Mangiare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

mangiare — to eat — 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 eating, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -giare stem drops its final i before e and i, so the io form is mangio and the future is mangerò. It is the verb behind every conversation about food. On this page you will find mangiare 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 mangiare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the mangiare present tense page.

Example sentences with mangiare

In the present tense

  • “Io mangio una pizza ogni giorno.” — “I eat a pizza”
  • “Tu mangi una pizza ogni giorno.” — “You eat a pizza”
  • “Lui mangia una pizza ogni giorno.” — “He eats a pizza”
  • “Noi mangiamo una pizza ogni giorno.” — “We eat a pizza”
  • “Voi mangiate una pizza ogni giorno.” — “You eat a pizza”
  • “Loro mangiano una pizza ogni giorno.” — “They eat a pizza”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “I have eaten a pizza”
  • “Tu hai mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “You have eaten a pizza”
  • “Lui ha mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “He has eaten a pizza”
  • “Noi abbiamo mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “We have eaten a pizza”
  • “Voi avete mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “You have eaten a pizza”
  • “Loro hanno mangiato una pizza questa settimana.” — “They have eaten a pizza”

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 mangiavo una pizza una volta.” — “I used to eat a pizza”
  • “Tu mangerai una pizza domani.” — “You will eat a pizza”
  • “Lui mangerebbe una pizza un giorno.” — “He would eat a pizza”
  • “È importante che noi mangiamo una pizza.” — “It is important that we eat a pizza”
  • “Mangia una pizza!” — “Eat a pizza!”

How mangiare is used

The first thing to know about mangiare is its core meaning: to eat. It is the verb of eating, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -giare stem drops its final i before e and i, so the io form is mangio and the future is mangerò. It is the verb behind every conversation about food. 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 mangiare keeps. The present io form is mangio, 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 mangiato, 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 mangiare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need mangio, never mangiare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho mangiato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle mangiato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Mangiare in context

Io mangio una pizza ogni giorno. Tu mangi una pizza ogni giorno. Lui mangia una pizza ogni giorno. Noi mangiamo una pizza ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of mangiare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — mangio, mangi, mangia, mangiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to eat. Io ho mangiato una pizza questa settimana. Tu hai mangiato una pizza questa settimana. Lui ha mangiato una pizza questa settimana. Noi abbiamo mangiato una pizza questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of mangiare 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 eat — 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 mangiare una pizza.”

✓ Right: “Io mangio una pizza ogni giorno.”

The infinitive mangiare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form mangio.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io mangi una pizza.”

✓ Right: “Io mangio una pizza ogni giorno.”

mangi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is mangio — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io mangio una pizza ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho mangiato una pizza questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho mangiato here, not the present mangio.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono mangiato una pizza.”

✓ Right: “Io ho mangiato una pizza questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) mangio
    • B) mangi
    • C) mangia
    • D) mangiamo

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

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

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

    • A) mangiavo
    • B) mangiavi
    • C) mangiavamo
    • D) mangiava

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

    • A) mangeremo
    • B) mangerò
    • C) mangerai
    • D) mangerà

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

    • A) mangerei
    • B) mangeresti
    • C) mangerebbe
    • D) mangeremmo

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

    • A) mangiasti
    • B) mangiò
    • C) mangiai
    • D) mangiammo

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

    • A) mangi
    • B) mangiate
    • C) mangino
    • D) mangiamo

  8. What is the gerund of mangiare?

    • A) mangiando
    • B) mangiato
    • C) mangiare
    • D) mangio

  9. What is the past participle of mangiare?

    • A) mangiando
    • B) mangiato
    • C) mangiare
    • D) mangio

  10. What does mangiare mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) mangi — the correct form is mangi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho mangiato — the correct form is ho mangiato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) mangiava — the correct form is mangiava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) mangeremo — the correct form is mangeremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) mangeresti — the correct form is mangeresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) mangiai — the correct form is mangiai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) mangiamo — the correct form is mangiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) mangiando — the correct form is mangiando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) mangiato — the correct form is mangiato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to eat — the correct form is to eat. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does mangiare mean in English?

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

Is mangiare regular or irregular?

mangiare is regular. mangiare 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 mangiare?

The gerund is mangiando and the past participle is mangiato. The perfect tenses use avere + mangiato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of mangiare?

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

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