Introduction

Portare means “to carry”, and this page covers exactly one thing: portare 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 portare, 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 portare in the present. It means to carry, to bring and to take something somewhere, and it is completely regular. It also means to wear clothes, so the context tells you whether something is being carried or worn. For example: “Lui porta un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He carries a book to Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of portare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Portare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io porto
tu porti
lui/lei porta
noi portiamo
voi portate
loro portano
Gerund: portando · Past participle: portato
The gerund is portando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Portando un libro a Maria, imparo molto.” — “While carrying a book to Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is portato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho portato 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 portare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for portare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of portare is formed

The present tense of portare has six forms: io porto, tu porti, lui porta, noi portiamo, voi portate, loro portano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. portare 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 portare 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 portiamo and portate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so porto can mean both “I carry” and “I am carrying” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because portare 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 portare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use portare 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 portare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I carry a book to Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about portare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui porta un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He carries a book to 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 portare 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 portiamo un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We carry a book to 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 porti un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You carry a book to 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 portare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro portano un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They carry a book to 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 porta un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He carries a book to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha portato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has carried a book to 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 porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I carry a book to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho portato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have carried a book to 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 porti un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You carry a book to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai portato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have carried a book to 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: portare 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 porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I carry a book to Maria”
  2. “Tu porti un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You carry a book to Maria”
  3. “Lui porta un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He carries a book to Maria”
  4. “Noi portiamo un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We carry a book to Maria”
  5. “Voi portate un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You carry a book to Maria”
  6. “Loro portano un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They carry a book to Maria”
  7. “Io porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I carry a book to Maria”
  8. “Lui porta un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He carries a book to 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 porti un libro a Maria.” Right: “Io porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is porto, not porti. porti is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi porto un libro a Maria.” Right: “Noi portiamo un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form portiamo. porto belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho portato un libro a Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho portato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io portare un libro a Maria.” Right: “Io porto un libro a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive portare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form porto.

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 portare in the Present indicative?

    • A) porti
    • B) porto
    • C) porta
    • D) portiamo

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

    • A) porto
    • B) porta
    • C) porti
    • D) portiamo

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

    • A) porto
    • B) porti
    • C) portiamo
    • D) porta

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

    • A) portiamo
    • B) porto
    • C) porti
    • D) porta

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

    • A) porto
    • B) portate
    • C) porti
    • D) porta

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

    • A) porto
    • B) porti
    • C) portano
    • D) porta

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

    • A) porti
    • B) porta
    • C) portiamo
    • D) porto

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

    • A) porti
    • B) porto
    • C) porta
    • D) portiamo

Answer key

  1. B) porto — the correct form is porto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) porti — the correct form is porti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) porta — the correct form is porta. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) portiamo — the correct form is portiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) portate — the correct form is portate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) portano — the correct form is portano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) porto — the correct form is porto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) porti — the correct form is porti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does portare mean in English?

portare means “to carry”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of portare formed?

The six present forms are: io porto, tu porti, lui porta, noi portiamo, voi portate, loro portano. portare 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 portare?

The gerund is portando and the past participle is portato.

Related pages