Diventare Conjugation in Italian
diventare means “to become” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 54 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of diventare — 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 divento medico.” — “I become a doctor.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: diventare
- English: to become
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: diventando
- Present participle: diventante
- Past participle: diventato
- Auxiliary: essere (all perfect tenses are formed with essere + 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 diventare, 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 diventare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about diventare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use essere: the passato prossimo is formed with essere in the present plus the past participle diventato. 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 diventante and diventato: 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 diventare
A note on the auxiliary: diventare takes essere in the passato prossimo — io sono diventato — because it is a verb of change of state, and the past participle agrees with the subject in the sentence.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for diventare. 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 | divento |
| tu | diventi |
| lui/lei | diventa |
| noi | diventiamo |
| voi | diventate |
| loro | diventano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io divento medico.” — “I become a doctor”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventai |
| tu | diventasti |
| lui/lei | diventò |
| noi | diventammo |
| voi | diventaste |
| loro | diventarono |
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 diventai medico ieri.” — “I became a doctor”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventavo |
| tu | diventavi |
| lui/lei | diventava |
| noi | diventavamo |
| voi | diventavate |
| loro | diventavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io diventavo medico una volta.” — “I used to become a doctor”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventerò |
| tu | diventerai |
| lui/lei | diventerà |
| noi | diventeremo |
| voi | diventerete |
| loro | diventeranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io diventerò medico domani.” — “I will become a doctor”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventerei |
| tu | diventeresti |
| lui/lei | diventerebbe |
| noi | diventeremmo |
| voi | diventereste |
| loro | diventerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io diventerei medico un giorno.” — “I would become a doctor”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sono diventato |
| tu | sei diventato |
| lui/lei | è diventato |
| noi | siamo diventato |
| voi | siete diventato |
| loro | sono diventato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui è diventato medico questa settimana.” — “He has become a doctor”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ero diventato |
| tu | eri diventato |
| lui/lei | era diventato |
| noi | eravamo diventato |
| voi | eravate diventato |
| loro | erano diventato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io ero diventato medico prima della festa.” — “I had become a doctor”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarò diventato |
| tu | sarai diventato |
| lui/lei | sarà diventato |
| noi | saremo diventato |
| voi | sarete diventato |
| loro | saranno diventato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io sarò diventato medico per domani.” — “I will have become a doctor”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarei diventato |
| tu | saresti diventato |
| lui/lei | sarebbe diventato |
| noi | saremmo diventato |
| voi | sareste diventato |
| loro | sarebbero diventato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io sarei diventato medico ieri.” — “I would have become a doctor”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventi |
| tu | diventi |
| lui/lei | diventi |
| noi | diventiamo |
| voi | diventiate |
| loro | diventino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io diventi medico.” — “It is important that I become a doctor”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | diventassi |
| tu | diventassi |
| lui/lei | diventasse |
| noi | diventassimo |
| voi | diventaste |
| loro | diventassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io diventassi medico.” — “It was important that I become a doctor”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | diventa |
| lui/lei | diventi |
| noi | diventiamo |
| voi | diventate |
| loro | diventino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Diventa medico!” — “Become a doctor!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | diventare |
| lui/lei | diventi |
| noi | diventiamo |
| voi | diventiate |
| loro | diventino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non diventare medico.” — “Do not become a doctor.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | diventando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Diventando medico, imparo molto.” — “While becoming a doctor, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | diventante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle diventante 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 | diventato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io sono diventato medico questa settimana.” — “I have become a doctor.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with diventare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io divento medico.” — “I become a doctor”
- “Tu diventasti medico ieri.” — “You became a doctor”
- “Lui diventava medico una volta.” — “He used to become a doctor”
- “Io diventerò medico domani.” — “I will become a doctor”
- “Tu diventeresti medico un giorno.” — “You would become a doctor”
- “Lui è diventato medico questa settimana.” — “He has become a doctor”
- “Io ero diventato medico prima della festa.” — “I had become a doctor”
- “Tu sarai diventato medico per domani.” — “You will have become a doctor”
- “È importante che io diventi medico.” — “It is important that I become a doctor”
- “Diventa medico!” — “Become a doctor!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io diventare medico.”
✓ Right: “Io divento medico.”
The infinitive diventare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form divento.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io diventi medico.”
✓ Right: “Io divento medico.”
diventi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with divento.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io divento medico ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io sono diventato medico questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono diventato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io ho diventato medico.”
✓ Right: “Io sono diventato medico questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of diventare is formed with essere plus the past participle diventato: the io form is sono diventato. 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 divento medico.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io diventi medico.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use diventi here, not the indicative divento.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io sono diventando medico.”
✓ Right: “Io sono diventato medico questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle diventato, not the gerund diventando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on diventare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of diventare in the Present indicative?
- A) diventi
- B) divento
- C) diventa
- D) diventiamo
What is the lui/lei form of diventare in the Passato remoto?
- A) diventai
- B) diventasti
- C) diventò
- D) diventammo
What is the noi form of diventare in the Imperfect?
- A) diventavo
- B) diventavi
- C) diventava
- D) diventavamo
What is the tu form of diventare in the Future?
- A) diventerai
- B) diventerò
- C) diventerà
- D) diventeremo
What is the io form of diventare in the Conditional?
- A) diventeresti
- B) diventerei
- C) diventerebbe
- D) diventeremmo
What is the lui/lei form of diventare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) sono diventato
- B) sei diventato
- C) è diventato
- D) siamo diventato
What is the lui/lei form of diventare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) diventiamo
- B) diventiate
- C) diventino
- D) diventi
What is the io form of diventare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) diventassi
- B) diventasse
- C) diventassimo
- D) diventaste
What is the gerund of diventare?
- A) diventato
- B) diventando
- C) diventare
- D) divento
What does diventare mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to become
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) divento — the correct form is divento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) diventò — the correct form is diventò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) diventavamo — the correct form is diventavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) diventerai — the correct form is diventerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) diventerei — the correct form is diventerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) è diventato — the correct form is è diventato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) diventi — the correct form is diventi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) diventassi — the correct form is diventassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) diventando — the correct form is diventando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to become — the correct form is to become. 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 core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is diventare regular or irregular?
diventare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is diventando and the past participle is diventato.
What are the gerund and past participle of diventare?
The gerund is diventando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is diventato — use it with essere for the perfect tenses, as in sono diventato.
Which auxiliary does diventare take in the passato prossimo?
diventare takes essere in the passato prossimo: the io form is sono diventato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with essere plus the past participle diventato.
How do I say “I become” in Italian?
Say “Io divento medico.” — “I become a doctor” The io form of the present is divento, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of diventare — every tense of diventare in one place.
- Diventare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Diventare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Chiamare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Cercare 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 diventare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise diventare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise diventare with the interactive tool.