Tornare Conjugation in Italian
tornare means “to return” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 62 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It means to return and to come back, and it takes essere in the passato prossimo. It is completely regular, and it is the verb for going back to a place you have already been. This page gives you the complete conjugation of tornare — 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 torno a casa ogni giorno.” — “I return home.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: tornare
- English: to return
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: tornando
- Present participle: tornante
- Past participle: tornato
- Auxiliary: essere (all perfect tenses are formed with essere + 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 tornare, 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 tornare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about tornare
- 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 essere: the passato prossimo is formed with essere in the present plus the past participle tornato. 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 tornante and tornato: 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 tornare. 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 | torno |
| tu | torni |
| lui/lei | torna |
| noi | torniamo |
| voi | tornate |
| loro | tornano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io torno a casa ogni giorno.” — “I return home”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tornai |
| tu | tornasti |
| lui/lei | tornò |
| noi | tornammo |
| voi | tornaste |
| loro | tornarono |
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 tornai a casa ieri.” — “I returned home”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tornavo |
| tu | tornavi |
| lui/lei | tornava |
| noi | tornavamo |
| voi | tornavate |
| loro | tornavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io tornavo a casa una volta.” — “I used to return home”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tornerò |
| tu | tornerai |
| lui/lei | tornerà |
| noi | torneremo |
| voi | tornerete |
| loro | torneranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io tornerò a casa domani.” — “I will return home”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tornerei |
| tu | torneresti |
| lui/lei | tornerebbe |
| noi | torneremmo |
| voi | tornereste |
| loro | tornerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io tornerei a casa un giorno.” — “I would return home”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sono tornato |
| tu | sei tornato |
| lui/lei | è tornato |
| noi | siamo tornato |
| voi | siete tornato |
| loro | sono tornato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui è tornato a casa questa settimana.” — “He has returned home”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ero tornato |
| tu | eri tornato |
| lui/lei | era tornato |
| noi | eravamo tornato |
| voi | eravate tornato |
| loro | erano tornato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io ero tornato a casa prima della festa.” — “I had returned home”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarò tornato |
| tu | sarai tornato |
| lui/lei | sarà tornato |
| noi | saremo tornato |
| voi | sarete tornato |
| loro | saranno tornato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io sarò tornato a casa per domani.” — “I will have returned home”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sarei tornato |
| tu | saresti tornato |
| lui/lei | sarebbe tornato |
| noi | saremmo tornato |
| voi | sareste tornato |
| loro | sarebbero tornato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io sarei tornato a casa ieri.” — “I would have returned home”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | torni |
| tu | torni |
| lui/lei | torni |
| noi | torniamo |
| voi | torniate |
| loro | tornino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io torni a casa.” — “It is important that I return home”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tornassi |
| tu | tornassi |
| lui/lei | tornasse |
| noi | tornassimo |
| voi | tornaste |
| loro | tornassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io tornassi a casa.” — “It was important that I return home”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | torna |
| lui/lei | torni |
| noi | torniamo |
| voi | tornate |
| loro | tornino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Torna a casa!” — “Return home!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | tornare |
| lui/lei | torni |
| noi | torniamo |
| voi | torniate |
| loro | tornino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non tornare a casa.” — “Do not return home.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | tornando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Tornando a casa, imparo molto.” — “While returning home, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | tornante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle tornante 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 | tornato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io sono tornato a casa questa settimana.” — “I have returned home.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with tornare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io torno a casa ogni giorno.” — “I return home”
- “Tu tornasti a casa ieri.” — “You returned home”
- “Lui tornava a casa una volta.” — “He used to return home”
- “Io tornerò a casa domani.” — “I will return home”
- “Tu torneresti a casa un giorno.” — “You would return home”
- “Lui è tornato a casa questa settimana.” — “He has returned home”
- “Io ero tornato a casa prima della festa.” — “I had returned home”
- “Tu sarai tornato a casa per domani.” — “You will have returned home”
- “È importante che io torni a casa.” — “It is important that I return home”
- “Torna a casa!” — “Return home!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io tornare a casa.”
✓ Right: “Io torno a casa ogni giorno.”
The infinitive tornare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form torno.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io torni a casa.”
✓ Right: “Io torno a casa ogni giorno.”
torni is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with torno.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io torno a casa ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io sono tornato a casa questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono tornato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io ho tornato a casa.”
✓ Right: “Io sono tornato a casa questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of tornare is formed with essere plus the past participle tornato: the io form is sono tornato. 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 torno a casa.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io torni a casa.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use torni here, not the indicative torno.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io sono tornando a casa.”
✓ Right: “Io sono tornato a casa questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle tornato, not the gerund tornando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on tornare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of tornare in the Present indicative?
- A) torni
- B) torno
- C) torna
- D) torniamo
What is the lui/lei form of tornare in the Passato remoto?
- A) tornai
- B) tornasti
- C) tornò
- D) tornammo
What is the noi form of tornare in the Imperfect?
- A) tornavo
- B) tornavi
- C) tornava
- D) tornavamo
What is the tu form of tornare in the Future?
- A) tornerai
- B) tornerò
- C) tornerà
- D) torneremo
What is the io form of tornare in the Conditional?
- A) torneresti
- B) tornerei
- C) tornerebbe
- D) torneremmo
What is the lui/lei form of tornare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) sono tornato
- B) sei tornato
- C) è tornato
- D) siamo tornato
What is the lui/lei form of tornare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) torniamo
- B) torniate
- C) tornino
- D) torni
What is the io form of tornare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) tornassi
- B) tornasse
- C) tornassimo
- D) tornaste
What is the gerund of tornare?
- A) tornato
- B) tornando
- C) tornare
- D) torno
What does tornare mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to return
- D) to do, to make
Answer key
- B) torno — the correct form is torno. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tornò — the correct form is tornò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tornavamo — the correct form is tornavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tornerai — the correct form is tornerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tornerei — the correct form is tornerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) è tornato — the correct form is è tornato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) torni — the correct form is torni. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tornassi — the correct form is tornassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tornando — the correct form is tornando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to return — the correct form is to return. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does tornare mean in English?
tornare means “to return”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is tornare regular or irregular?
tornare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is tornando and the past participle is tornato.
What are the gerund and past participle of tornare?
The gerund is tornando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is tornato — use it with essere for the perfect tenses, as in sono tornato.
Which auxiliary does tornare take in the passato prossimo?
tornare takes essere in the passato prossimo: the io form is sono tornato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with essere plus the past participle tornato.
How do I say “I return” in Italian?
Say “Io torno a casa ogni giorno.” — “I return home” The io form of the present is torno, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tornare — every tense of tornare in one place.
- Tornare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Tornare 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.
- Fare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Andare 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 tornare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise tornare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise tornare with the interactive tool.