Sorridere Conjugation in Italian
sorridere means “to smile” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 41 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for smiling, and its present is regular while its passato remoto and past participle are irregular: the participle is sorriso and the remoto is sorrisi. Learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair. This page gives you the complete conjugation of sorridere — 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 sorrido ogni giorno.” — “I smile.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sorridere
- English: to smile
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: sorridendo
- Present participle: sorridente
- Past participle: sorriso
- 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 sorridere, 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 sorridere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about sorridere
- 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 sorriso and the remoto io form is sorrisi.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle sorriso. 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 sorridente and sorriso: 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 sorridere
A note on the pattern: sorridere is regular in the present but irregular in the passato remoto — io sorrisi — and in the past participle, which is sorriso. Learn the participle with the infinitive, as one pair.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sorridere. 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 | sorrido |
| tu | sorridi |
| lui/lei | sorride |
| noi | sorridiamo |
| voi | sorridete |
| loro | sorridono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io sorrido ogni giorno.” — “I smile”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorrisi |
| tu | sorridesti |
| lui/lei | sorrise |
| noi | sorridemmo |
| voi | sorrideste |
| loro | sorrisero |
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 sorrisi ieri.” — “I smiled”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorridevo |
| tu | sorridevi |
| lui/lei | sorrideva |
| noi | sorridevamo |
| voi | sorridevate |
| loro | sorridevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io sorridevo una volta.” — “I used to smile”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorriderò |
| tu | sorriderai |
| lui/lei | sorriderà |
| noi | sorrideremo |
| voi | sorriderete |
| loro | sorrideranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io sorriderò domani.” — “I will smile”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorriderei |
| tu | sorrideresti |
| lui/lei | sorriderebbe |
| noi | sorrideremmo |
| voi | sorridereste |
| loro | sorriderebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io sorriderei un giorno.” — “I would smile”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho sorriso |
| tu | hai sorriso |
| lui/lei | ha sorriso |
| noi | abbiamo sorriso |
| voi | avete sorriso |
| loro | hanno sorriso |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha sorriso questa settimana.” — “He has smiled”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo sorriso |
| tu | avevi sorriso |
| lui/lei | aveva sorriso |
| noi | avevamo sorriso |
| voi | avevate sorriso |
| loro | avevano sorriso |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo sorriso prima della festa.” — “I had smiled”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò sorriso |
| tu | avrai sorriso |
| lui/lei | avrà sorriso |
| noi | avremo sorriso |
| voi | avrete sorriso |
| loro | avranno sorriso |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò sorriso per domani.” — “I will have smiled”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei sorriso |
| tu | avresti sorriso |
| lui/lei | avrebbe sorriso |
| noi | avremmo sorriso |
| voi | avreste sorriso |
| loro | avrebbero sorriso |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei sorriso ieri.” — “I would have smiled”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorrida |
| tu | sorrida |
| lui/lei | sorrida |
| noi | sorridiamo |
| voi | sorridiate |
| loro | sorridano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io sorrida.” — “It is important that I smile”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sorridessi |
| tu | sorridessi |
| lui/lei | sorridesse |
| noi | sorridessimo |
| voi | sorrideste |
| loro | sorridessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io sorridessi.” — “It was important that I smile”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sorridi |
| lui/lei | sorrida |
| noi | sorridiamo |
| voi | sorridete |
| loro | sorridano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Sorridi!” — “Smile!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sorridere |
| lui/lei | sorrida |
| noi | sorridiamo |
| voi | sorridiate |
| loro | sorridano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non sorridere.” — “Do not smile.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | sorridendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Sorridendo, imparo molto.” — “While smiling, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | sorridente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle sorridente 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 | sorriso |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho sorriso questa settimana.” — “I have smiled.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sorridere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io sorrido ogni giorno.” — “I smile”
- “Tu sorridesti ieri.” — “You smiled”
- “Lui sorrideva una volta.” — “He used to smile”
- “Io sorriderò domani.” — “I will smile”
- “Tu sorrideresti un giorno.” — “You would smile”
- “Lui ha sorriso questa settimana.” — “He has smiled”
- “Io avevo sorriso prima della festa.” — “I had smiled”
- “Tu avrai sorriso per domani.” — “You will have smiled”
- “È importante che io sorrida.” — “It is important that I smile”
- “Sorridi!” — “Smile!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io sorridere.”
✓ Right: “Io sorrido ogni giorno.”
The infinitive sorridere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form sorrido.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io sorridi.”
✓ Right: “Io sorrido ogni giorno.”
sorridi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with sorrido.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io sorrido ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho sorriso questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho sorriso for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono sorriso.”
✓ Right: “Io ho sorriso questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of sorridere is formed with avere plus the past participle sorriso: the io form is ho sorriso. 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 sorrido.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io sorrida.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use sorrida here, not the indicative sorrido.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho sorridendo.”
✓ Right: “Io ho sorriso questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle sorriso, not the gerund sorridendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sorridere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of sorridere in the Present indicative?
- A) sorridi
- B) sorrido
- C) sorride
- D) sorridiamo
What is the lui/lei form of sorridere in the Passato remoto?
- A) sorrisi
- B) sorridesti
- C) sorrise
- D) sorridemmo
What is the noi form of sorridere in the Imperfect?
- A) sorridevo
- B) sorridevi
- C) sorrideva
- D) sorridevamo
What is the tu form of sorridere in the Future?
- A) sorriderai
- B) sorriderò
- C) sorriderà
- D) sorrideremo
What is the io form of sorridere in the Conditional?
- A) sorrideresti
- B) sorriderei
- C) sorriderebbe
- D) sorrideremmo
What is the lui/lei form of sorridere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho sorriso
- B) hai sorriso
- C) ha sorriso
- D) abbiamo sorriso
What is the lui/lei form of sorridere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) sorridiamo
- B) sorridiate
- C) sorridano
- D) sorrida
What is the io form of sorridere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) sorridessi
- B) sorridesse
- C) sorridessimo
- D) sorrideste
What is the gerund of sorridere?
- A) sorriso
- B) sorridendo
- C) sorridere
- D) sorrido
What does sorridere mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to smile
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) sorrido — the correct form is sorrido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) sorrise — the correct form is sorrise. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sorridevamo — the correct form is sorridevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sorriderai — the correct form is sorriderai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sorriderei — the correct form is sorriderei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha sorriso — the correct form is ha sorriso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sorrida — the correct form is sorrida. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) sorridessi — the correct form is sorridessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) sorridendo — the correct form is sorridendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to smile — the correct form is to smile. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does sorridere mean in English?
sorridere means “to smile”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sorridere regular or irregular?
sorridere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is sorridendo and the past participle is sorriso.
What are the gerund and past participle of sorridere?
The gerund is sorridendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is sorriso — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho sorriso.
Which auxiliary does sorridere take in the passato prossimo?
sorridere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho sorriso. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle sorriso.
How do I say “I smile” in Italian?
Say “Io sorrido ogni giorno.” — “I smile” The io form of the present is sorrido, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sorridere — every tense of sorridere in one place.
- Sorridere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Sorridere 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.
- Rispondere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Discutere 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 sorridere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise sorridere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise sorridere with the interactive tool.