Introduction

Imparare means “to learn”, and this page covers exactly one thing: imparare 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 imparare, 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 imparare in the present. It means to learn something new, and it is completely regular. Do not confuse it with insegnare, which means to teach: imparare is what the student does, insegnare is what the teacher does. For example: “Lui impara l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He learns Italian.” Everything on this page uses the forms of imparare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Imparare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io imparo
tu impari
lui/lei impara
noi impariamo
voi imparate
loro imparano
Gerund: imparando · Past participle: imparato
The gerund is imparando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Imparando l'italiano, imparo molto.” — “While learning Italian, I learn a lot.” The past participle is imparato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho imparato 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 imparare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for imparare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of imparare is formed

The present tense of imparare has six forms: io imparo, tu impari, lui impara, noi impariamo, voi imparate, loro imparano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. imparare 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 imparare 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 impariamo and imparate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so imparo can mean both “I learn” and “I am learning” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because imparare 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 imparare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use imparare 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 imparare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io imparo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I learn Italian.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about imparare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui impara l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He learns Italian.”

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 imparare 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 impariamo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “We learn Italian.”

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 impari l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You learn Italian.”

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 imparare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro imparano l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “They learn Italian.”

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 impara l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He learns Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha imparato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “He has learned Italian”
  • 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 imparo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I learn Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho imparato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “I have learned Italian”
  • 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 impari l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You learn Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai imparato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “You have learned Italian”
  • 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: imparare 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 imparo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I learn Italian”
  2. “Tu impari l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You learn Italian”
  3. “Lui impara l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He learns Italian”
  4. “Noi impariamo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “We learn Italian”
  5. “Voi imparate l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You learn Italian”
  6. “Loro imparano l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “They learn Italian”
  7. “Io imparo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I learn Italian”
  8. “Lui impara l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He learns Italian”

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

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 imparare in the Present indicative?

    • A) impari
    • B) imparo
    • C) impara
    • D) impariamo

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

    • A) imparo
    • B) impara
    • C) impari
    • D) impariamo

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

    • A) imparo
    • B) impari
    • C) impariamo
    • D) impara

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

    • A) impariamo
    • B) imparo
    • C) impari
    • D) impara

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

    • A) imparo
    • B) imparate
    • C) impari
    • D) impara

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

    • A) imparo
    • B) impari
    • C) imparano
    • D) impara

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

    • A) impari
    • B) impara
    • C) impariamo
    • D) imparo

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

    • A) impari
    • B) imparo
    • C) impara
    • D) impariamo

Answer key

  1. B) imparo — the correct form is imparo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) impari — the correct form is impari. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) impara — the correct form is impara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) impariamo — the correct form is impariamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) imparate — the correct form is imparate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) imparano — the correct form is imparano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) imparo — the correct form is imparo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) impari — the correct form is impari. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does imparare mean in English?

imparare means “to learn”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of imparare formed?

The six present forms are: io imparo, tu impari, lui impara, noi impariamo, voi imparate, loro imparano. imparare 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 imparare?

The gerund is imparando and the past participle is imparato.

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