Scusare Conjugation in Italian
scusare means “to excuse” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 398 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for excusing someone, and it is completely regular in every tense. Its reflexive partner scusarsi is the verb for apologising, and the two share the same stem and endings. This page gives you the complete conjugation of scusare — 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 scuso Maria ogni giorno.” — “I excuse Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: scusare
- English: to excuse
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: scusando
- Present participle: scusante
- Past participle: scusato
- 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 scusare, 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 scusare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about scusare
- 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 scusato. 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 scusante and scusato: 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 scusare. 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 | scuso |
| tu | scusi |
| lui/lei | scusa |
| noi | scusiamo |
| voi | scusate |
| loro | scusano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io scuso Maria ogni giorno.” — “I excuse Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scusai |
| tu | scusasti |
| lui/lei | scusò |
| noi | scusammo |
| voi | scusaste |
| loro | scusarono |
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 scusai Maria ieri.” — “I excused Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scusavo |
| tu | scusavi |
| lui/lei | scusava |
| noi | scusavamo |
| voi | scusavate |
| loro | scusavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io scusavo Maria una volta.” — “I used to excuse Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scuserò |
| tu | scuserai |
| lui/lei | scuserà |
| noi | scuseremo |
| voi | scuserete |
| loro | scuseranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io scuserò Maria domani.” — “I will excuse Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scuserei |
| tu | scuseresti |
| lui/lei | scuserebbe |
| noi | scuseremmo |
| voi | scusereste |
| loro | scuserebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io scuserei Maria un giorno.” — “I would excuse Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho scusato |
| tu | hai scusato |
| lui/lei | ha scusato |
| noi | abbiamo scusato |
| voi | avete scusato |
| loro | hanno scusato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha scusato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has excused Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo scusato |
| tu | avevi scusato |
| lui/lei | aveva scusato |
| noi | avevamo scusato |
| voi | avevate scusato |
| loro | avevano scusato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo scusato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had excused Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò scusato |
| tu | avrai scusato |
| lui/lei | avrà scusato |
| noi | avremo scusato |
| voi | avrete scusato |
| loro | avranno scusato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò scusato Maria per domani.” — “I will have excused Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei scusato |
| tu | avresti scusato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe scusato |
| noi | avremmo scusato |
| voi | avreste scusato |
| loro | avrebbero scusato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei scusato Maria ieri.” — “I would have excused Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scusi |
| tu | scusi |
| lui/lei | scusi |
| noi | scusiamo |
| voi | scusiate |
| loro | scusino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io scusi Maria.” — “It is important that I excuse Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | scusassi |
| tu | scusassi |
| lui/lei | scusasse |
| noi | scusassimo |
| voi | scusaste |
| loro | scusassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io scusassi Maria.” — “It was important that I excuse Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | scusa |
| lui/lei | scusi |
| noi | scusiamo |
| voi | scusate |
| loro | scusino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Scusa Maria!” — “Excuse Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | scusare |
| lui/lei | scusi |
| noi | scusiamo |
| voi | scusiate |
| loro | scusino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non scusare Maria.” — “Do not excuse Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | scusando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Scusando Maria, imparo molto.” — “While excusing Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | scusante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle scusante 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 | scusato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho scusato Maria questa settimana.” — “I have excused Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with scusare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io scuso Maria ogni giorno.” — “I excuse Maria”
- “Tu scusasti Maria ieri.” — “You excused Maria”
- “Lui scusava Maria una volta.” — “He used to excuse Maria”
- “Io scuserò Maria domani.” — “I will excuse Maria”
- “Tu scuseresti Maria un giorno.” — “You would excuse Maria”
- “Lui ha scusato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has excused Maria”
- “Io avevo scusato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had excused Maria”
- “Tu avrai scusato Maria per domani.” — “You will have excused Maria”
- “È importante che io scusi Maria.” — “It is important that I excuse Maria”
- “Scusa Maria!” — “Excuse Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io scusare Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io scuso Maria ogni giorno.”
The infinitive scusare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form scuso.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io scusi Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io scuso Maria ogni giorno.”
scusi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with scuso.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io scuso Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho scusato Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho scusato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono scusato Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho scusato Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of scusare is formed with avere plus the past participle scusato: the io form is ho scusato. 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 scuso Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io scusi Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use scusi here, not the indicative scuso.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho scusando Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho scusato Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle scusato, not the gerund scusando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on scusare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of scusare in the Present indicative?
- A) scusi
- B) scuso
- C) scusa
- D) scusiamo
What is the lui/lei form of scusare in the Passato remoto?
- A) scusai
- B) scusasti
- C) scusò
- D) scusammo
What is the noi form of scusare in the Imperfect?
- A) scusavo
- B) scusavi
- C) scusava
- D) scusavamo
What is the tu form of scusare in the Future?
- A) scuserai
- B) scuserò
- C) scuserà
- D) scuseremo
What is the io form of scusare in the Conditional?
- A) scuseresti
- B) scuserei
- C) scuserebbe
- D) scuseremmo
What is the lui/lei form of scusare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho scusato
- B) hai scusato
- C) ha scusato
- D) abbiamo scusato
What is the lui/lei form of scusare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) scusiamo
- B) scusiate
- C) scusino
- D) scusi
What is the io form of scusare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) scusassi
- B) scusasse
- C) scusassimo
- D) scusaste
What is the gerund of scusare?
- A) scusato
- B) scusando
- C) scusare
- D) scuso
What does scusare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to excuse
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) scuso — the correct form is scuso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) scusò — the correct form is scusò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) scusavamo — the correct form is scusavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) scuserai — the correct form is scuserai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) scuserei — the correct form is scuserei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha scusato — the correct form is ha scusato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) scusi — the correct form is scusi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) scusassi — the correct form is scusassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) scusando — the correct form is scusando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to excuse — the correct form is to excuse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does scusare mean in English?
scusare means “to excuse”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is scusare regular or irregular?
scusare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is scusando and the past participle is scusato.
What are the gerund and past participle of scusare?
The gerund is scusando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is scusato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho scusato.
Which auxiliary does scusare take in the passato prossimo?
scusare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho scusato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle scusato.
How do I say “I excuse” in Italian?
Say “Io scuso Maria ogni giorno.” — “I excuse Maria” The io form of the present is scuso, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of scusare — every tense of scusare in one place.
- Scusare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Scusare 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 scusare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise scusare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise scusare with the interactive tool.