Introduction

Desiderare means “to desire”, and this page covers exactly one thing: desiderare 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 desiderare, 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 desiderare in the present. It is the verb for desiring or wishing for something, and it is completely regular in every tense. It is more formal than volere: use desiderare for a wish expressed politely, and volere for everyday wanting. For example: “Lui desidera un caffè ogni giorno.” — “He desires a coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of desiderare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Desiderare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io desidero
tu desideri
lui/lei desidera
noi desideriamo
voi desiderate
loro desiderano
Gerund: desiderando · Past participle: desiderato
The gerund is desiderando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Desiderando un caffè, imparo molto.” — “While desiring a coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is desiderato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho desiderato 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 desiderare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desiderare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of desiderare is formed

The present tense of desiderare has six forms: io desidero, tu desideri, lui desidera, noi desideriamo, voi desiderate, loro desiderano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. desiderare 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 desiderare 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 desideriamo and desiderate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so desidero can mean both “I desire” and “I am desiring” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because desiderare 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 desiderare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use desiderare 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 desiderare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io desidero un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I desire a coffee.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about desiderare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui desidera un caffè ogni giorno.” — “He desires a coffee.”

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 desiderare 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 desideriamo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “We desire a coffee.”

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 desideri un caffè ogni giorno.” — “You desire a coffee.”

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 desiderare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro desiderano un caffè ogni giorno.” — “They desire a coffee.”

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 desidera un caffè ogni giorno.” — “He desires a coffee”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha desiderato un caffè questa settimana.” — “He has desired a coffee”
  • 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 desidero un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I desire a coffee”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho desiderato un caffè questa settimana.” — “I have desired a coffee”
  • 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 desideri un caffè ogni giorno.” — “You desire a coffee”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai desiderato un caffè questa settimana.” — “You have desired a coffee”
  • 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: desiderare 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 desidero un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I desire a coffee”
  2. “Tu desideri un caffè ogni giorno.” — “You desire a coffee”
  3. “Lui desidera un caffè ogni giorno.” — “He desires a coffee”
  4. “Noi desideriamo un caffè ogni giorno.” — “We desire a coffee”
  5. “Voi desiderate un caffè ogni giorno.” — “You desire a coffee”
  6. “Loro desiderano un caffè ogni giorno.” — “They desire a coffee”
  7. “Io desidero un caffè ogni giorno.” — “I desire a coffee”
  8. “Lui desidera un caffè ogni giorno.” — “He desires a coffee”

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

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 desiderare in the Present indicative?

    • A) desideri
    • B) desidero
    • C) desidera
    • D) desideriamo

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

    • A) desidero
    • B) desidera
    • C) desideri
    • D) desideriamo

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

    • A) desidero
    • B) desideri
    • C) desideriamo
    • D) desidera

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

    • A) desideriamo
    • B) desidero
    • C) desideri
    • D) desidera

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

    • A) desidero
    • B) desiderate
    • C) desideri
    • D) desidera

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

    • A) desidero
    • B) desideri
    • C) desiderano
    • D) desidera

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

    • A) desideri
    • B) desidera
    • C) desideriamo
    • D) desidero

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

    • A) desideri
    • B) desidero
    • C) desidera
    • D) desideriamo

Answer key

  1. B) desidero — the correct form is desidero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) desideri — the correct form is desideri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) desidera — the correct form is desidera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) desideriamo — the correct form is desideriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) desiderate — the correct form is desiderate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) desiderano — the correct form is desiderano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) desidero — the correct form is desidero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) desideri — the correct form is desideri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does desiderare mean in English?

desiderare means “to desire”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of desiderare formed?

The six present forms are: io desidero, tu desideri, lui desidera, noi desideriamo, voi desiderate, loro desiderano. desiderare 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 desiderare?

The gerund is desiderando and the past participle is desiderato.

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