Leggere Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

leggere — to read — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to read a book, a letter or a newspaper, and it is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is letto, and the remoto uses the -essi forms, so learn them as a set. On this page you will find leggere 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 leggere conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the leggere passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with leggere

In the present tense

  • “Io leggo un libro ogni giorno.” — “I read a book”
  • “Tu leggi un libro ogni giorno.” — “You read a book”
  • “Lui legge un libro ogni giorno.” — “He reads a book”
  • “Noi leggiamo un libro ogni giorno.” — “We read a book”
  • “Voi leggete un libro ogni giorno.” — “You read a book”
  • “Loro leggono un libro ogni giorno.” — “They read a book”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho letto un libro questa settimana.” — “I have read a book”
  • “Tu hai letto un libro questa settimana.” — “You have read a book”
  • “Lui ha letto un libro questa settimana.” — “He has read a book”
  • “Noi abbiamo letto un libro questa settimana.” — “We have read a book”
  • “Voi avete letto un libro questa settimana.” — “You have read a book”
  • “Loro hanno letto un libro questa settimana.” — “They have read a book”

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 leggevo un libro una volta.” — “I used to read a book”
  • “Tu leggerai un libro domani.” — “You will read a book”
  • “Lui leggerebbe un libro un giorno.” — “He would read a book”
  • “È importante che noi leggiamo un libro.” — “It is important that we read a book”
  • “Leggi un libro!” — “Read a book!”

How leggere is used

The first thing to know about leggere is its core meaning: to read. It means to read a book, a letter or a newspaper, and it is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is letto, and the remoto uses the -essi forms, so learn them as a set. 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 leggere keeps. The present io form is leggo, 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 letto, 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 leggere does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need leggo, never leggere. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho letto, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle letto is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Leggere in context

Io leggo un libro ogni giorno. Tu leggi un libro ogni giorno. Lui legge un libro ogni giorno. Noi leggiamo un libro ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of leggere is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — leggo, leggi, legge, leggiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to read. Io ho letto un libro questa settimana. Tu hai letto un libro questa settimana. Lui ha letto un libro questa settimana. Noi abbiamo letto un libro questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of leggere 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 read — 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 leggere un libro.”

✓ Right: “Io leggo un libro ogni giorno.”

The infinitive leggere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form leggo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io leggi un libro.”

✓ Right: “Io leggo un libro ogni giorno.”

leggi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is leggo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io leggo un libro ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho letto un libro questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho letto here, not the present leggo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono letto un libro.”

✓ Right: “Io ho letto un libro questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) leggo
    • B) leggi
    • C) legge
    • D) leggiamo

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

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

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

    • A) leggevo
    • B) leggevi
    • C) leggevamo
    • D) leggeva

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

    • A) leggeremo
    • B) leggerò
    • C) leggerai
    • D) leggerà

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

    • A) leggerei
    • B) leggeresti
    • C) leggerebbe
    • D) leggeremmo

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

    • A) leggesti
    • B) lesse
    • C) lessi
    • D) leggemmo

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

    • A) legga
    • B) leggiate
    • C) leggano
    • D) leggiamo

  8. What is the gerund of leggere?

    • A) leggendo
    • B) letto
    • C) leggere
    • D) leggo

  9. What is the past participle of leggere?

    • A) leggendo
    • B) letto
    • C) leggere
    • D) leggo

  10. What does leggere mean in English?

  • A) to sit down
  • B) to get dressed
  • C) to read
  • D) to call

Answer key

  1. B) leggi — the correct form is leggi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho letto — the correct form is ho letto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) leggeva — the correct form is leggeva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) leggeremo — the correct form is leggeremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) leggeresti — the correct form is leggeresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) lessi — the correct form is lessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) leggiamo — the correct form is leggiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) leggendo — the correct form is leggendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) letto — the correct form is letto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to read — the correct form is to read. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does leggere mean in English?

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

Is leggere regular or irregular?

leggere is irregular. leggere is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of leggere?

The gerund is leggendo and the past participle is letto. The perfect tenses use avere + letto.

Where can I see the full conjugation of leggere?

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

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