Introduction

Sperare means “to hope”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sperare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for sperare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about sperare in the present. It is the verb for hoping, and it is completely regular in every tense. It is often followed by di plus an infinitive, as in hoping to leave, or by che plus the subjunctive when the hope concerns someone else. For example: “Lui spera di partire ogni giorno.” — “He hopes to leave.” Everything on this page uses the forms of sperare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Sperare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io spero
tu speri
lui/lei spera
noi speriamo
voi sperate
loro sperano
Gerund: sperando · Past participle: sperato
The gerund is sperando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Sperando di partire, imparo molto.” — “While hoping to leave, I learn a lot.” The past participle is sperato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho sperato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how sperare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sperare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of sperare is formed

The present tense of sperare has six forms: io spero, tu speri, lui spera, noi speriamo, voi sperate, loro sperano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. sperare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of sperare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning speriamo and sperate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so spero can mean both “I hope” and “I am hoping” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because sperare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of sperare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sperare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and sperare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” — “I hope to leave.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about sperare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui spera di partire ogni giorno.” — “He hopes to leave.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with sperare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi speriamo di partire ogni giorno.” — “We hope to leave.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu speri di partire ogni giorno.” — “You hope to leave.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and sperare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro sperano di partire ogni giorno.” — “They hope to leave.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui spera di partire ogni giorno.” — “He hopes to leave”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha sperato di partire questa settimana.” — “He has hoped to leave”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” — “I hope to leave”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho sperato di partire questa settimana.” — “I have hoped to leave”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu speri di partire ogni giorno.” — “You hope to leave”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai sperato di partire questa settimana.” — “You have hoped to leave”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: sperare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” — “I hope to leave”
  2. “Tu speri di partire ogni giorno.” — “You hope to leave”
  3. “Lui spera di partire ogni giorno.” — “He hopes to leave”
  4. “Noi speriamo di partire ogni giorno.” — “We hope to leave”
  5. “Voi sperate di partire ogni giorno.” — “You hope to leave”
  6. “Loro sperano di partire ogni giorno.” — “They hope to leave”
  7. “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” — “I hope to leave”
  8. “Lui spera di partire ogni giorno.” — “He hopes to leave”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io speri di partire.” Right: “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is spero, not speri. speri is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi spero di partire.” Right: “Noi speriamo di partire ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form speriamo. spero belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io spero di partire ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho sperato di partire questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho sperato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io sperare di partire.” Right: “Io spero di partire ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive sperare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form spero.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) speri
    • B) spero
    • C) spera
    • D) speriamo

  2. What is the tu form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) spero
    • B) spera
    • C) speri
    • D) speriamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) spero
    • B) speri
    • C) speriamo
    • D) spera

  4. What is the noi form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) speriamo
    • B) spero
    • C) speri
    • D) spera

  5. What is the voi form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) spero
    • B) sperate
    • C) speri
    • D) spera

  6. What is the loro form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) spero
    • B) speri
    • C) sperano
    • D) spera

  7. What is the io form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) speri
    • B) spera
    • C) speriamo
    • D) spero

  8. What is the tu form of sperare in the Present indicative?

    • A) speri
    • B) spero
    • C) spera
    • D) speriamo

Answer key

  1. B) spero — the correct form is spero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) speri — the correct form is speri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) spera — the correct form is spera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) speriamo — the correct form is speriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) sperate — the correct form is sperate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sperano — the correct form is sperano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) spero — the correct form is spero. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) speri — the correct form is speri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does sperare mean in English?

sperare means “to hope”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of sperare formed?

The six present forms are: io spero, tu speri, lui spera, noi speriamo, voi sperate, loro sperano. sperare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of sperare?

The gerund is sperando and the past participle is sperato.

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