Riposare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

riposare — to rest — 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 resting after work or after a journey, and it is completely regular in every tense. It needs no object, and it appears with time words such as adesso and dopo il lavoro. On this page you will find riposare 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 riposare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the riposare present tense page.

Example sentences with riposare

In the present tense

  • “Io riposo ogni giorno.” — “I rest”
  • “Tu riposi ogni giorno.” — “You rest”
  • “Lui riposa ogni giorno.” — “He rests”
  • “Noi riposiamo ogni giorno.” — “We rest”
  • “Voi riposate ogni giorno.” — “You rest”
  • “Loro riposano ogni giorno.” — “They rest”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho riposato questa settimana.” — “I have rested”
  • “Tu hai riposato questa settimana.” — “You have rested”
  • “Lui ha riposato questa settimana.” — “He has rested”
  • “Noi abbiamo riposato questa settimana.” — “We have rested”
  • “Voi avete riposato questa settimana.” — “You have rested”
  • “Loro hanno riposato questa settimana.” — “They have rested”

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 riposavo una volta.” — “I used to rest”
  • “Tu riposerai domani.” — “You will rest”
  • “Lui riposerebbe un giorno.” — “He would rest”
  • “È importante che noi riposiamo.” — “It is important that we rest”
  • “Riposa!” — “Rest!”

How riposare is used

The first thing to know about riposare is its core meaning: to rest. It is the verb for resting after work or after a journey, and it is completely regular in every tense. It needs no object, and it appears with time words such as adesso and dopo il lavoro. 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 riposare keeps. The present io form is riposo, 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 riposato, 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 riposare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need riposo, never riposare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho riposato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle riposato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Riposare in context

Io riposo ogni giorno. Tu riposi ogni giorno. Lui riposa ogni giorno. Noi riposiamo ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of riposare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — riposo, riposi, riposa, riposiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to rest. Io ho riposato questa settimana. Tu hai riposato questa settimana. Lui ha riposato questa settimana. Noi abbiamo riposato questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of riposare 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 rest — 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 riposare.”

✓ Right: “Io riposo ogni giorno.”

The infinitive riposare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form riposo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io riposi.”

✓ Right: “Io riposo ogni giorno.”

riposi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is riposo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io riposo ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho riposato here, not the present riposo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono riposato.”

✓ Right: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) riposo
    • B) riposi
    • C) riposa
    • D) riposiamo

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

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

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

    • A) riposavo
    • B) riposavi
    • C) riposavamo
    • D) riposava

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

    • A) riposeremo
    • B) riposerò
    • C) riposerai
    • D) riposerà

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

    • A) riposerei
    • B) riposeresti
    • C) riposerebbe
    • D) riposeremmo

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

    • A) riposasti
    • B) riposò
    • C) riposai
    • D) riposammo

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

    • A) riposi
    • B) riposiate
    • C) riposino
    • D) riposiamo

  8. What is the gerund of riposare?

    • A) riposando
    • B) riposato
    • C) riposare
    • D) riposo

  9. What is the past participle of riposare?

    • A) riposando
    • B) riposato
    • C) riposare
    • D) riposo

  10. What does riposare mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) riposi — the correct form is riposi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho riposato — the correct form is ho riposato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) riposava — the correct form is riposava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) riposeremo — the correct form is riposeremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) riposeresti — the correct form is riposeresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) riposai — the correct form is riposai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) riposiamo — the correct form is riposiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) riposando — the correct form is riposando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) riposato — the correct form is riposato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to rest — the correct form is to rest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does riposare mean in English?

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

Is riposare regular or irregular?

riposare is regular. riposare 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 riposare?

The gerund is riposando and the past participle is riposato. The perfect tenses use avere + riposato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of riposare?

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

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