Lavorare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

lavorare — to work — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb of working, used for jobs, for working in a place and for working on a task. It is completely regular, and it is one of the most frequent verbs in everyday Italian. On this page you will find lavorare 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 lavorare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the lavorare present tense page.

Example sentences with lavorare

In the present tense

  • “Io lavoro in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “I work in the office”
  • “Tu lavori in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “You work in the office”
  • “Lui lavora in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “He works in the office”
  • “Noi lavoriamo in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “We work in the office”
  • “Voi lavorate in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “You work in the office”
  • “Loro lavorano in ufficio ogni giorno.” — “They work in the office”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “I have worked in the office”
  • “Tu hai lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “You have worked in the office”
  • “Lui ha lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “He has worked in the office”
  • “Noi abbiamo lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “We have worked in the office”
  • “Voi avete lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “You have worked in the office”
  • “Loro hanno lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.” — “They have worked in the office”

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 lavoravo in ufficio una volta.” — “I used to work in the office”
  • “Tu lavorerai in ufficio domani.” — “You will work in the office”
  • “Lui lavorerebbe in ufficio un giorno.” — “He would work in the office”
  • “È importante che noi lavoriamo in ufficio.” — “It is important that we work in the office”
  • “Lavora in ufficio!” — “Work in the office!”

How lavorare is used

The first thing to know about lavorare is its core meaning: to work. It is the verb of working, used for jobs, for working in a place and for working on a task. It is completely regular, and it is one of the most frequent verbs in everyday Italian. 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 lavorare keeps. The present io form is lavoro, 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 lavorato, 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 lavorare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need lavoro, never lavorare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho lavorato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle lavorato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Lavorare in context

Io lavoro in ufficio ogni giorno. Tu lavori in ufficio ogni giorno. Lui lavora in ufficio ogni giorno. Noi lavoriamo in ufficio ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of lavorare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — lavoro, lavori, lavora, lavoriamo — while the meaning stays the same: to work. Io ho lavorato in ufficio questa settimana. Tu hai lavorato in ufficio questa settimana. Lui ha lavorato in ufficio questa settimana. Noi abbiamo lavorato in ufficio questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of lavorare 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 work — 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 lavorare in ufficio.”

✓ Right: “Io lavoro in ufficio ogni giorno.”

The infinitive lavorare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form lavoro.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io lavori in ufficio.”

✓ Right: “Io lavoro in ufficio ogni giorno.”

lavori is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is lavoro — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io lavoro in ufficio ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho lavorato here, not the present lavoro.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono lavorato in ufficio.”

✓ Right: “Io ho lavorato in ufficio questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) lavoro
    • B) lavori
    • C) lavora
    • D) lavoriamo

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

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

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

    • A) lavoravo
    • B) lavoravi
    • C) lavoravamo
    • D) lavorava

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

    • A) lavoreremo
    • B) lavorerò
    • C) lavorerai
    • D) lavorerà

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

    • A) lavorerei
    • B) lavoreresti
    • C) lavorerebbe
    • D) lavoreremmo

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

    • A) lavorasti
    • B) lavorò
    • C) lavorai
    • D) lavorammo

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

    • A) lavori
    • B) lavoriate
    • C) lavorino
    • D) lavoriamo

  8. What is the gerund of lavorare?

    • A) lavorando
    • B) lavorato
    • C) lavorare
    • D) lavoro

  9. What is the past participle of lavorare?

    • A) lavorando
    • B) lavorato
    • C) lavorare
    • D) lavoro

  10. What does lavorare mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) lavori — the correct form is lavori. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho lavorato — the correct form is ho lavorato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) lavorava — the correct form is lavorava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) lavoreremo — the correct form is lavoreremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) lavoreresti — the correct form is lavoreresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) lavorai — the correct form is lavorai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) lavoriamo — the correct form is lavoriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) lavorando — the correct form is lavorando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) lavorato — the correct form is lavorato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to work — the correct form is to work. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does lavorare mean in English?

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

Is lavorare regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of lavorare?

The gerund is lavorando and the past participle is lavorato. The perfect tenses use avere + lavorato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of lavorare?

On the lavorare conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The lavorare present 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 lavorare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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