Preparare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

preparare — to prepare — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb for preparing a meal, a lesson or a plan, and it is completely regular in every tense. Its reflexive partner prepararsi means to get ready, and the two share the same stem and endings. On this page you will find preparare in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the preparare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the preparare present tense page.

Example sentences with preparare

In the present tense

  • “Io preparo la cena ogni giorno.” — “I prepare dinner”
  • “Tu prepari la cena ogni giorno.” — “You prepare dinner”
  • “Lui prepara la cena ogni giorno.” — “He prepares dinner”
  • “Noi prepariamo la cena ogni giorno.” — “We prepare dinner”
  • “Voi preparate la cena ogni giorno.” — “You prepare dinner”
  • “Loro preparano la cena ogni giorno.” — “They prepare dinner”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “I have prepared dinner”
  • “Tu hai preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “You have prepared dinner”
  • “Lui ha preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “He has prepared dinner”
  • “Noi abbiamo preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “We have prepared dinner”
  • “Voi avete preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “You have prepared dinner”
  • “Loro hanno preparato la cena questa settimana.” — “They have prepared dinner”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io preparavo la cena una volta.” — “I used to prepare dinner”
  • “Tu preparerai la cena domani.” — “You will prepare dinner”
  • “Lui preparerebbe la cena un giorno.” — “He would prepare dinner”
  • “È importante che noi prepariamo la cena.” — “It is important that we prepare dinner”
  • “Prepara la cena!” — “Prepare dinner!”

How preparare is used

The first thing to know about preparare is its core meaning: to prepare. It is the verb for preparing a meal, a lesson or a plan, and it is completely regular in every tense. Its reflexive partner prepararsi means to get ready, and the two share the same stem and endings. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company preparare keeps. The present io form is preparo, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho preparato, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what preparare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need preparo, never preparare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho preparato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle preparato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Preparare in context

Io preparo la cena ogni giorno. Tu prepari la cena ogni giorno. Lui prepara la cena ogni giorno. Noi prepariamo la cena ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of preparare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — preparo, prepari, prepara, prepariamo — while the meaning stays the same: to prepare. Io ho preparato la cena questa settimana. Tu hai preparato la cena questa settimana. Lui ha preparato la cena questa settimana. Noi abbiamo preparato la cena questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of preparare appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to prepare — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io preparare la cena.”

✓ Right: “Io preparo la cena ogni giorno.”

The infinitive preparare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form preparo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io prepari la cena.”

✓ Right: “Io preparo la cena ogni giorno.”

prepari is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is preparo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io preparo la cena ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho preparato la cena questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho preparato here, not the present preparo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono preparato la cena.”

✓ Right: “Io ho preparato la cena questa settimana.”

preparare takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho preparato — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on preparare across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of preparare in the Present indicative?

    • A) preparo
    • B) prepari
    • C) prepara
    • D) prepariamo

  2. What is the io form of preparare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai preparato
    • B) ha preparato
    • C) ho preparato
    • D) abbiamo preparato

  3. What is the lui/lei form of preparare in the Imperfect?

    • A) preparavo
    • B) preparavi
    • C) preparavamo
    • D) preparava

  4. What is the noi form of preparare in the Future?

    • A) prepareremo
    • B) preparerò
    • C) preparerai
    • D) preparerà

  5. What is the tu form of preparare in the Conditional?

    • A) preparerei
    • B) prepareresti
    • C) preparerebbe
    • D) prepareremmo

  6. What is the io form of preparare in the Passato remoto?

    • A) preparasti
    • B) preparò
    • C) preparai
    • D) preparammo

  7. What is the noi form of preparare in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) prepari
    • B) prepariate
    • C) preparino
    • D) prepariamo

  8. What is the gerund of preparare?

    • A) preparando
    • B) preparato
    • C) preparare
    • D) preparo

  9. What is the past participle of preparare?

    • A) preparando
    • B) preparato
    • C) preparare
    • D) preparo

  10. What does preparare mean in English?

  • A) to explain
  • B) to answer
  • C) to prepare
  • D) to ask

Answer key

  1. B) prepari — the correct form is prepari. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho preparato — the correct form is ho preparato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) preparava — the correct form is preparava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) prepareremo — the correct form is prepareremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) prepareresti — the correct form is prepareresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) preparai — the correct form is preparai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) prepariamo — the correct form is prepariamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) preparando — the correct form is preparando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) preparato — the correct form is preparato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to prepare — the correct form is to prepare. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does preparare mean in English?

preparare means “to prepare”. You use it whenever you talk about to prepare in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is preparare regular or irregular?

preparare is regular. preparare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of preparare?

The gerund is preparando and the past participle is preparato. The perfect tenses use avere + preparato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of preparare?

On the preparare conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The preparare present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for preparare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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