Introduction

Odiare means “to hate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: odiare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for odiare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about odiare in the present. It is the verb for hating something, and it is completely regular in every tense. Because it ends in -iare, the stem-final i drops before an i-initial ending, so the io form is odio and the tu form is odi. Its opposite is amare, to love. For example: “Lui odia il freddo ogni giorno.” — “He hates the cold.” Everything on this page uses the forms of odiare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Odiare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io odio
tu odi
lui/lei odia
noi odiamo
voi odiate
loro odiano
Gerund: odiando · Past participle: odiato
The gerund is odiando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Odiando il freddo, imparo molto.” — “While hating the cold, I learn a lot.” The past participle is odiato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho odiato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how odiare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for odiare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of odiare is formed

The present tense of odiare has six forms: io odio, tu odi, lui odia, noi odiamo, voi odiate, loro odiano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. odiare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Because odiare ends in -iare, the stem-final i drops before an i-initial ending: tu odi, noi odiamo.

Two things about the present of odiare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning odiamo and odiate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so odio can mean both “I hate” and “I am hating” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because odiare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of odiare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use odiare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and odiare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” — “I hate the cold.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about odiare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui odia il freddo ogni giorno.” — “He hates the cold.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with odiare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi odiamo il freddo ogni giorno.” — “We hate the cold.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu odi il freddo ogni giorno.” — “You hate the cold.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and odiare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro odiano il freddo ogni giorno.” — “They hate the cold.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui odia il freddo ogni giorno.” — “He hates the cold”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha odiato il freddo questa settimana.” — “He has hated the cold”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” — “I hate the cold”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho odiato il freddo questa settimana.” — “I have hated the cold”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu odi il freddo ogni giorno.” — “You hate the cold”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai odiato il freddo questa settimana.” — “You have hated the cold”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: odiare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” — “I hate the cold”
  2. “Tu odi il freddo ogni giorno.” — “You hate the cold”
  3. “Lui odia il freddo ogni giorno.” — “He hates the cold”
  4. “Noi odiamo il freddo ogni giorno.” — “We hate the cold”
  5. “Voi odiate il freddo ogni giorno.” — “You hate the cold”
  6. “Loro odiano il freddo ogni giorno.” — “They hate the cold”
  7. “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” — “I hate the cold”
  8. “Lui odia il freddo ogni giorno.” — “He hates the cold”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io odi il freddo.” Right: “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is odio, not odi. odi is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi odio il freddo.” Right: “Noi odiamo il freddo ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form odiamo. odio belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho odiato il freddo questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho odiato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io odiare il freddo.” Right: “Io odio il freddo ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive odiare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form odio.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odi
    • B) odio
    • C) odia
    • D) odiamo

  2. What is the tu form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odio
    • B) odia
    • C) odi
    • D) odiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odio
    • B) odi
    • C) odiamo
    • D) odia

  4. What is the noi form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odiamo
    • B) odio
    • C) odi
    • D) odia

  5. What is the voi form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odio
    • B) odiate
    • C) odi
    • D) odia

  6. What is the loro form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odio
    • B) odi
    • C) odiano
    • D) odia

  7. What is the io form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odi
    • B) odia
    • C) odiamo
    • D) odio

  8. What is the tu form of odiare in the Present indicative?

    • A) odi
    • B) odio
    • C) odia
    • D) odiamo

Answer key

  1. B) odio — the correct form is odio. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) odi — the correct form is odi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) odia — the correct form is odia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) odiamo — the correct form is odiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) odiate — the correct form is odiate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) odiano — the correct form is odiano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) odio — the correct form is odio. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) odi — the correct form is odi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does odiare mean in English?

odiare means “to hate”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of odiare formed?

The six present forms are: io odio, tu odi, lui odia, noi odiamo, voi odiate, loro odiano. odiare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of odiare?

The gerund is odiando and the past participle is odiato.

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