Complete List of Italian Irregular Verbs

Italian has a small set of irregular verbs, and they are the verbs you use most: essere, avere, fare, dire, andare, venire, potere, volere, dovere, sapere. That is the good news and the bad news at once — you cannot avoid them, but learning them pays off in almost every sentence you say. This page lists every irregular verb in VerbFlow’s verified tables — 62 verbs — grouped by the pattern that makes them irregular, with a one-line note on each and a link to its full conjugation page. Learn the groups, not the list: a verb that follows the same pattern as one you already know costs almost nothing to learn.

What makes a verb irregular?

A verb is irregular when at least one of its forms cannot be built by adding the regular endings to the stem. Some verbs break the rules in one tense only — aprire is regular everywhere except its past participle, aperto. Some break them in several tenses — potere is irregular in the present (posso), the passato remoto and the future. And a handful of verbs — essere, avere, fare, dire, bere — are irregular almost everywhere. The patterns below are the ones Italian grammars use to describe them, and the forms on this page come from VerbFlow’s verified tables, cross-checked against Reverso.

Totally irregular (10 verbs)

These ten verbs have to be learnt whole — no rule produces their forms. Five are the short everyday verbs, and five are the -rre verbs, whose stems are too short for the regular rules.

  • essere — to be. totally irregular The most irregular Italian verb; also the auxiliary for essere-verbs and all reflexives.
  • avere — to have. totally irregular The default auxiliary for compound tenses; irregular in every tense.
  • fare — to do, to make. totally irregular Short stem with suppletive forms in every tense; one of the most frequent verbs.
  • dire — to say. totally irregular Short stem with suppletive forms in every tense; the tu imperative is the truncated form.
  • bere — to drink. totally irregular Short stem with suppletive forms in every tense.
  • porre — to put, to place. -rre verb: totally irregular The -rre verb: present, remoto and participle use different stems.
  • tradurre — to translate. -rre verb: totally irregular The -rre verb: present, remoto and participle use different stems.
  • condurre — to drive, to lead. -rre verb: totally irregular The -rre verb: present, remoto and participle use different stems.
  • produrre — to produce. -rre verb: totally irregular The -rre verb: present, remoto and participle use different stems.
  • trarre — to draw, to pull. -rre verb: totally irregular The -rre verb: present, remoto and participle use different stems.

Irregular in the present tense (19 verbs)

These nineteen verbs break the pattern in the present tense, usually with a stem change in the singular and third-person plural. The rest of each verb often follows the regular pattern, so learn the present as a set and the other tenses follow.

  • andare — to go. present + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular Present and subjunctive use a suppletive stem; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • venire — to come. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; participle irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • potere — to be able to, can. present + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular; no imperative No imperative (you cannot command 'can'); future stem is irregular.
  • volere — to want. present + remoto + subjunctive + imperative irregular; future stem irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; imperative has its own stem.
  • dovere — to have to, must. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular; no imperative No imperative; subjunctive uses a different stem from the present.
  • sapere — to know. present + remoto + subjunctive + imperative irregular; future stem irregular Present is suppletive; imperative has its own stem.
  • dare — to give. present + remoto + subjunctive + imperfect subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular Short stem; imperfect is regular but the imperfect subjunctive is not.
  • stare — to stay, to be (location/state). present + remoto + subjunctive + imperfect subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular Short stem; imperfect is regular but the imperfect subjunctive is not; takes essere in compounds.
  • rimanere — to remain, to stay. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; participle irregular; future stem irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • tenere — to hold, to keep. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; participle is regular.
  • salire — to go up, to climb. present + subjunctive irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; everything else is regular; takes essere in compounds.
  • uscire — to go out, to exit. present + subjunctive irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; everything else is regular; takes essere in compounds.
  • piacere — to like, to please. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; participle irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; takes essere in compounds (the liked thing is the subject).
  • morire — to die. present + subjunctive irregular; participle irregular Present and subjunctive use a diphthong stem; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • valere — to be worth. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular; participle irregular Present and subjunctive use a velar stem; participle is irregular.
  • sedere — to sit. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; future stem irregular Present and subjunctive use a diphthong stem; the reflexive form takes essere in compounds. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • cuocere — to cook. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; participle irregular Present and subjunctive use a diphthong stem; participle is irregular. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • riuscire — to manage to, to succeed. present + subjunctive irregular (not an -isc- verb) Looks like an -isc- verb but is not one; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • parere — to seem. present + remoto + subjunctive irregular; participle + future stem irregular; no imperative Present uses a diphthong stem; no imperative; takes essere in compound tenses. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)

The -gliere family (6 verbs)

The -gliere verbs share one pattern: the passato remoto and the past participle are irregular, and the present subjunctive follows the same stem. Learn scegliere, and the rest of the family follows it.

  • scegliere — to choose. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem.
  • cogliere — to pick, to gather. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • togliere — to take away, to remove. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • sciogliere — to dissolve, to untie. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • accogliere — to welcome, to receive. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • raccogliere — to collect, to gather. -gliere verb: remoto + participle + subjunctive irregular Present is regular; remoto, subjunctive and participle use a different stem. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)

Irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle (20 verbs)

These twenty verbs are regular in the present and almost everywhere else, but their passato remoto and past participle are irregular. Learn each participle with its infinitive, as one pair, and the whole perfect system follows.

