Prepararsi Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

prepararsi — to get ready — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the reflexive verb for getting ready, and it is completely regular. Every form carries a reflexive pronoun, and the passato prossimo is formed with essere, as it is for all reflexive verbs. Its transitive partner preparare means to prepare something else. On this page you will find prepararsi 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 prepararsi conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the prepararsi present tense page.

Example sentences with prepararsi

In the present tense

  • “Io mi preparo ogni giorno.” — “I get ready”
  • “Tu ti prepari ogni giorno.” — “You get ready”
  • “Lui si prepara ogni giorno.” — “He gets ready”
  • “Noi ci prepariamo ogni giorno.” — “We get ready”
  • “Voi vi preparate ogni giorno.” — “You get ready”
  • “Loro si preparano ogni giorno.” — “They get ready”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io mi sono preparato questa settimana.” — “I have got ready”
  • “Tu ti sei preparato questa settimana.” — “You have got ready”
  • “Lui si è preparato questa settimana.” — “He has got ready”
  • “Noi ci siamo preparato questa settimana.” — “We have got ready”
  • “Voi vi siete preparato questa settimana.” — “You have got ready”
  • “Loro si sono preparato questa settimana.” — “They have got ready”

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 mi preparavo una volta.” — “I used to get ready”
  • “Tu ti preparerai domani.” — “You will get ready”
  • “Lui si preparerebbe un giorno.” — “He would get ready”
  • “È importante che noi ci prepariamo.” — “It is important that we get ready”
  • “Preparati!” — “Get ready!”

How prepararsi is used

The first thing to know about prepararsi is its core meaning: to get ready. It is the reflexive verb for getting ready, and it is completely regular. Every form carries a reflexive pronoun, and the passato prossimo is formed with essere, as it is for all reflexive verbs. Its transitive partner preparare means to prepare something else. 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 prepararsi keeps. The present io form is mi 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 mi sono 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 prepararsi does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need mi preparo, never prepararsi. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is mi sono preparato, built with essere, 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.

Prepararsi in context

Io mi preparo ogni giorno. Tu ti prepari ogni giorno. Lui si prepara ogni giorno. Noi ci prepariamo ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of prepararsi is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — mi preparo, ti prepari, si prepara, ci prepariamo — while the meaning stays the same: to get ready. Io mi sono preparato questa settimana. Tu ti sei preparato questa settimana. Lui si è preparato questa settimana. Noi ci siamo preparato questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of prepararsi 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 get ready — 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 prepararsi.”

✓ Right: “Io mi preparo ogni giorno.”

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

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io ti prepari.”

✓ Right: “Io mi preparo ogni giorno.”

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

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io mi preparo ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io mi sono preparato questa settimana.”

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

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io ho preparato.”

✓ Right: “Io mi sono preparato questa settimana.”

prepararsi takes essere in the passato prossimo. The io form is mi sono preparato — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) mi preparo
    • B) ti prepari
    • C) si prepara
    • D) ci prepariamo

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

    • A) ti sei preparato
    • B) si è preparato
    • C) mi sono preparato
    • D) ci siamo preparato

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

    • A) mi preparavo
    • B) ti preparavi
    • C) ci preparavamo
    • D) si preparava

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

    • A) ci prepareremo
    • B) mi preparerò
    • C) ti preparerai
    • D) si preparerà

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

    • A) mi preparerei
    • B) ti prepareresti
    • C) si preparerebbe
    • D) ci prepareremmo

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

    • A) ti preparasti
    • B) si preparò
    • C) mi preparai
    • D) ci preparammo

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

    • A) mi prepari
    • B) ti prepari
    • C) si prepari
    • D) ci prepariamo

  8. What is the gerund of prepararsi?

    • A) preparandosi
    • B) preparato
    • C) prepararsi
    • D) mi preparo

  9. What is the past participle of prepararsi?

    • A) preparandosi
    • B) preparato
    • C) prepararsi
    • D) mi preparo

  10. What does prepararsi mean in English?

  • A) to explain
  • B) to answer
  • C) to get ready
  • D) to ask

Answer key

  1. B) ti prepari — the correct form is ti prepari. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) mi sono preparato — the correct form is mi sono preparato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) si preparava — the correct form is si preparava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ci prepareremo — the correct form is ci prepareremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ti prepareresti — the correct form is ti prepareresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) mi preparai — the correct form is mi preparai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ci prepariamo — the correct form is ci prepariamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) preparandosi — the correct form is preparandosi. 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 get ready — the correct form is to get ready. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does prepararsi mean in English?

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

Is prepararsi regular or irregular?

prepararsi is regular. prepararsi 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 prepararsi?

The gerund is preparandosi and the past participle is preparato. The perfect tenses use essere + preparato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of prepararsi?

On the prepararsi conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The prepararsi 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 prepararsi, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages