Terminare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

terminare — to end — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb for ending or finishing something, and it is completely regular in every tense. It is the more formal partner of finire: use terminare for a lesson, a meeting or a piece of work, and finire for everyday finishing. On this page you will find terminare 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 terminare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the terminare present tense page.

Example sentences with terminare

In the present tense

  • “Io termino la lezione ogni giorno.” — “I end the lesson”
  • “Tu termini la lezione ogni giorno.” — “You end the lesson”
  • “Lui termina la lezione ogni giorno.” — “He ends the lesson”
  • “Noi terminiamo la lezione ogni giorno.” — “We end the lesson”
  • “Voi terminate la lezione ogni giorno.” — “You end the lesson”
  • “Loro terminano la lezione ogni giorno.” — “They end the lesson”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “I have ended the lesson”
  • “Tu hai terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “You have ended the lesson”
  • “Lui ha terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “He has ended the lesson”
  • “Noi abbiamo terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “We have ended the lesson”
  • “Voi avete terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “You have ended the lesson”
  • “Loro hanno terminato la lezione questa settimana.” — “They have ended the lesson”

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 terminavo la lezione una volta.” — “I used to end the lesson”
  • “Tu terminerai la lezione domani.” — “You will end the lesson”
  • “Lui terminerebbe la lezione un giorno.” — “He would end the lesson”
  • “È importante che noi terminiamo la lezione.” — “It is important that we end the lesson”
  • “Termina la lezione!” — “End the lesson!”

How terminare is used

The first thing to know about terminare is its core meaning: to end. It is the verb for ending or finishing something, and it is completely regular in every tense. It is the more formal partner of finire: use terminare for a lesson, a meeting or a piece of work, and finire for everyday finishing. 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 terminare keeps. The present io form is termino, 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 terminato, 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 terminare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need termino, never terminare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho terminato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle terminato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Terminare in context

Io termino la lezione ogni giorno. Tu termini la lezione ogni giorno. Lui termina la lezione ogni giorno. Noi terminiamo la lezione ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of terminare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — termino, termini, termina, terminiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to end. Io ho terminato la lezione questa settimana. Tu hai terminato la lezione questa settimana. Lui ha terminato la lezione questa settimana. Noi abbiamo terminato la lezione questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of terminare 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 end — 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 terminare la lezione.”

✓ Right: “Io termino la lezione ogni giorno.”

The infinitive terminare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form termino.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io termini la lezione.”

✓ Right: “Io termino la lezione ogni giorno.”

termini is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is termino — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io termino la lezione ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho terminato la lezione questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho terminato here, not the present termino.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono terminato la lezione.”

✓ Right: “Io ho terminato la lezione questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) termino
    • B) termini
    • C) termina
    • D) terminiamo

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

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

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

    • A) terminavo
    • B) terminavi
    • C) terminavamo
    • D) terminava

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

    • A) termineremo
    • B) terminerò
    • C) terminerai
    • D) terminerà

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

    • A) terminerei
    • B) termineresti
    • C) terminerebbe
    • D) termineremmo

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

    • A) terminasti
    • B) terminò
    • C) terminai
    • D) terminammo

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

    • A) termini
    • B) terminiate
    • C) terminino
    • D) terminiamo

  8. What is the gerund of terminare?

    • A) terminando
    • B) terminato
    • C) terminare
    • D) termino

  9. What is the past participle of terminare?

    • A) terminando
    • B) terminato
    • C) terminare
    • D) termino

  10. What does terminare mean in English?

  • A) to explain
  • B) to answer
  • C) to end
  • D) to ask

Answer key

  1. B) termini — the correct form is termini. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho terminato — the correct form is ho terminato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) terminava — the correct form is terminava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) termineremo — the correct form is termineremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) termineresti — the correct form is termineresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) terminai — the correct form is terminai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) terminiamo — the correct form is terminiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) terminando — the correct form is terminando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) terminato — the correct form is terminato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to end — the correct form is to end. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does terminare mean in English?

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

Is terminare regular or irregular?

terminare is regular. terminare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of terminare?

The gerund is terminando and the past participle is terminato. The perfect tenses use avere + terminato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of terminare?

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

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