  • nascere — to be born. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • chiedere — to ask. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • chiudere — to close. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • correre — to run. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; takes essere in the intransitive use, avere transitively.
  • decidere — to decide. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • leggere — to read. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • mettere — to put. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • offrire — to offer. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • perdere — to lose. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • piangere — to cry. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • prendere — to take. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • ridere — to laugh. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • rispondere — to answer. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • scendere — to go down, to get off. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • scrivere — to write. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • sorridere — to smile. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • succedere — to happen. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • vincere — to win. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.
  • muovere — to move. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; the reflexive form takes essere in compounds. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • discutere — to discuss. remoto + participle irregular Present is regular; only the remoto and participle are irregular.

Irregular in the passato remoto, the participle or the future stem (7 verbs)

These seven verbs are irregular in only one place — the passato remoto, the past participle, the future stem, or the present participle. They are the cheapest irregular verbs to learn, because the rest of each verb is regular.

  • vedere — to see. remoto + participle irregular; future stem irregular Present is regular; remoto, participle and future stem are irregular.
  • conoscere — to know (a person/place). remoto irregular only Only the remoto is irregular; every other tense follows the regular -ere pattern.
  • cadere — to fall. remoto irregular; future stem irregular Present is regular; takes essere in compound tenses.
  • credere — to believe. remoto irregular Present and participle are regular; only the remoto is irregular.
  • vivere — to live. remoto + participle + future irregular Present is regular; future stem is vivr- (vivrò, not *viverò). Takes avere in compound tenses (sono vissuto is also accepted).
  • aprire — to open. participle irregular only Every tense is regular except the past participle.
  • sentire — to hear, to feel. present participle irregular only Every tense is regular; only the present participle is irregular (senziente, not *sentente).

How to learn the irregular verbs

Do not try to memorise the list from top to bottom. Work in groups of five, one pattern at a time, and always in sentences. Start with the totally irregular verbs — essere, avere, fare — because they appear in almost every conversation: essere is the verb for identity and the auxiliary for essere-verbs, avere is the default auxiliary for compound tenses, and fare is the verb for doing and making. Then take the -gliere verbs: learn scegliere, and the rest of the family follows the same pattern. Then the remoto and participle group, which is easier than it looks because the present is regular — learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair, and the passato prossimo follows. Say each set aloud in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Test yourself the next day before you learn the next group, and use the Irregular Verb Quiz and the Irregular Verb Finder to check what has stuck. A verb you can use in a sentence is learnt; a verb you can only recite is not.

Quiz: Italian irregular verbs

Eight questions on the irregular verbs. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the io form of essere in the present tense?

    • A) sei
    • B) sono
    • C) è
    • D) siamo

  2. What is the past participle of fare?

    • A) detto
    • B) bevuto
    • C) fatto
    • D) visto

  3. What is the io form of andare in the present tense?

    • A) vai
    • B) va
    • C) andiamo
    • D) vado

  4. What is the past participle of dire?

    • A) detto
    • B) fatto
    • C) bevuto
    • D) visto

  5. What is the io form of potere in the present tense?

    • A) puoi
    • B) posso
    • C) può
    • D) possiamo

  6. What is the past participle of vedere?

    • A) fatto
    • B) detto
    • C) visto
    • D) bevuto

  7. What is the io form of venire in the present tense?

    • A) vieni
    • B) viene
    • C) veniamo
    • D) vengo

  8. What is the past participle of prendere?

    • A) preso
    • B) messo
    • C) chiesto
    • D) scritto

Answer key

  1. B) sono — the correct form is sono. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) fatto — the correct form is fatto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) vado — the correct form is vado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) detto — the correct form is detto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) posso — the correct form is posso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) visto — the correct form is visto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) vengo — the correct form is vengo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) preso — the correct form is preso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

How many irregular verbs are there in Italian?

VerbFlow’s verified tables list 62 verbs with at least one irregular form, from the totally irregular verbs to verbs like aprire, which is regular except for its past participle aperto. The important number is smaller: about ten verbs cover almost all the irregular forms you will ever need.

Should I learn the irregular verbs first?

Learn the totally irregular verbs first — essere, avere, fare — because they appear in almost every sentence. Then learn the regular patterns with verbs like parlare and dormire, and add the irregular groups one at a time: the -gliere verbs, the remoto and participle group, and the present-tense group. The Verb Quiz lets you drill one group at a time.

What is a -gliere verb?

A verb whose infinitive ends in -gliere: scegliere, cogliere, togliere, sciogliere, accogliere and raccogliere. Their passato remoto and past participle are irregular — scegliere gives scelto — while the present is regular apart from the stem-final i dropping before i-initial endings. The pattern is the same for the whole family, so learning one teaches you all six.

Why do some verbs have no conjugation page yet?

Nine verbs in the verified tables — cogliere, togliere, sciogliere, accogliere, raccogliere, sedere, cuocere, muovere and parere — do not have a full conjugation page yet, so they are marked “Full conjugation page coming soon.” above. Their pattern and their English meaning are given here, and every other verb in the list links to its full conjugation page.

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