Introduction

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

Insegnare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io insegno
tu insegni
lui/lei insegna
noi insegniamo
voi insegnate
loro insegnano
Gerund: insegnando · Past participle: insegnato
The gerund is insegnando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Insegnando l'italiano, imparo molto.” — “While teaching Italian, I learn a lot.” The past participle is insegnato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho insegnato 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 insegnare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for insegnare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of insegnare is formed

The present tense of insegnare has six forms: io insegno, tu insegni, lui insegna, noi insegniamo, voi insegnate, loro insegnano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. insegnare 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 insegnare 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 insegniamo and insegnate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so insegno can mean both “I teach” and “I am teaching” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because insegnare 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 insegnare

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

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about insegnare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui insegna l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He teaches 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 insegnare 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 insegniamo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “We teach 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 insegni l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You teach 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 insegnare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro insegnano l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “They teach 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 insegna l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He teaches Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha insegnato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “He has taught 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 insegno l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I teach Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho insegnato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “I have taught 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 insegni l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You teach Italian”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai insegnato l'italiano questa settimana.” — “You have taught 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: insegnare 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 insegno l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I teach Italian”
  2. “Tu insegni l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You teach Italian”
  3. “Lui insegna l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He teaches Italian”
  4. “Noi insegniamo l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “We teach Italian”
  5. “Voi insegnate l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “You teach Italian”
  6. “Loro insegnano l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “They teach Italian”
  7. “Io insegno l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “I teach Italian”
  8. “Lui insegna l'italiano ogni giorno.” — “He teaches 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 insegni l'italiano.” Right: “Io insegno l'italiano ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is insegno, not insegni. insegni is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi insegno l'italiano.” Right: “Noi insegniamo l'italiano ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form insegniamo. insegno belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io insegno l'italiano ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho insegnato l'italiano questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho insegnato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io insegnare l'italiano.” Right: “Io insegno l'italiano ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive insegnare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form insegno.

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 insegnare in the Present indicative?

    • A) insegni
    • B) insegno
    • C) insegna
    • D) insegniamo

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

    • A) insegno
    • B) insegna
    • C) insegni
    • D) insegniamo

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

    • A) insegno
    • B) insegni
    • C) insegniamo
    • D) insegna

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

    • A) insegniamo
    • B) insegno
    • C) insegni
    • D) insegna

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

    • A) insegno
    • B) insegnate
    • C) insegni
    • D) insegna

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

    • A) insegno
    • B) insegni
    • C) insegnano
    • D) insegna

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

    • A) insegni
    • B) insegna
    • C) insegniamo
    • D) insegno

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

    • A) insegni
    • B) insegno
    • C) insegna
    • D) insegniamo

Answer key

  1. B) insegno — the correct form is insegno. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) insegni — the correct form is insegni. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) insegna — the correct form is insegna. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) insegniamo — the correct form is insegniamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) insegnate — the correct form is insegnate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) insegnano — the correct form is insegnano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) insegno — the correct form is insegno. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) insegni — the correct form is insegni. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does insegnare mean in English?

insegnare means “to teach”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of insegnare formed?

The six present forms are: io insegno, tu insegni, lui insegna, noi insegniamo, voi insegnate, loro insegnano. insegnare 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 insegnare?

The gerund is insegnando and the past participle is insegnato.

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