Finire Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

finire — to finish — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to finish and to end, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is finisco. The rest of the conjugation is regular. On this page you will find finire in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the finire conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the finire passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with finire

In the present tense

  • “Io finisco il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “I finish the work”
  • “Tu finisci il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You finish the work”
  • “Lui finisce il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He finishes the work”
  • “Noi finiamo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “We finish the work”
  • “Voi finite il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You finish the work”
  • “Loro finiscono il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “They finish the work”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have finished the work”
  • “Tu hai finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work”
  • “Lui ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work”
  • “Noi abbiamo finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “We have finished the work”
  • “Voi avete finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work”
  • “Loro hanno finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “They have finished the work”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io finivo il lavoro una volta.” — “I used to finish the work”
  • “Tu finirai il lavoro domani.” — “You will finish the work”
  • “Lui finirebbe il lavoro un giorno.” — “He would finish the work”
  • “È importante che noi finiamo il lavoro.” — “It is important that we finish the work”
  • “Finisci il lavoro!” — “Finish the work!”

How finire is used

The first thing to know about finire is its core meaning: to finish. It means to finish and to end, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is finisco. The rest of the conjugation is regular. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company finire keeps. The present io form is finisco, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho finito, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what finire does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need finisco, never finire. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho finito, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle finito is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Finire in context

Io finisco il lavoro ogni giorno. Tu finisci il lavoro ogni giorno. Lui finisce il lavoro ogni giorno. Noi finiamo il lavoro ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of finire is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — finisco, finisci, finisce, finiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to finish. Io ho finito il lavoro questa settimana. Tu hai finito il lavoro questa settimana. Lui ha finito il lavoro questa settimana. Noi abbiamo finito il lavoro questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of finire appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to finish — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io finire il lavoro.”

✓ Right: “Io finisco il lavoro ogni giorno.”

The infinitive finire never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form finisco.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io finisci il lavoro.”

✓ Right: “Io finisco il lavoro ogni giorno.”

finisci is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is finisco — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io finisco il lavoro ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho finito here, not the present finisco.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono finito il lavoro.”

✓ Right: “Io ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.”

finire takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho finito — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on finire across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of finire in the Present indicative?

    • A) finisco
    • B) finisci
    • C) finisce
    • D) finiamo

  2. What is the io form of finire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai finito
    • B) ha finito
    • C) ho finito
    • D) abbiamo finito

  3. What is the lui/lei form of finire in the Imperfect?

    • A) finivo
    • B) finivi
    • C) finivamo
    • D) finiva

  4. What is the noi form of finire in the Future?

    • A) finiremo
    • B) finirò
    • C) finirai
    • D) finirà

  5. What is the tu form of finire in the Conditional?

    • A) finirei
    • B) finiresti
    • C) finirebbe
    • D) finiremmo

  6. What is the io form of finire in the Passato remoto?

    • A) finisti
    • B) finì
    • C) finii
    • D) finimmo

  7. What is the noi form of finire in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) finisca
    • B) finiate
    • C) finiscano
    • D) finiamo

  8. What is the gerund of finire?

    • A) finendo
    • B) finito
    • C) finire
    • D) finisco

  9. What is the past participle of finire?

    • A) finendo
    • B) finito
    • C) finire
    • D) finisco

  10. What does finire mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to finish
  • D) to do, to make

Answer key

  1. B) finisci — the correct form is finisci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho finito — the correct form is ho finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) finiva — the correct form is finiva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) finiremo — the correct form is finiremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) finiresti — the correct form is finiresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) finii — the correct form is finii. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) finiamo — the correct form is finiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) finendo — the correct form is finendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) finito — the correct form is finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to finish — the correct form is to finish. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does finire mean in English?

finire means “to finish”. You use it whenever you talk about to finish in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is finire regular or irregular?

finire is regular. finire is regular: every form follows the standard -ire endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of finire?

The gerund is finendo and the past participle is finito. The perfect tenses use avere + finito.

Where can I see the full conjugation of finire?

On the finire conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The finire passato prossimo tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for finire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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