida |
| noi | decidiamo |
| voi | decidiate |
| loro | decidano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io decida di restare.” — “It is important that I decide to stay”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | decidessi |
| tu | decidessi |
| lui/lei | decidesse |
| noi | decidessimo |
| voi | decideste |
| loro | decidessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io decidessi di restare.” — “It was important that I decide to stay”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | decidi |
| lui/lei | decida |
| noi | decidiamo |
| voi | decidete |
| loro | decidano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Decidi di restare!” — “Decide to stay!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | decidere |
| lui/lei | decida |
| noi | decidiamo |
| voi | decidiate |
| loro | decidano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non decidere di restare.” — “Do not decide to stay.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | decidendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Decidendo di restare, imparo molto.” — “While deciding to stay, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | decidente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle decidente 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 | deciso |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho deciso di restare questa settimana.” — “I have decided to stay.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with decidere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io decido di restare ogni giorno.” — “I decide to stay”
- “Tu decidesti di restare ieri.” — “You decided to stay”
- “Lui decideva di restare una volta.” — “He used to decide to stay”
- “Io deciderò di restare domani.” — “I will decide to stay”
- “Tu decideresti di restare un giorno.” — “You would decide to stay”
- “Lui ha deciso di restare questa settimana.” — “He has decided to stay”
- “Io avevo deciso di restare prima della festa.” — “I had decided to stay”
- “Tu avrai deciso di restare per domani.” — “You will have decided to stay”
- “È importante che io decida di restare.” — “It is important that I decide to stay”
- “Decidi di restare!” — “Decide to stay!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io decidere di restare.”
✓ Right: “Io decido di restare ogni giorno.”
The infinitive decidere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form decido.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io decidi di restare.”
✓ Right: “Io decido di restare ogni giorno.”
decidi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with decido.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io decido di restare ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho deciso di restare questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho deciso for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono deciso di restare.”
✓ Right: “Io ho deciso di restare questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of decidere is formed with avere plus the past participle deciso: the io form is ho deciso. 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 decido di restare.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io decida di restare.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use decida here, not the indicative decido.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho decidendo di restare.”
✓ Right: “Io ho deciso di restare questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle deciso, not the gerund decidendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on decidere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of decidere in the Present indicative?
- A) decidi
- B) decido
- C) decide
- D) decidiamo
What is the lui/lei form of decidere in the Passato remoto?
- A) decisi
- B) decidesti
- C) decise
- D) decidemmo
What is the noi form of decidere in the Imperfect?
- A) decidevo
- B) decidevi
- C) decideva
- D) decidevamo
What is the tu form of decidere in the Future?
- A) deciderai
- B) deciderò
- C) deciderà
- D) decideremo
What is the io form of decidere in the Conditional?
- A) decideresti
- B) deciderei
- C) deciderebbe
- D) decideremmo
What is the lui/lei form of decidere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho deciso
- B) hai deciso
- C) ha deciso
- D) abbiamo deciso
What is the lui/lei form of decidere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) decidiamo
- B) decidiate
- C) decidano
- D) decida
What is the io form of decidere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) decidessi
- B) decidesse
- C) decidessimo
- D) decideste
What is the gerund of decidere?
- A) deciso
- B) decidendo
- C) decidere
- D) decido
What does decidere mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to decide
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) decido — the correct form is decido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) decise — the correct form is decise. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) decidevamo — the correct form is decidevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) deciderai — the correct form is deciderai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) deciderei — the correct form is deciderei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha deciso — the correct form is ha deciso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) decida — the correct form is decida. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) decidessi — the correct form is decidessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) decidendo — the correct form is decidendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to decide — the correct form is to decide. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does decidere mean in English?
decidere means “to decide”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is decidere regular or irregular?
decidere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is decidendo and the past participle is deciso.
What are the gerund and past participle of decidere?
The gerund is decidendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is deciso — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho deciso.
Which auxiliary does decidere take in the passato prossimo?
decidere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho deciso. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle deciso.
How do I say “I decide” in Italian?
Say “Io decido di restare ogni giorno.” — “I decide to stay” The io form of the present is decido, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of decidere — every tense of decidere in one place.
- Decidere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Decidere 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.
- Rispondere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Discutere 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 decidere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise decidere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise decidere with the interactive tool.