Provare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

provare — to try — 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 means to try something and to taste food, and it is completely regular. It also means to feel an emotion when it is followed by a noun, so the context tells you whether something is being tried or felt. On this page you will find provare 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 provare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the provare present tense page.

Example sentences with provare

In the present tense

  • “Io provo il dolce ogni giorno.” — “I try the cake”
  • “Tu provi il dolce ogni giorno.” — “You try the cake”
  • “Lui prova il dolce ogni giorno.” — “He tries the cake”
  • “Noi proviamo il dolce ogni giorno.” — “We try the cake”
  • “Voi provate il dolce ogni giorno.” — “You try the cake”
  • “Loro provano il dolce ogni giorno.” — “They try the cake”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “I have tried the cake”
  • “Tu hai provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “You have tried the cake”
  • “Lui ha provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “He has tried the cake”
  • “Noi abbiamo provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “We have tried the cake”
  • “Voi avete provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “You have tried the cake”
  • “Loro hanno provato il dolce questa settimana.” — “They have tried the cake”

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 provavo il dolce una volta.” — “I used to try the cake”
  • “Tu proverai il dolce domani.” — “You will try the cake”
  • “Lui proverebbe il dolce un giorno.” — “He would try the cake”
  • “È importante che noi proviamo il dolce.” — “It is important that we try the cake”
  • “Prova il dolce!” — “Try the cake!”

How provare is used

The first thing to know about provare is its core meaning: to try. It means to try something and to taste food, and it is completely regular. It also means to feel an emotion when it is followed by a noun, so the context tells you whether something is being tried or felt. 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 provare keeps. The present io form is provo, 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 provato, 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 provare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need provo, never provare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho provato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle provato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Provare in context

Io provo il dolce ogni giorno. Tu provi il dolce ogni giorno. Lui prova il dolce ogni giorno. Noi proviamo il dolce ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of provare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — provo, provi, prova, proviamo — while the meaning stays the same: to try. Io ho provato il dolce questa settimana. Tu hai provato il dolce questa settimana. Lui ha provato il dolce questa settimana. Noi abbiamo provato il dolce questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of provare 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 try — 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 provare il dolce.”

✓ Right: “Io provo il dolce ogni giorno.”

The infinitive provare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form provo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io provi il dolce.”

✓ Right: “Io provo il dolce ogni giorno.”

provi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is provo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io provo il dolce ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho provato il dolce questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho provato here, not the present provo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono provato il dolce.”

✓ Right: “Io ho provato il dolce questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) provo
    • B) provi
    • C) prova
    • D) proviamo

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

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

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

    • A) provavo
    • B) provavi
    • C) provavamo
    • D) provava

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

    • A) proveremo
    • B) proverò
    • C) proverai
    • D) proverà

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

    • A) proverei
    • B) proveresti
    • C) proverebbe
    • D) proveremmo

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

    • A) provasti
    • B) provò
    • C) provai
    • D) provammo

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

    • A) provi
    • B) proviate
    • C) provino
    • D) proviamo

  8. What is the gerund of provare?

    • A) provando
    • B) provato
    • C) provare
    • D) provo

  9. What is the past participle of provare?

    • A) provando
    • B) provato
    • C) provare
    • D) provo

  10. What does provare mean in English?

  • A) to sit down
  • B) to get dressed
  • C) to try
  • D) to call

Answer key

  1. B) provi — the correct form is provi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho provato — the correct form is ho provato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) provava — the correct form is provava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) proveremo — the correct form is proveremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) proveresti — the correct form is proveresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) provai — the correct form is provai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) proviamo — the correct form is proviamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) provando — the correct form is provando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) provato — the correct form is provato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to try — the correct form is to try. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does provare mean in English?

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

Is provare regular or irregular?

provare is regular. provare 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 provare?

The gerund is provando and the past participle is provato. The perfect tenses use avere + provato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of provare?

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

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