Riposare Conjugation in Italian
riposare means “to rest” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 155 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of riposare — 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 riposo ogni giorno.” — “I rest.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: riposare
- English: to rest
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: riposando
- Present participle: riposante
- Past participle: riposato
- 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 riposare, 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 riposare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about riposare
- 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 riposato. 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 riposante and riposato: 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 riposare. 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 | riposo |
| tu | riposi |
| lui/lei | riposa |
| noi | riposiamo |
| voi | riposate |
| loro | riposano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io riposo ogni giorno.” — “I rest”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposai |
| tu | riposasti |
| lui/lei | riposò |
| noi | riposammo |
| voi | riposaste |
| loro | riposarono |
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 riposai ieri.” — “I rested”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposavo |
| tu | riposavi |
| lui/lei | riposava |
| noi | riposavamo |
| voi | riposavate |
| loro | riposavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io riposavo una volta.” — “I used to rest”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposerò |
| tu | riposerai |
| lui/lei | riposerà |
| noi | riposeremo |
| voi | riposerete |
| loro | riposeranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io riposerò domani.” — “I will rest”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposerei |
| tu | riposeresti |
| lui/lei | riposerebbe |
| noi | riposeremmo |
| voi | riposereste |
| loro | riposerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io riposerei un giorno.” — “I would rest”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho riposato |
| tu | hai riposato |
| lui/lei | ha riposato |
| noi | abbiamo riposato |
| voi | avete riposato |
| loro | hanno riposato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha riposato questa settimana.” — “He has rested”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo riposato |
| tu | avevi riposato |
| lui/lei | aveva riposato |
| noi | avevamo riposato |
| voi | avevate riposato |
| loro | avevano riposato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo riposato prima della festa.” — “I had rested”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò riposato |
| tu | avrai riposato |
| lui/lei | avrà riposato |
| noi | avremo riposato |
| voi | avrete riposato |
| loro | avranno riposato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò riposato per domani.” — “I will have rested”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei riposato |
| tu | avresti riposato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe riposato |
| noi | avremmo riposato |
| voi | avreste riposato |
| loro | avrebbero riposato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei riposato ieri.” — “I would have rested”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposi |
| tu | riposi |
| lui/lei | riposi |
| noi | riposiamo |
| voi | riposiate |
| loro | riposino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io riposi.” — “It is important that I rest”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | riposassi |
| tu | riposassi |
| lui/lei | riposasse |
| noi | riposassimo |
| voi | riposaste |
| loro | riposassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io riposassi.” — “It was important that I rest”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | riposa |
| lui/lei | riposi |
| noi | riposiamo |
| voi | riposate |
| loro | riposino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Riposa!” — “Rest!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | riposare |
| lui/lei | riposi |
| noi | riposiamo |
| voi | riposiate |
| loro | riposino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non riposare.” — “Do not rest.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | riposando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Riposando, imparo molto.” — “While resting, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | riposante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle riposante 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 | riposato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.” — “I have rested.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with riposare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io riposo ogni giorno.” — “I rest”
- “Tu riposasti ieri.” — “You rested”
- “Lui riposava una volta.” — “He used to rest”
- “Io riposerò domani.” — “I will rest”
- “Tu riposeresti un giorno.” — “You would rest”
- “Lui ha riposato questa settimana.” — “He has rested”
- “Io avevo riposato prima della festa.” — “I had rested”
- “Tu avrai riposato per domani.” — “You will have rested”
- “È importante che io riposi.” — “It is important that I rest”
- “Riposa!” — “Rest!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io riposi.”
✓ Right: “Io riposo ogni giorno.”
riposi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with riposo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io riposo ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho riposato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono riposato.”
✓ Right: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of riposare is formed with avere plus the past participle riposato: the io form is ho riposato. 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 riposo.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io riposi.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use riposi here, not the indicative riposo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho riposando.”
✓ Right: “Io ho riposato questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle riposato, not the gerund riposando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on riposare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of riposare in the Present indicative?
- A) riposi
- B) riposo
- C) riposa
- D) riposiamo
What is the lui/lei form of riposare in the Passato remoto?
- A) riposai
- B) riposasti
- C) riposò
- D) riposammo
What is the noi form of riposare in the Imperfect?
- A) riposavo
- B) riposavi
- C) riposava
- D) riposavamo
What is the tu form of riposare in the Future?
- A) riposerai
- B) riposerò
- C) riposerà
- D) riposeremo
What is the io form of riposare in the Conditional?
- A) riposeresti
- B) riposerei
- C) riposerebbe
- D) riposeremmo
What is the lui/lei form of riposare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho riposato
- B) hai riposato
- C) ha riposato
- D) abbiamo riposato
What is the lui/lei form of riposare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) riposiamo
- B) riposiate
- C) riposino
- D) riposi
What is the io form of riposare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) riposassi
- B) riposasse
- C) riposassimo
- D) riposaste
What is the gerund of riposare?
- A) riposato
- B) riposando
- C) riposare
- D) riposo
What does riposare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to rest
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) riposo — the correct form is riposo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) riposò — the correct form is riposò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) riposavamo — the correct form is riposavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) riposerai — the correct form is riposerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) riposerei — the correct form is riposerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha riposato — the correct form is ha riposato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) riposi — the correct form is riposi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) riposassi — the correct form is riposassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) riposando — the correct form is riposando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is riposare regular or irregular?
riposare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is riposando and the past participle is riposato.
What are the gerund and past participle of riposare?
The gerund is riposando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is riposato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho riposato.
Which auxiliary does riposare take in the passato prossimo?
riposare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho riposato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle riposato.
How do I say “I rest” in Italian?
Say “Io riposo ogni giorno.” — “I rest” The io form of the present is riposo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of riposare — every tense of riposare in one place.
- Riposare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Riposare 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 riposare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise riposare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise riposare with the interactive tool.