Rispondere Conjugation in Italian
rispondere means “to answer” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 45 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for answering a question or replying to someone, and its present is regular while its passato remoto and past participle are irregular: the participle is risposto, not a regular -uto form. Learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair, and the whole perfect system follows. This page gives you the complete conjugation of rispondere — 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 rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.” — “I answer the question.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: rispondere
- English: to answer
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: rispondendo
- Present participle: rispondente
- Past participle: risposto
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for rispondere, 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 rispondere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about rispondere
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts. Its passato remoto and past participle are irregular: the participle is risposto and the remoto io form is risposi.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle risposto. 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 rispondente and risposto: 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.
A note on rispondere
A note on the pattern: rispondere is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto — io risposi — and in the past participle, which is risposto. Learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for rispondere. 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 | rispondo |
| tu | rispondi |
| lui/lei | risponde |
| noi | rispondiamo |
| voi | rispondete |
| loro | rispondono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.” — “I answer the question”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | risposi |
| tu | rispondesti |
| lui/lei | rispose |
| noi | rispondemmo |
| voi | rispondeste |
| loro | risposero |
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 risposi alla domanda ieri.” — “I answered the question”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rispondevo |
| tu | rispondevi |
| lui/lei | rispondeva |
| noi | rispondevamo |
| voi | rispondevate |
| loro | rispondevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io rispondevo alla domanda una volta.” — “I used to answer the question”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | risponderò |
| tu | risponderai |
| lui/lei | risponderà |
| noi | risponderemo |
| voi | risponderete |
| loro | risponderanno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io risponderò alla domanda domani.” — “I will answer the question”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | risponderei |
| tu | risponderesti |
| lui/lei | risponderebbe |
| noi | risponderemmo |
| voi | rispondereste |
| loro | risponderebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io risponderei alla domanda un giorno.” — “I would answer the question”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho risposto |
| tu | hai risposto |
| lui/lei | ha risposto |
| noi | abbiamo risposto |
| voi | avete risposto |
| loro | hanno risposto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha risposto alla domanda questa settimana.” — “He has answered the question”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo risposto |
| tu | avevi risposto |
| lui/lei | aveva risposto |
| noi | avevamo risposto |
| voi | avevate risposto |
| loro | avevano risposto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo risposto alla domanda prima della festa.” — “I had answered the question”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò risposto |
| tu | avrai risposto |
| lui/lei | avrà risposto |
| noi | avremo risposto |
| voi | avrete risposto |
| loro | avranno risposto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò risposto alla domanda per domani.” — “I will have answered the question”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei risposto |
| tu | avresti risposto |
| lui/lei | avrebbe risposto |
| noi | avremmo risposto |
| voi | avreste risposto |
| loro | avrebbero risposto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei risposto alla domanda ieri.” — “I would have answered the question”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | risponda |
| tu | risponda |
| lui/lei | risponda |
| noi | rispondiamo |
| voi | rispondiate |
| loro | rispondano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io risponda alla domanda.” — “It is important that I answer the question”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rispondessi |
| tu | rispondessi |
| lui/lei | rispondesse |
| noi | rispondessimo |
| voi | rispondeste |
| loro | rispondessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io rispondessi alla domanda.” — “It was important that I answer the question”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | rispondi |
| lui/lei | risponda |
| noi | rispondiamo |
| voi | rispondete |
| loro | rispondano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Rispondi alla domanda!” — “Answer the question!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | rispondere |
| lui/lei | risponda |
| noi | rispondiamo |
| voi | rispondiate |
| loro | rispondano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non rispondere alla domanda.” — “Do not answer the question.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | rispondendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Rispondendo alla domanda, imparo molto.” — “While answering the question, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | rispondente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle rispondente 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 | risposto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho risposto alla domanda questa settimana.” — “I have answered the question.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with rispondere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.” — “I answer the question”
- “Tu rispondesti alla domanda ieri.” — “You answered the question”
- “Lui rispondeva alla domanda una volta.” — “He used to answer the question”
- “Io risponderò alla domanda domani.” — “I will answer the question”
- “Tu risponderesti alla domanda un giorno.” — “You would answer the question”
- “Lui ha risposto alla domanda questa settimana.” — “He has answered the question”
- “Io avevo risposto alla domanda prima della festa.” — “I had answered the question”
- “Tu avrai risposto alla domanda per domani.” — “You will have answered the question”
- “È importante che io risponda alla domanda.” — “It is important that I answer the question”
- “Rispondi alla domanda!” — “Answer the question!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io rispondere alla domanda.”
✓ Right: “Io rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.”
The infinitive rispondere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form rispondo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io rispondi alla domanda.”
✓ Right: “Io rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.”
rispondi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with rispondo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io rispondo alla domanda ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho risposto alla domanda questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho risposto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono risposto alla domanda.”
✓ Right: “Io ho risposto alla domanda questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of rispondere is formed with avere plus the past participle risposto: the io form is ho risposto. 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 rispondo alla domanda.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io risponda alla domanda.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use risponda here, not the indicative rispondo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho rispondendo alla domanda.”
✓ Right: “Io ho risposto alla domanda questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle risposto, not the gerund rispondendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on rispondere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of rispondere in the Present indicative?
- A) rispondi
- B) rispondo
- C) risponde
- D) rispondiamo
What is the lui/lei form of rispondere in the Passato remoto?
- A) risposi
- B) rispondesti
- C) rispose
- D) rispondemmo
What is the noi form of rispondere in the Imperfect?
- A) rispondevo
- B) rispondevi
- C) rispondeva
- D) rispondevamo
What is the tu form of rispondere in the Future?
- A) risponderai
- B) risponderò
- C) risponderà
- D) risponderemo
What is the io form of rispondere in the Conditional?
- A) risponderesti
- B) risponderei
- C) risponderebbe
- D) risponderemmo
What is the lui/lei form of rispondere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho risposto
- B) hai risposto
- C) ha risposto
- D) abbiamo risposto
What is the lui/lei form of rispondere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) rispondiamo
- B) rispondiate
- C) rispondano
- D) risponda
What is the io form of rispondere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) rispondessi
- B) rispondesse
- C) rispondessimo
- D) rispondeste
What is the gerund of rispondere?
- A) risposto
- B) rispondendo
- C) rispondere
- D) rispondo
What does rispondere mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to ask
- C) to answer
- D) to tell
Answer key
- B) rispondo — the correct form is rispondo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) rispose — the correct form is rispose. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) rispondevamo — the correct form is rispondevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) risponderai — the correct form is risponderai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) risponderei — the correct form is risponderei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha risposto — the correct form is ha risposto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) risponda — the correct form is risponda. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) rispondessi — the correct form is rispondessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) rispondendo — the correct form is rispondendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to answer — the correct form is to answer. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does rispondere mean in English?
rispondere means “to answer”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is rispondere regular or irregular?
rispondere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is rispondendo and the past participle is risposto.
What are the gerund and past participle of rispondere?
The gerund is rispondendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is risposto — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho risposto.
Which auxiliary does rispondere take in the passato prossimo?
rispondere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho risposto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle risposto.
How do I say “I answer” in Italian?
Say “Io rispondo alla domanda ogni giorno.” — “I answer the question” The io form of the present is rispondo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of rispondere — every tense of rispondere in one place.
- Rispondere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Rispondere 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.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Discutere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Decidere 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 rispondere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise rispondere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise rispondere with the interactive tool.