Tradurre Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

tradurre — to translate — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is one of the -rre verbs, and it is totally irregular: the present, the remoto and the participle use different stems, so the io form is traduco, the participle is tradotto and the future is tradurrò. Learn the three stems as a set instead of deriving them from the infinitive. On this page you will find tradurre 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 tradurre conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the tradurre passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with tradurre

In the present tense

  • “Io traduco la lettera ogni giorno.” — “I translate the letter”
  • “Tu traduci la lettera ogni giorno.” — “You translate the letter”
  • “Lui traduce la lettera ogni giorno.” — “He translates the letter”
  • “Noi traduciamo la lettera ogni giorno.” — “We translate the letter”
  • “Voi traducete la lettera ogni giorno.” — “You translate the letter”
  • “Loro traducono la lettera ogni giorno.” — “They translate the letter”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “I have translated the letter”
  • “Tu hai tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “You have translated the letter”
  • “Lui ha tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “He has translated the letter”
  • “Noi abbiamo tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “We have translated the letter”
  • “Voi avete tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “You have translated the letter”
  • “Loro hanno tradotto la lettera questa settimana.” — “They have translated the letter”

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 traducevo la lettera una volta.” — “I used to translate the letter”
  • “Tu tradurrai la lettera domani.” — “You will translate the letter”
  • “Lui tradurrebbe la lettera un giorno.” — “He would translate the letter”
  • “È importante che noi traduciamo la lettera.” — “It is important that we translate the letter”
  • “Traduci la lettera!” — “Translate the letter!”

How tradurre is used

The first thing to know about tradurre is its core meaning: to translate. It is one of the -rre verbs, and it is totally irregular: the present, the remoto and the participle use different stems, so the io form is traduco, the participle is tradotto and the future is tradurrò. Learn the three stems as a set instead of deriving them from the infinitive. 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 tradurre keeps. The present io form is traduco, 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 tradotto, 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 tradurre does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need traduco, never tradurre. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho tradotto, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle tradotto is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Tradurre in context

Io traduco la lettera ogni giorno. Tu traduci la lettera ogni giorno. Lui traduce la lettera ogni giorno. Noi traduciamo la lettera ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of tradurre is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — traduco, traduci, traduce, traduciamo — while the meaning stays the same: to translate. Io ho tradotto la lettera questa settimana. Tu hai tradotto la lettera questa settimana. Lui ha tradotto la lettera questa settimana. Noi abbiamo tradotto la lettera questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of tradurre 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 translate — 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 tradurre la lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io traduco la lettera ogni giorno.”

The infinitive tradurre never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form traduco.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io traduci la lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io traduco la lettera ogni giorno.”

traduci is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is traduco — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io traduco la lettera ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho tradotto la lettera questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho tradotto here, not the present traduco.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono tradotto la lettera.”

✓ Right: “Io ho tradotto la lettera questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) traduco
    • B) traduci
    • C) traduce
    • D) traduciamo

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

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

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

    • A) traducevo
    • B) traducevi
    • C) traducevamo
    • D) traduceva

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

    • A) tradurremo
    • B) tradurrò
    • C) tradurrai
    • D) tradurrà

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

    • A) tradurrei
    • B) tradurresti
    • C) tradurrebbe
    • D) tradurremmo

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

    • A) traducesti
    • B) tradusse
    • C) tradussi
    • D) traducemmo

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

    • A) traduca
    • B) traduciate
    • C) traducano
    • D) traduciamo

  8. What is the gerund of tradurre?

    • A) traducendo
    • B) tradotto
    • C) tradurre
    • D) traduco

  9. What is the past participle of tradurre?

    • A) traducendo
    • B) tradotto
    • C) tradurre
    • D) traduco

  10. What does tradurre mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) traduci — the correct form is traduci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho tradotto — the correct form is ho tradotto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) traduceva — the correct form is traduceva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) tradurremo — the correct form is tradurremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) tradurresti — the correct form is tradurresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) tradussi — the correct form is tradussi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) traduciamo — the correct form is traduciamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) traducendo — the correct form is traducendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) tradotto — the correct form is tradotto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to translate — the correct form is to translate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does tradurre mean in English?

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

Is tradurre regular or irregular?

tradurre is irregular. tradurre is irregular in present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of tradurre?

The gerund is traducendo and the past participle is tradotto. The perfect tenses use avere + tradotto.

Where can I see the full conjugation of tradurre?

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

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