Salutare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

salutare — to greet — 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 greeting someone, and it is completely regular in every tense. It covers both saying hello and saying goodbye, and it takes the person as a direct object. On this page you will find salutare 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 salutare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the salutare present tense page.

Example sentences with salutare

In the present tense

  • “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.” — “I greet Maria”
  • “Tu saluti Maria ogni giorno.” — “You greet Maria”
  • “Lui saluta Maria ogni giorno.” — “He greets Maria”
  • “Noi salutiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “We greet Maria”
  • “Voi salutate Maria ogni giorno.” — “You greet Maria”
  • “Loro salutano Maria ogni giorno.” — “They greet Maria”

In the passato prossimo

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

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 salutavo Maria una volta.” — “I used to greet Maria”
  • “Tu saluterai Maria domani.” — “You will greet Maria”
  • “Lui saluterebbe Maria un giorno.” — “He would greet Maria”
  • “È importante che noi salutiamo Maria.” — “It is important that we greet Maria”
  • “Saluta Maria!” — “Greet Maria!”

How salutare is used

The first thing to know about salutare is its core meaning: to greet. It is the verb for greeting someone, and it is completely regular in every tense. It covers both saying hello and saying goodbye, and it takes the person as a direct object. 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 salutare keeps. The present io form is saluto, 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 salutato, 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 salutare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need saluto, never salutare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho salutato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle salutato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Salutare in context

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

✓ Right: “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.”

The infinitive salutare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form saluto.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io saluti Maria.”

✓ Right: “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.”

saluti is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is saluto — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io saluto Maria ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho salutato here, not the present saluto.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono salutato Maria.”

✓ Right: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) saluto
    • B) saluti
    • C) saluta
    • D) salutiamo

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

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

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

    • A) salutavo
    • B) salutavi
    • C) salutavamo
    • D) salutava

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

    • A) saluteremo
    • B) saluterò
    • C) saluterai
    • D) saluterà

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

    • A) saluterei
    • B) saluteresti
    • C) saluterebbe
    • D) saluteremmo

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

    • A) salutasti
    • B) salutò
    • C) salutai
    • D) salutammo

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

    • A) saluti
    • B) salutiate
    • C) salutino
    • D) salutiamo

  8. What is the gerund of salutare?

    • A) salutando
    • B) salutato
    • C) salutare
    • D) saluto

  9. What is the past participle of salutare?

    • A) salutando
    • B) salutato
    • C) salutare
    • D) saluto

  10. What does salutare mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) saluti — the correct form is saluti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho salutato — the correct form is ho salutato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) salutava — the correct form is salutava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) saluteremo — the correct form is saluteremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) saluteresti — the correct form is saluteresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) salutai — the correct form is salutai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) salutiamo — the correct form is salutiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) salutando — the correct form is salutando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) salutato — the correct form is salutato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to greet — the correct form is to greet. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does salutare mean in English?

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

Is salutare regular or irregular?

salutare is regular. salutare 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 salutare?

The gerund is salutando and the past participle is salutato. The perfect tenses use avere + salutato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of salutare?

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

Related pages