Salutare Conjugation in Italian
salutare means “to greet” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 49 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of salutare — 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 saluto Maria ogni giorno.” — “I greet Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: salutare
- English: to greet
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: salutando
- Present participle: salutante
- Past participle: salutato
- 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 salutare, 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 salutare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about salutare
- 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 salutato. 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 salutante and salutato: 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 salutare. 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 | saluto |
| tu | saluti |
| lui/lei | saluta |
| noi | salutiamo |
| voi | salutate |
| loro | salutano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.” — “I greet Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | salutai |
| tu | salutasti |
| lui/lei | salutò |
| noi | salutammo |
| voi | salutaste |
| loro | salutarono |
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 salutai Maria ieri.” — “I greeted Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | salutavo |
| tu | salutavi |
| lui/lei | salutava |
| noi | salutavamo |
| voi | salutavate |
| loro | salutavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io salutavo Maria una volta.” — “I used to greet Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | saluterò |
| tu | saluterai |
| lui/lei | saluterà |
| noi | saluteremo |
| voi | saluterete |
| loro | saluteranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io saluterò Maria domani.” — “I will greet Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | saluterei |
| tu | saluteresti |
| lui/lei | saluterebbe |
| noi | saluteremmo |
| voi | salutereste |
| loro | saluterebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io saluterei Maria un giorno.” — “I would greet Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho salutato |
| tu | hai salutato |
| lui/lei | ha salutato |
| noi | abbiamo salutato |
| voi | avete salutato |
| loro | hanno salutato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha salutato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has greeted Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo salutato |
| tu | avevi salutato |
| lui/lei | aveva salutato |
| noi | avevamo salutato |
| voi | avevate salutato |
| loro | avevano salutato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo salutato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had greeted Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò salutato |
| tu | avrai salutato |
| lui/lei | avrà salutato |
| noi | avremo salutato |
| voi | avrete salutato |
| loro | avranno salutato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò salutato Maria per domani.” — “I will have greeted Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei salutato |
| tu | avresti salutato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe salutato |
| noi | avremmo salutato |
| voi | avreste salutato |
| loro | avrebbero salutato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei salutato Maria ieri.” — “I would have greeted Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | saluti |
| tu | saluti |
| lui/lei | saluti |
| noi | salutiamo |
| voi | salutiate |
| loro | salutino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io saluti Maria.” — “It is important that I greet Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | salutassi |
| tu | salutassi |
| lui/lei | salutasse |
| noi | salutassimo |
| voi | salutaste |
| loro | salutassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io salutassi Maria.” — “It was important that I greet Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | saluta |
| lui/lei | saluti |
| noi | salutiamo |
| voi | salutate |
| loro | salutino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Saluta Maria!” — “Greet Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | salutare |
| lui/lei | saluti |
| noi | salutiamo |
| voi | salutiate |
| loro | salutino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non salutare Maria.” — “Do not greet Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | salutando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Salutando Maria, imparo molto.” — “While greeting Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | salutante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle salutante 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 | salutato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.” — “I have greeted Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with salutare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.” — “I greet Maria”
- “Tu salutasti Maria ieri.” — “You greeted Maria”
- “Lui salutava Maria una volta.” — “He used to greet Maria”
- “Io saluterò Maria domani.” — “I will greet Maria”
- “Tu saluteresti Maria un giorno.” — “You would greet Maria”
- “Lui ha salutato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has greeted Maria”
- “Io avevo salutato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had greeted Maria”
- “Tu avrai salutato Maria per domani.” — “You will have greeted Maria”
- “È importante che io saluti Maria.” — “It is important that I greet Maria”
- “Saluta Maria!” — “Greet Maria!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io saluti Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.”
saluti is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with saluto.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io saluto Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho salutato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono salutato Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of salutare is formed with avere plus the past participle salutato: the io form is ho salutato. 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 saluto Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io saluti Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use saluti here, not the indicative saluto.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho salutando Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho salutato Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle salutato, not the gerund salutando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on salutare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of salutare in the Present indicative?
- A) saluti
- B) saluto
- C) saluta
- D) salutiamo
What is the lui/lei form of salutare in the Passato remoto?
- A) salutai
- B) salutasti
- C) salutò
- D) salutammo
What is the noi form of salutare in the Imperfect?
- A) salutavo
- B) salutavi
- C) salutava
- D) salutavamo
What is the tu form of salutare in the Future?
- A) saluterai
- B) saluterò
- C) saluterà
- D) saluteremo
What is the io form of salutare in the Conditional?
- A) saluteresti
- B) saluterei
- C) saluterebbe
- D) saluteremmo
What is the lui/lei form of salutare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho salutato
- B) hai salutato
- C) ha salutato
- D) abbiamo salutato
What is the lui/lei form of salutare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) salutiamo
- B) salutiate
- C) salutino
- D) saluti
What is the io form of salutare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) salutassi
- B) salutasse
- C) salutassimo
- D) salutaste
What is the gerund of salutare?
- A) salutato
- B) salutando
- C) salutare
- D) saluto
What does salutare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to greet
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) saluto — the correct form is saluto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) salutò — the correct form is salutò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) salutavamo — the correct form is salutavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) saluterai — the correct form is saluterai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) saluterei — the correct form is saluterei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha salutato — the correct form is ha salutato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) saluti — the correct form is saluti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) salutassi — the correct form is salutassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) salutando — the correct form is salutando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is salutare regular or irregular?
salutare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is salutando and the past participle is salutato.
What are the gerund and past participle of salutare?
The gerund is salutando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is salutato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho salutato.
Which auxiliary does salutare take in the passato prossimo?
salutare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho salutato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle salutato.
How do I say “I greet” in Italian?
Say “Io saluto Maria ogni giorno.” — “I greet Maria” The io form of the present is saluto, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of salutare — every tense of salutare in one place.
- Salutare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Salutare 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 salutare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise salutare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise salutare with the interactive tool.