Scrivere Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

scrivere — to write — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to write a letter, a message or a book, and it is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is scritto, not a regular -uto form, so learn it as a pair with the infinitive. On this page you will find scrivere 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 scrivere conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the scrivere passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with scrivere

In the present tense

  • “Io scrivo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “I write a letter”
  • “Tu scrivi una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You write a letter”
  • “Lui scrive una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He writes a letter”
  • “Noi scriviamo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “We write a letter”
  • “Voi scrivete una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You write a letter”
  • “Loro scrivono una lettera ogni giorno.” — “They write a letter”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “I have written a letter”
  • “Tu hai scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “You have written a letter”
  • “Lui ha scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “He has written a letter”
  • “Noi abbiamo scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “We have written a letter”
  • “Voi avete scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “You have written a letter”
  • “Loro hanno scritto una lettera questa settimana.” — “They have written a letter”

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 scrivevo una lettera una volta.” — “I used to write a letter”
  • “Tu scriverai una lettera domani.” — “You will write a letter”
  • “Lui scriverebbe una lettera un giorno.” — “He would write a letter”
  • “È importante che noi scriviamo una lettera.” — “It is important that we write a letter”
  • “Scrivi una lettera!” — “Write a letter!”

How scrivere is used

The first thing to know about scrivere is its core meaning: to write. It means to write a letter, a message or a book, and it is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is scritto, not a regular -uto form, so learn it as a pair with the infinitive. 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 scrivere keeps. The present io form is scrivo, 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 scritto, 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 scrivere does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need scrivo, never scrivere. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho scritto, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle scritto is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Scrivere in context

Io scrivo una lettera ogni giorno. Tu scrivi una lettera ogni giorno. Lui scrive una lettera ogni giorno. Noi scriviamo una lettera ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of scrivere is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — scrivo, scrivi, scrive, scriviamo — while the meaning stays the same: to write. Io ho scritto una lettera questa settimana. Tu hai scritto una lettera questa settimana. Lui ha scritto una lettera questa settimana. Noi abbiamo scritto una lettera questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of scrivere 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 write — 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 scrivere una lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io scrivo una lettera ogni giorno.”

The infinitive scrivere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form scrivo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io scrivi una lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io scrivo una lettera ogni giorno.”

scrivi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is scrivo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io scrivo una lettera ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho scritto una lettera questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho scritto here, not the present scrivo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono scritto una lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io ho scritto una lettera questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) scrivo
    • B) scrivi
    • C) scrive
    • D) scriviamo

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

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

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

    • A) scrivevo
    • B) scrivevi
    • C) scrivevamo
    • D) scriveva

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

    • A) scriveremo
    • B) scriverò
    • C) scriverai
    • D) scriverà

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

    • A) scriverei
    • B) scriveresti
    • C) scriverebbe
    • D) scriveremmo

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

    • A) scrivesti
    • B) scrisse
    • C) scrissi
    • D) scrivemmo

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

    • A) scriva
    • B) scriviate
    • C) scrivano
    • D) scriviamo

  8. What is the gerund of scrivere?

    • A) scrivendo
    • B) scritto
    • C) scrivere
    • D) scrivo

  9. What is the past participle of scrivere?

    • A) scrivendo
    • B) scritto
    • C) scrivere
    • D) scrivo

  10. What does scrivere mean in English?

  • A) to sit down
  • B) to get dressed
  • C) to write
  • D) to call

Answer key

  1. B) scrivi — the correct form is scrivi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho scritto — the correct form is ho scritto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) scriveva — the correct form is scriveva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) scriveremo — the correct form is scriveremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) scriveresti — the correct form is scriveresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) scrissi — the correct form is scrissi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) scriviamo — the correct form is scriviamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) scrivendo — the correct form is scrivendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) scritto — the correct form is scritto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to write — the correct form is to write. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does scrivere mean in English?

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

Is scrivere regular or irregular?

scrivere is irregular. scrivere is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of scrivere?

The gerund is scrivendo and the past participle is scritto. The perfect tenses use avere + scritto.

Where can I see the full conjugation of scrivere?

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

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