Pulire Conjugation in Italian
pulire means “to clean” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 110 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for cleaning a house, a room or an object, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is pulisco. The noi and voi forms keep the plain stem: puliamo, pulite. This page gives you the complete conjugation of pulire — 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 pulisco la casa ogni giorno.” — “I clean the house.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: pulire
- English: to clean
- Verb type: Regular -ire verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: pulendo
- Present participle: pulente
- Past participle: pulito
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ire verbs; pattern ireIsc in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pulire, 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 pulire in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about pulire
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ire pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions. It is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is pulisco.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle pulito. 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 pulente and pulito: 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 pulire. 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 | pulisco |
| tu | pulisci |
| lui/lei | pulisce |
| noi | puliamo |
| voi | pulite |
| loro | puliscono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io pulisco la casa ogni giorno.” — “I clean the house”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulii |
| tu | pulisti |
| lui/lei | pulì |
| noi | pulimmo |
| voi | puliste |
| loro | pulirono |
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 pulii la casa ieri.” — “I cleaned the house”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulivo |
| tu | pulivi |
| lui/lei | puliva |
| noi | pulivamo |
| voi | pulivate |
| loro | pulivano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io pulivo la casa una volta.” — “I used to clean the house”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulirò |
| tu | pulirai |
| lui/lei | pulirà |
| noi | puliremo |
| voi | pulirete |
| loro | puliranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io pulirò la casa domani.” — “I will clean the house”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulirei |
| tu | puliresti |
| lui/lei | pulirebbe |
| noi | puliremmo |
| voi | pulireste |
| loro | pulirebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io pulirei la casa un giorno.” — “I would clean the house”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho pulito |
| tu | hai pulito |
| lui/lei | ha pulito |
| noi | abbiamo pulito |
| voi | avete pulito |
| loro | hanno pulito |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha pulito la casa questa settimana.” — “He has cleaned the house”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo pulito |
| tu | avevi pulito |
| lui/lei | aveva pulito |
| noi | avevamo pulito |
| voi | avevate pulito |
| loro | avevano pulito |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo pulito la casa prima della festa.” — “I had cleaned the house”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò pulito |
| tu | avrai pulito |
| lui/lei | avrà pulito |
| noi | avremo pulito |
| voi | avrete pulito |
| loro | avranno pulito |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò pulito la casa per domani.” — “I will have cleaned the house”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei pulito |
| tu | avresti pulito |
| lui/lei | avrebbe pulito |
| noi | avremmo pulito |
| voi | avreste pulito |
| loro | avrebbero pulito |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei pulito la casa ieri.” — “I would have cleaned the house”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulisca |
| tu | pulisca |
| lui/lei | pulisca |
| noi | puliamo |
| voi | puliate |
| loro | puliscano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io pulisca la casa.” — “It is important that I clean the house”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | pulissi |
| tu | pulissi |
| lui/lei | pulisse |
| noi | pulissimo |
| voi | puliste |
| loro | pulissero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io pulissi la casa.” — “It was important that I clean the house”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | pulisci |
| lui/lei | pulisca |
| noi | puliamo |
| voi | pulite |
| loro | puliscano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Pulisci la casa!” — “Clean the house!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | pulire |
| lui/lei | pulisca |
| noi | puliamo |
| voi | puliate |
| loro | puliscano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non pulire la casa.” — “Do not clean the house.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | pulendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Pulendo la casa, imparo molto.” — “While cleaning the house, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | pulente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle pulente 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 | pulito |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho pulito la casa questa settimana.” — “I have cleaned the house.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with pulire, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io pulisco la casa ogni giorno.” — “I clean the house”
- “Tu pulisti la casa ieri.” — “You cleaned the house”
- “Lui puliva la casa una volta.” — “He used to clean the house”
- “Io pulirò la casa domani.” — “I will clean the house”
- “Tu puliresti la casa un giorno.” — “You would clean the house”
- “Lui ha pulito la casa questa settimana.” — “He has cleaned the house”
- “Io avevo pulito la casa prima della festa.” — “I had cleaned the house”
- “Tu avrai pulito la casa per domani.” — “You will have cleaned the house”
- “È importante che io pulisca la casa.” — “It is important that I clean the house”
- “Pulisci la casa!” — “Clean the house!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io pulire la casa.”
✓ Right: “Io pulisco la casa ogni giorno.”
The infinitive pulire never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form pulisco.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io pulisci la casa.”
✓ Right: “Io pulisco la casa ogni giorno.”
pulisci is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with pulisco.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io pulisco la casa ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho pulito la casa questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho pulito for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono pulito la casa.”
✓ Right: “Io ho pulito la casa questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of pulire is formed with avere plus the past participle pulito: the io form is ho pulito. 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 pulisco la casa.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io pulisca la casa.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use pulisca here, not the indicative pulisco.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho pulendo la casa.”
✓ Right: “Io ho pulito la casa questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle pulito, not the gerund pulendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pulire. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of pulire in the Present indicative?
- A) pulisci
- B) pulisco
- C) pulisce
- D) puliamo
What is the lui/lei form of pulire in the Passato remoto?
- A) pulii
- B) pulisti
- C) pulì
- D) pulimmo
What is the noi form of pulire in the Imperfect?
- A) pulivo
- B) pulivi
- C) puliva
- D) pulivamo
What is the tu form of pulire in the Future?
- A) pulirai
- B) pulirò
- C) pulirà
- D) puliremo
What is the io form of pulire in the Conditional?
- A) puliresti
- B) pulirei
- C) pulirebbe
- D) puliremmo
What is the lui/lei form of pulire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho pulito
- B) hai pulito
- C) ha pulito
- D) abbiamo pulito
What is the lui/lei form of pulire in the Present subjunctive?
- A) puliamo
- B) puliate
- C) puliscano
- D) pulisca
What is the io form of pulire in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) pulissi
- B) pulisse
- C) pulissimo
- D) puliste
What is the gerund of pulire?
- A) pulito
- B) pulendo
- C) pulire
- D) pulisco
What does pulire mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to clean
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) pulisco — the correct form is pulisco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) pulì — the correct form is pulì. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) pulivamo — the correct form is pulivamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pulirai — the correct form is pulirai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) pulirei — the correct form is pulirei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha pulito — the correct form is ha pulito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) pulisca — the correct form is pulisca. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pulissi — the correct form is pulissi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) pulendo — the correct form is pulendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to clean — the correct form is to clean. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does pulire mean in English?
pulire means “to clean”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is pulire regular or irregular?
pulire is regular: it follows the ordinary -ire pattern in every tense. The gerund is pulendo and the past participle is pulito.
What are the gerund and past participle of pulire?
The gerund is pulendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is pulito — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho pulito.
Which auxiliary does pulire take in the passato prossimo?
pulire takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho pulito. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle pulito.
How do I say “I clean” in Italian?
Say “Io pulisco la casa ogni giorno.” — “I clean the house” The io form of the present is pulisco, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of pulire — every tense of pulire in one place.
- Pulire in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Pulire examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Preferire conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Divertirsi 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 pulire with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise pulire with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise pulire with the interactive tool.