Introduction

Parlare means “to speak”, and this page covers exactly one thing: parlare 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 parlare, 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 parlare in the present. It is the everyday verb for speaking a language and for talking with people, and it is completely regular, so once you know the -are endings you can build every form from the stem. It is the model verb for the whole first conjugation. For example: “Lui parla italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “He speaks Italian with Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of parlare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Parlare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io parlo
tu parli
lui/lei parla
noi parliamo
voi parlate
loro parlano
Gerund: parlando · Past participle: parlato
The gerund is parlando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Parlando italiano con Maria, imparo molto.” — “While speaking Italian with Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is parlato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho parlato 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 parlare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for parlare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of parlare is formed

The present tense of parlare has six forms: io parlo, tu parli, lui parla, noi parliamo, voi parlate, loro parlano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. parlare 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.

Two things about the present of parlare 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 parliamo and parlate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so parlo can mean both “I speak” and “I am speaking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because parlare 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 parlare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use parlare 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 parlare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about parlare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui parla italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “He speaks Italian with Maria.”

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 parlare 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 parliamo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “We speak Italian with Maria.”

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 parli italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “You speak Italian with Maria.”

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 parlare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro parlano italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “They speak Italian with Maria.”

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 parla italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “He speaks Italian with Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “He has spoken Italian with Maria”
  • 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 parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “I have spoken Italian with Maria”
  • 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 parli italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “You speak Italian with Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “You have spoken Italian with Maria”
  • 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: parlare 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 parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria”
  2. “Tu parli italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “You speak Italian with Maria”
  3. “Lui parla italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “He speaks Italian with Maria”
  4. “Noi parliamo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “We speak Italian with Maria”
  5. “Voi parlate italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “You speak Italian with Maria”
  6. “Loro parlano italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “They speak Italian with Maria”
  7. “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria”
  8. “Lui parla italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “He speaks Italian with Maria”

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

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 parlare in the Present indicative?

    • A) parli
    • B) parlo
    • C) parla
    • D) parliamo

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

    • A) parlo
    • B) parla
    • C) parli
    • D) parliamo

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

    • A) parlo
    • B) parli
    • C) parliamo
    • D) parla

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

    • A) parliamo
    • B) parlo
    • C) parli
    • D) parla

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

    • A) parlo
    • B) parlate
    • C) parli
    • D) parla

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

    • A) parlo
    • B) parli
    • C) parlano
    • D) parla

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

    • A) parli
    • B) parla
    • C) parliamo
    • D) parlo

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

    • A) parli
    • B) parlo
    • C) parla
    • D) parliamo

Answer key

  1. B) parlo — the correct form is parlo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) parli — the correct form is parli. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) parla — the correct form is parla. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) parliamo — the correct form is parliamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) parlate — the correct form is parlate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) parlano — the correct form is parlano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) parlo — the correct form is parlo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) parli — the correct form is parli. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does parlare mean in English?

parlare means “to speak”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of parlare formed?

The six present forms are: io parlo, tu parli, lui parla, noi parliamo, voi parlate, loro parlano. parlare 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 parlare?

The gerund is parlando and the past participle is parlato.

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