Raccontare Conjugation in Italian
raccontare means “to tell” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 82 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for telling a story or recounting what happened, and it is completely regular in every tense. It always takes a story, an event or a piece of news as its object, and it is the verb that carries narration in Italian. This page gives you the complete conjugation of raccontare — 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 racconto una storia ogni giorno.” — “I tell a story.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: raccontare
- English: to tell
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: raccontando
- Present participle: raccontante
- Past participle: raccontato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for raccontare, 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 raccontare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about raccontare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle raccontato. 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 raccontante and raccontato: 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 raccontare. 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 | racconto |
| tu | racconti |
| lui/lei | racconta |
| noi | raccontiamo |
| voi | raccontate |
| loro | raccontano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io racconto una storia ogni giorno.” — “I tell a story”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | raccontai |
| tu | raccontasti |
| lui/lei | raccontò |
| noi | raccontammo |
| voi | raccontaste |
| loro | raccontarono |
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 raccontai una storia ieri.” — “I told a story”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | raccontavo |
| tu | raccontavi |
| lui/lei | raccontava |
| noi | raccontavamo |
| voi | raccontavate |
| loro | raccontavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io raccontavo una storia una volta.” — “I used to tell a story”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | racconterò |
| tu | racconterai |
| lui/lei | racconterà |
| noi | racconteremo |
| voi | racconterete |
| loro | racconteranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io racconterò una storia domani.” — “I will tell a story”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | racconterei |
| tu | racconteresti |
| lui/lei | racconterebbe |
| noi | racconteremmo |
| voi | raccontereste |
| loro | racconterebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io racconterei una storia un giorno.” — “I would tell a story”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho raccontato |
| tu | hai raccontato |
| lui/lei | ha raccontato |
| noi | abbiamo raccontato |
| voi | avete raccontato |
| loro | hanno raccontato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha raccontato una storia questa settimana.” — “He has told a story”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo raccontato |
| tu | avevi raccontato |
| lui/lei | aveva raccontato |
| noi | avevamo raccontato |
| voi | avevate raccontato |
| loro | avevano raccontato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo raccontato una storia prima della festa.” — “I had told a story”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò raccontato |
| tu | avrai raccontato |
| lui/lei | avrà raccontato |
| noi | avremo raccontato |
| voi | avrete raccontato |
| loro | avranno raccontato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò raccontato una storia per domani.” — “I will have told a story”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei raccontato |
| tu | avresti raccontato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe raccontato |
| noi | avremmo raccontato |
| voi | avreste raccontato |
| loro | avrebbero raccontato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei raccontato una storia ieri.” — “I would have told a story”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | racconti |
| tu | racconti |
| lui/lei | racconti |
| noi | raccontiamo |
| voi | raccontiate |
| loro | raccontino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io racconti una storia.” — “It is important that I tell a story”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | raccontassi |
| tu | raccontassi |
| lui/lei | raccontasse |
| noi | raccontassimo |
| voi | raccontaste |
| loro | raccontassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io raccontassi una storia.” — “It was important that I tell a story”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | racconta |
| lui/lei | racconti |
| noi | raccontiamo |
| voi | raccontate |
| loro | raccontino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Racconta una storia!” — “Tell a story!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | raccontare |
| lui/lei | racconti |
| noi | raccontiamo |
| voi | raccontiate |
| loro | raccontino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non raccontare una storia.” — “Do not tell a story.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | raccontando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Raccontando una storia, imparo molto.” — “While telling a story, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | raccontante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle raccontante 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 | raccontato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho raccontato una storia questa settimana.” — “I have told a story.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with raccontare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io racconto una storia ogni giorno.” — “I tell a story”
- “Tu raccontasti una storia ieri.” — “You told a story”
- “Lui raccontava una storia una volta.” — “He used to tell a story”
- “Io racconterò una storia domani.” — “I will tell a story”
- “Tu racconteresti una storia un giorno.” — “You would tell a story”
- “Lui ha raccontato una storia questa settimana.” — “He has told a story”
- “Io avevo raccontato una storia prima della festa.” — “I had told a story”
- “Tu avrai raccontato una storia per domani.” — “You will have told a story”
- “È importante che io racconti una storia.” — “It is important that I tell a story”
- “Racconta una storia!” — “Tell a story!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io raccontare una storia.”
✓ Right: “Io racconto una storia ogni giorno.”
The infinitive raccontare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form racconto.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io racconti una storia.”
✓ Right: “Io racconto una storia ogni giorno.”
racconti is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with racconto.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io racconto una storia ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho raccontato una storia questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho raccontato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono raccontato una storia.”
✓ Right: “Io ho raccontato una storia questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of raccontare is formed with avere plus the past participle raccontato: the io form is ho raccontato. 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 racconto una storia.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io racconti una storia.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use racconti here, not the indicative racconto.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho raccontando una storia.”
✓ Right: “Io ho raccontato una storia questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle raccontato, not the gerund raccontando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on raccontare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of raccontare in the Present indicative?
- A) racconti
- B) racconto
- C) racconta
- D) raccontiamo
What is the lui/lei form of raccontare in the Passato remoto?
- A) raccontai
- B) raccontasti
- C) raccontò
- D) raccontammo
What is the noi form of raccontare in the Imperfect?
- A) raccontavo
- B) raccontavi
- C) raccontava
- D) raccontavamo
What is the tu form of raccontare in the Future?
- A) racconterai
- B) racconterò
- C) racconterà
- D) racconteremo
What is the io form of raccontare in the Conditional?
- A) racconteresti
- B) racconterei
- C) racconterebbe
- D) racconteremmo
What is the lui/lei form of raccontare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho raccontato
- B) hai raccontato
- C) ha raccontato
- D) abbiamo raccontato
What is the lui/lei form of raccontare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) raccontiamo
- B) raccontiate
- C) raccontino
- D) racconti
What is the io form of raccontare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) raccontassi
- B) raccontasse
- C) raccontassimo
- D) raccontaste
What is the gerund of raccontare?
- A) raccontato
- B) raccontando
- C) raccontare
- D) racconto
What does raccontare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to tell
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) racconto — the correct form is racconto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) raccontò — the correct form is raccontò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) raccontavamo — the correct form is raccontavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) racconterai — the correct form is racconterai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) racconterei — the correct form is racconterei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha raccontato — the correct form is ha raccontato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) racconti — the correct form is racconti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) raccontassi — the correct form is raccontassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) raccontando — the correct form is raccontando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to tell — the correct form is to tell. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does raccontare mean in English?
raccontare means “to tell”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is raccontare regular or irregular?
raccontare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is raccontando and the past participle is raccontato.
What are the gerund and past participle of raccontare?
The gerund is raccontando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is raccontato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho raccontato.
Which auxiliary does raccontare take in the passato prossimo?
raccontare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho raccontato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle raccontato.
How do I say “I tell” in Italian?
Say “Io racconto una storia ogni giorno.” — “I tell a story” The io form of the present is racconto, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of raccontare — every tense of raccontare in one place.
- Raccontare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Raccontare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Spiegare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Domandare 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 raccontare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise raccontare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise raccontare with the interactive tool.