Parlare Conjugation in Italian
parlare means “to speak” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 15 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of parlare — 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 parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: parlare
- English: to speak
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: parlando
- Present participle: parlante
- Past participle: parlato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
Pronunciation
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. 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 parlare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about parlare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle parlato. 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 parlante and parlato: 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 parlare. 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 | parlo |
| tu | parli |
| lui/lei | parla |
| noi | parliamo |
| voi | parlate |
| loro | parlano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parlai |
| tu | parlasti |
| lui/lei | parlò |
| noi | parlammo |
| voi | parlaste |
| loro | parlarono |
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 parlai italiano con Maria ieri.” — “I spoke Italian with Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parlavo |
| tu | parlavi |
| lui/lei | parlava |
| noi | parlavamo |
| voi | parlavate |
| loro | parlavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io parlavo italiano con Maria una volta.” — “I used to speak Italian with Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parlerò |
| tu | parlerai |
| lui/lei | parlerà |
| noi | parleremo |
| voi | parlerete |
| loro | parleranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io parlerò italiano con Maria domani.” — “I will speak Italian with Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parlerei |
| tu | parleresti |
| lui/lei | parlerebbe |
| noi | parleremmo |
| voi | parlereste |
| loro | parlerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io parlerei italiano con Maria un giorno.” — “I would speak Italian with Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho parlato |
| tu | hai parlato |
| lui/lei | ha parlato |
| noi | abbiamo parlato |
| voi | avete parlato |
| loro | hanno parlato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “He has spoken Italian with Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo parlato |
| tu | avevi parlato |
| lui/lei | aveva parlato |
| noi | avevamo parlato |
| voi | avevate parlato |
| loro | avevano parlato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo parlato italiano con Maria prima della festa.” — “I had spoken Italian with Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò parlato |
| tu | avrai parlato |
| lui/lei | avrà parlato |
| noi | avremo parlato |
| voi | avrete parlato |
| loro | avranno parlato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò parlato italiano con Maria per domani.” — “I will have spoken Italian with Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei parlato |
| tu | avresti parlato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe parlato |
| noi | avremmo parlato |
| voi | avreste parlato |
| loro | avrebbero parlato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei parlato italiano con Maria ieri.” — “I would have spoken Italian with Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parli |
| tu | parli |
| lui/lei | parli |
| noi | parliamo |
| voi | parliate |
| loro | parlino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io parli italiano con Maria.” — “It is important that I speak Italian with Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | parlassi |
| tu | parlassi |
| lui/lei | parlasse |
| noi | parlassimo |
| voi | parlaste |
| loro | parlassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io parlassi italiano con Maria.” — “It was important that I speak Italian with Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | parla |
| lui/lei | parli |
| noi | parliamo |
| voi | parlate |
| loro | parlino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Parla italiano con Maria!” — “Speak Italian with Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | parlare |
| lui/lei | parli |
| noi | parliamo |
| voi | parliate |
| loro | parlino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non parlare italiano con Maria.” — “Do not speak Italian with Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | parlando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Parlando italiano con Maria, imparo molto.” — “While speaking Italian with Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | parlante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle parlante 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 | parlato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “I have spoken Italian with Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with parlare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria”
- “Tu parlasti italiano con Maria ieri.” — “You spoke Italian with Maria”
- “Lui parlava italiano con Maria una volta.” — “He used to speak Italian with Maria”
- “Io parlerò italiano con Maria domani.” — “I will speak Italian with Maria”
- “Tu parleresti italiano con Maria un giorno.” — “You would speak Italian with Maria”
- “Lui ha parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.” — “He has spoken Italian with Maria”
- “Io avevo parlato italiano con Maria prima della festa.” — “I had spoken Italian with Maria”
- “Tu avrai parlato italiano con Maria per domani.” — “You will have spoken Italian with Maria”
- “È importante che io parli italiano con Maria.” — “It is important that I speak Italian with Maria”
- “Parla italiano con Maria!” — “Speak Italian with Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io parlare italiano con Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.”
The infinitive parlare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form parlo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io parli italiano con Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.”
parli is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with parlo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io parlo italiano con Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho parlato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono parlato italiano con Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of parlare is formed with avere plus the past participle parlato: the io form is ho parlato. 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 parlo italiano con Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io parli italiano con Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use parli here, not the indicative parlo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho parlando italiano con Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho parlato italiano con Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle parlato, not the gerund parlando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on parlare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of parlare in the Present indicative?
- A) parli
- B) parlo
- C) parla
- D) parliamo
What is the lui/lei form of parlare in the Passato remoto?
- A) parlai
- B) parlasti
- C) parlò
- D) parlammo
What is the noi form of parlare in the Imperfect?
- A) parlavo
- B) parlavi
- C) parlava
- D) parlavamo
What is the tu form of parlare in the Future?
- A) parlerai
- B) parlerò
- C) parlerà
- D) parleremo
What is the io form of parlare in the Conditional?
- A) parleresti
- B) parlerei
- C) parlerebbe
- D) parleremmo
What is the lui/lei form of parlare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho parlato
- B) hai parlato
- C) ha parlato
- D) abbiamo parlato
What is the lui/lei form of parlare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) parliamo
- B) parliate
- C) parlino
- D) parli
What is the io form of parlare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) parlassi
- B) parlasse
- C) parlassimo
- D) parlaste
What is the gerund of parlare?
- A) parlato
- B) parlando
- C) parlare
- D) parlo
What does parlare mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to speak
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) parlo — the correct form is parlo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) parlò — the correct form is parlò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) parlavamo — the correct form is parlavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) parlerai — the correct form is parlerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) parlerei — the correct form is parlerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha parlato — the correct form is ha parlato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) parli — the correct form is parli. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) parlassi — the correct form is parlassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) parlando — the correct form is parlando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to speak — the correct form is to speak. 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 core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is parlare regular or irregular?
parlare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is parlando and the past participle is parlato.
What are the gerund and past participle of parlare?
The gerund is parlando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is parlato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho parlato.
Which auxiliary does parlare take in the passato prossimo?
parlare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho parlato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle parlato.
How do I say “I speak” in Italian?
Say “Io parlo italiano con Maria ogni giorno.” — “I speak Italian with Maria” The io form of the present is parlo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of parlare — every tense of parlare in one place.
- Parlare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Parlare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Fare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Andare 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 parlare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise parlare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise parlare with the interactive tool.