Nascere Conjugation in Italian
nascere means “to be born” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 21 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to be born, and it takes essere in the passato prossimo. Its passato remoto and past participle are irregular, while the present and imperfect are regular. This page gives you the complete conjugation of nascere — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io nasco a Roma.” — “I be born in Rome.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: nascere
- English: to be born
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: nascendo
- Present participle: nascente
- Past participle: nato
- Auxiliary: essere (all perfect tenses are formed with essere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for nascere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read nascere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about nascere
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use essere: the passato prossimo is formed with essere in the present plus the past participle nato. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are nascente and nato: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for nascere. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nasco |
| tu | nasci |
| lui/lei | nasce |
| noi | nasciamo |
| voi | nascete |
| loro | nascono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io nasco a Roma.” — “I be born in Rome”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nacqui |
| tu | nascesti |
| lui/lei | nacque |
| noi | nascemmo |
| voi | nasceste |
| loro | nacquero |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io nacqui a Roma nel 1990.” — “I was born in Rome”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nascevo |
| tu | nascevi |
| lui/lei | nasceva |
| noi | nascevamo |
| voi | nascevate |
| loro | nascevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io nascevo a Roma una volta.” — “I used to be born in Rome”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nascerò |
| tu | nascerai |
| lui/lei | nascerà |
| noi | nasceremo |
| voi | nascerete |
| loro | nasceranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io nascerò a Roma.” — “I will be born in Rome”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nascerei |
| tu | nasceresti |
| lui/lei | nascerebbe |
| noi | nasceremmo |
| voi | nascereste |
| loro | nascerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io nascerei a Roma.” — “I would be born in Rome”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sono nato |
| tu | sei nato |
| lui/lei | è nato |
| noi | siamo nato |
| voi | siete nato |
| loro | sono nato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui è nato a Roma questa settimana.” — “He has been born in Rome”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ero nato |
| tu | eri nato |
| lui/lei | era nato |
| noi | eravamo nato |
| voi | eravate nato |
| loro | erano nato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io ero nato a Roma prima della festa.” — “I had been born in Rome”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarò nato |
| tu | sarai nato |
| lui/lei | sarà nato |
| noi | saremo nato |
| voi | sarete nato |
| loro | saranno nato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io sarò nato a Roma per domani.” — “I will have been born in Rome”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarei nato |
| tu | saresti nato |
| lui/lei | sarebbe nato |
| noi | saremmo nato |
| voi | sareste nato |
| loro | sarebbero nato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io sarei nato a Roma ieri.” — “I would have been born in Rome”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nasca |
| tu | nasca |
| lui/lei | nasca |
| noi | nasciamo |
| voi | nasciate |
| loro | nascano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È bello che io nasca a Roma.” — “It is nice that I be born in Rome”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nascessi |
| tu | nascessi |
| lui/lei | nascesse |
| noi | nascessimo |
| voi | nasceste |
| loro | nascessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io nascessi a Roma.” — “It was important that I be born in Rome”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | nasci |
| lui/lei | nasca |
| noi | nasciamo |
| voi | nascete |
| loro | nascano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Nasci a Roma!” — “Be born in Rome!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | nascere |
| lui/lei | nasca |
| noi | nasciamo |
| voi | nasciate |
| loro | nascano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non nascere a Roma.” — “Do not be born in Rome.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | nascendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Nascendo a Roma, imparo molto.” — “While being born in Rome, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | nascente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle nascente is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | nato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io sono nato a Roma questa settimana.” — “I have been born in Rome.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with nascere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io nasco a Roma.” — “I be born in Rome”
- “Tu nascesti a Roma nel 1990.” — “You was born in Rome”
- “Lui nasceva a Roma una volta.” — “He used to be born in Rome”
- “Io nascerò a Roma.” — “I will be born in Rome”
- “Tu nasceresti a Roma.” — “You would be born in Rome”
- “Lui è nato a Roma questa settimana.” — “He has been born in Rome”
- “Io ero nato a Roma prima della festa.” — “I had been born in Rome”
- “Tu sarai nato a Roma per domani.” — “You will have been born in Rome”
- “È bello che io nasca a Roma.” — “It is nice that I be born in Rome”
- “Nasci a Roma!” — “Be born in Rome!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io nascere a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io nasco a Roma.”
The infinitive nascere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form nasco.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io nasci a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io nasco a Roma.”
nasci is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with nasco.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io nasco a Roma ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io sono nato a Roma questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono nato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io ho nato a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io sono nato a Roma questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of nascere is formed with essere plus the past participle nato: the io form is sono nato. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io nasco a Roma.”
✓ Right: “È bello che io nasca a Roma.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use nasca here, not the indicative nasco.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io sono nascendo a Roma.”
✓ Right: “Io sono nato a Roma questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle nato, not the gerund nascendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on nascere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of nascere in the Present indicative?
- A) nasci
- B) nasco
- C) nasce
- D) nasciamo
What is the lui/lei form of nascere in the Passato remoto?
- A) nacqui
- B) nascesti
- C) nacque
- D) nascemmo
What is the noi form of nascere in the Imperfect?
- A) nascevo
- B) nascevi
- C) nasceva
- D) nascevamo
What is the tu form of nascere in the Future?
- A) nascerai
- B) nascerò
- C) nascerà
- D) nasceremo
What is the io form of nascere in the Conditional?
- A) nasceresti
- B) nascerei
- C) nascerebbe
- D) nasceremmo
What is the lui/lei form of nascere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) sono nato
- B) sei nato
- C) è nato
- D) siamo nato
What is the lui/lei form of nascere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) nasciamo
- B) nasciate
- C) nascano
- D) nasca
What is the io form of nascere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) nascessi
- B) nascesse
- C) nascessimo
- D) nasceste
What is the gerund of nascere?
- A) nato
- B) nascendo
- C) nascere
- D) nasco
What does nascere mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to be born
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) nasco — the correct form is nasco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) nacque — the correct form is nacque. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) nascevamo — the correct form is nascevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) nascerai — the correct form is nascerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) nascerei — the correct form is nascerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) è nato — the correct form is è nato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) nasca — the correct form is nasca. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) nascessi — the correct form is nascessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) nascendo — the correct form is nascendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to be born — the correct form is to be born. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does nascere mean in English?
nascere means “to be born”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is nascere regular or irregular?
nascere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is nascendo and the past participle is nato.
What are the gerund and past participle of nascere?
The gerund is nascendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is nato — use it with essere for the perfect tenses, as in sono nato.
Which auxiliary does nascere take in the passato prossimo?
nascere takes essere in the passato prossimo: the io form is sono nato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with essere plus the past participle nato.
How do I say “I be born” in Italian?
Say “Io nasco a Roma.” — “I be born in Rome” The io form of the present is nasco, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of nascere — every tense of nascere in one place.
- Nascere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Nascere examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Essere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Avere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise nascere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise nascere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise nascere with the interactive tool.