Introduction

Diventare means “to become”, and this page covers exactly one thing: diventare 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 diventare, 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 diventare in the present. It means to become something, and it takes essere in the passato prossimo. It is completely regular, and it is the verb for changes of state and profession, as in becoming a doctor. For example: “Lui diventa medico.” — “He becomes a doctor.” Everything on this page uses the forms of diventare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Diventare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io divento
tu diventi
lui/lei diventa
noi diventiamo
voi diventate
loro diventano
Gerund: diventando · Past participle: diventato
The gerund is diventando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Diventando medico, imparo molto.” — “While becoming a doctor, I learn a lot.” The past participle is diventato, which you use with essere in the perfect tenses: sono diventato 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 diventare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for diventare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of diventare is formed

The present tense of diventare has six forms: io divento, tu diventi, lui diventa, noi diventiamo, voi diventate, loro diventano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. diventare 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 diventare 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 diventiamo and diventate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so divento can mean both “I become” and “I am becoming” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because diventare 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 diventare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use diventare 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 diventare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io divento medico.” — “I become a doctor.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about diventare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui diventa medico.” — “He becomes a doctor.”

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 diventare 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 diventiamo medico.” — “We become a doctor.”

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 diventi medico.” — “You become a doctor.”

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 diventare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro diventano medico.” — “They become a doctor.”

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 diventa medico.” — “He becomes a doctor”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui è diventato medico questa settimana.” — “He has become a doctor”
  • 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 divento medico.” — “I become a doctor”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io sono diventato medico questa settimana.” — “I have become a doctor”
  • 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 diventi medico.” — “You become a doctor”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu sei diventato medico questa settimana.” — “You have become a doctor”
  • 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: diventare 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 divento medico.” — “I become a doctor”
  2. “Tu diventi medico.” — “You become a doctor”
  3. “Lui diventa medico.” — “He becomes a doctor”
  4. “Noi diventiamo medico.” — “We become a doctor”
  5. “Voi diventate medico.” — “You become a doctor”
  6. “Loro diventano medico.” — “They become a doctor”
  7. “Io divento medico.” — “I become a doctor”
  8. “Lui diventa medico.” — “He becomes a doctor”

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

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 diventare in the Present indicative?

    • A) diventi
    • B) divento
    • C) diventa
    • D) diventiamo

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

    • A) divento
    • B) diventa
    • C) diventi
    • D) diventiamo

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

    • A) divento
    • B) diventi
    • C) diventiamo
    • D) diventa

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

    • A) diventiamo
    • B) divento
    • C) diventi
    • D) diventa

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

    • A) divento
    • B) diventate
    • C) diventi
    • D) diventa

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

    • A) divento
    • B) diventi
    • C) diventano
    • D) diventa

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

    • A) diventi
    • B) diventa
    • C) diventiamo
    • D) divento

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

    • A) diventi
    • B) divento
    • C) diventa
    • D) diventiamo

Answer key

  1. B) divento — the correct form is divento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) diventi — the correct form is diventi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) diventa — the correct form is diventa. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) diventiamo — the correct form is diventiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) diventate — the correct form is diventate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) diventano — the correct form is diventano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) divento — the correct form is divento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) diventi — the correct form is diventi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does diventare mean in English?

diventare means “to become”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of diventare formed?

The six present forms are: io divento, tu diventi, lui diventa, noi diventiamo, voi diventate, loro diventano. diventare 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 diventare?

The gerund is diventando and the past participle is diventato.

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