Guidare Conjugation in Italian
guidare means “to drive” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 321 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the everyday verb for driving a car, and it is completely regular in every tense. Do not confuse it with condurre, the -rre verb for leading or driving in a formal sense: guidare is the verb you use for the car, the bus and the road. This page gives you the complete conjugation of guidare — 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 guido la macchina ogni giorno.” — “I drive the car.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: guidare
- English: to drive
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: guidando
- Present participle: guidante
- Past participle: guidato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + 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 guidare, 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 guidare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about guidare
- 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 avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle guidato. 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 guidante and guidato: 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 guidare
A note on the choice of verb: guidare is the everyday verb for driving a car, while condurre is the -rre verb for leading a team or driving in a formal sense. For the car, the bus and the road, guidare is the verb you want, and it is completely regular.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for guidare. 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 | guido |
| tu | guidi |
| lui/lei | guida |
| noi | guidiamo |
| voi | guidate |
| loro | guidano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io guido la macchina ogni giorno.” — “I drive the car”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guidai |
| tu | guidasti |
| lui/lei | guidò |
| noi | guidammo |
| voi | guidaste |
| loro | guidarono |
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 guidai la macchina ieri.” — “I drove the car”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guidavo |
| tu | guidavi |
| lui/lei | guidava |
| noi | guidavamo |
| voi | guidavate |
| loro | guidavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io guidavo la macchina una volta.” — “I used to drive the car”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guiderò |
| tu | guiderai |
| lui/lei | guiderà |
| noi | guideremo |
| voi | guiderete |
| loro | guideranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io guiderò la macchina domani.” — “I will drive the car”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guiderei |
| tu | guideresti |
| lui/lei | guiderebbe |
| noi | guideremmo |
| voi | guidereste |
| loro | guiderebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io guiderei la macchina un giorno.” — “I would drive the car”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho guidato |
| tu | hai guidato |
| lui/lei | ha guidato |
| noi | abbiamo guidato |
| voi | avete guidato |
| loro | hanno guidato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha guidato la macchina questa settimana.” — “He has driven the car”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo guidato |
| tu | avevi guidato |
| lui/lei | aveva guidato |
| noi | avevamo guidato |
| voi | avevate guidato |
| loro | avevano guidato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo guidato la macchina prima della festa.” — “I had driven the car”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò guidato |
| tu | avrai guidato |
| lui/lei | avrà guidato |
| noi | avremo guidato |
| voi | avrete guidato |
| loro | avranno guidato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò guidato la macchina per domani.” — “I will have driven the car”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei guidato |
| tu | avresti guidato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe guidato |
| noi | avremmo guidato |
| voi | avreste guidato |
| loro | avrebbero guidato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei guidato la macchina ieri.” — “I would have driven the car”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guidi |
| tu | guidi |
| lui/lei | guidi |
| noi | guidiamo |
| voi | guidiate |
| loro | guidino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io guidi la macchina.” — “It is important that I drive the car”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | guidassi |
| tu | guidassi |
| lui/lei | guidasse |
| noi | guidassimo |
| voi | guidaste |
| loro | guidassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io guidassi la macchina.” — “It was important that I drive the car”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | guida |
| lui/lei | guidi |
| noi | guidiamo |
| voi | guidate |
| loro | guidino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Guida la macchina!” — “Drive the car!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | guidare |
| lui/lei | guidi |
| noi | guidiamo |
| voi | guidiate |
| loro | guidino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non guidare la macchina.” — “Do not drive the car.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | guidando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Guidando la macchina, imparo molto.” — “While driving the car, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | guidante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle guidante 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 | guidato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho guidato la macchina questa settimana.” — “I have driven the car.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with guidare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io guido la macchina ogni giorno.” — “I drive the car”
- “Tu guidasti la macchina ieri.” — “You drove the car”
- “Lui guidava la macchina una volta.” — “He used to drive the car”
- “Io guiderò la macchina domani.” — “I will drive the car”
- “Tu guideresti la macchina un giorno.” — “You would drive the car”
- “Lui ha guidato la macchina questa settimana.” — “He has driven the car”
- “Io avevo guidato la macchina prima della festa.” — “I had driven the car”
- “Tu avrai guidato la macchina per domani.” — “You will have driven the car”
- “È importante che io guidi la macchina.” — “It is important that I drive the car”
- “Guida la macchina!” — “Drive the car!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io guidare la macchina.”
✓ Right: “Io guido la macchina ogni giorno.”
The infinitive guidare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form guido.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io guidi la macchina.”
✓ Right: “Io guido la macchina ogni giorno.”
guidi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with guido.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io guido la macchina ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho guidato la macchina questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho guidato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono guidato la macchina.”
✓ Right: “Io ho guidato la macchina questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of guidare is formed with avere plus the past participle guidato: the io form is ho guidato. 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 guido la macchina.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io guidi la macchina.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use guidi here, not the indicative guido.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho guidando la macchina.”
✓ Right: “Io ho guidato la macchina questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle guidato, not the gerund guidando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on guidare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of guidare in the Present indicative?
- A) guidi
- B) guido
- C) guida
- D) guidiamo
What is the lui/lei form of guidare in the Passato remoto?
- A) guidai
- B) guidasti
- C) guidò
- D) guidammo
What is the noi form of guidare in the Imperfect?
- A) guidavo
- B) guidavi
- C) guidava
- D) guidavamo
What is the tu form of guidare in the Future?
- A) guiderai
- B) guiderò
- C) guiderà
- D) guideremo
What is the io form of guidare in the Conditional?
- A) guideresti
- B) guiderei
- C) guiderebbe
- D) guideremmo
What is the lui/lei form of guidare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho guidato
- B) hai guidato
- C) ha guidato
- D) abbiamo guidato
What is the lui/lei form of guidare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) guidiamo
- B) guidiate
- C) guidino
- D) guidi
What is the io form of guidare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) guidassi
- B) guidasse
- C) guidassimo
- D) guidaste
What is the gerund of guidare?
- A) guidato
- B) guidando
- C) guidare
- D) guido
What does guidare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to drive
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) guido — the correct form is guido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) guidò — the correct form is guidò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) guidavamo — the correct form is guidavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) guiderai — the correct form is guiderai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) guiderei — the correct form is guiderei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha guidato — the correct form is ha guidato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) guidi — the correct form is guidi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) guidassi — the correct form is guidassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) guidando — the correct form is guidando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to drive — the correct form is to drive. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does guidare mean in English?
guidare means “to drive”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is guidare regular or irregular?
guidare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is guidando and the past participle is guidato.
What are the gerund and past participle of guidare?
The gerund is guidando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is guidato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho guidato.
Which auxiliary does guidare take in the passato prossimo?
guidare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho guidato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle guidato.
How do I say “I drive” in Italian?
Say “Io guido la macchina ogni giorno.” — “I drive the car” The io form of the present is guido, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of guidare — every tense of guidare in one place.
- Guidare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Guidare 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.
- Spiegare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Domandare 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 guidare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise guidare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise guidare with the interactive tool.