Introduction

Trovare means “to find”, and this page covers exactly one thing: trovare 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 trovare, 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 trovare in the present. It means to find something lost and to find something out, and it is completely regular. It also appears in the expression for finding oneself somewhere, and in the passive-like use where something 'is found' somewhere. For example: “Lui trova le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “He finds the keys.” Everything on this page uses the forms of trovare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Trovare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io trovo
tu trovi
lui/lei trova
noi troviamo
voi trovate
loro trovano
Gerund: trovando · Past participle: trovato
The gerund is trovando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Trovando le chiavi, imparo molto.” — “While finding the keys, I learn a lot.” The past participle is trovato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho trovato 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 trovare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for trovare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of trovare is formed

The present tense of trovare has six forms: io trovo, tu trovi, lui trova, noi troviamo, voi trovate, loro trovano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. trovare 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 trovare 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 troviamo and trovate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so trovo can mean both “I find” and “I am finding” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because trovare 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 trovare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use trovare 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 trovare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io trovo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “I find the keys.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about trovare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui trova le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “He finds the keys.”

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 trovare 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 troviamo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “We find the keys.”

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 trovi le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “You find the keys.”

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 trovare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro trovano le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “They find the keys.”

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 trova le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “He finds the keys”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha trovato le chiavi questa settimana.” — “He has found the keys”
  • 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 trovo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “I find the keys”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho trovato le chiavi questa settimana.” — “I have found the keys”
  • 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 trovi le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “You find the keys”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai trovato le chiavi questa settimana.” — “You have found the keys”
  • 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: trovare 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 trovo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “I find the keys”
  2. “Tu trovi le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “You find the keys”
  3. “Lui trova le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “He finds the keys”
  4. “Noi troviamo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “We find the keys”
  5. “Voi trovate le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “You find the keys”
  6. “Loro trovano le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “They find the keys”
  7. “Io trovo le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “I find the keys”
  8. “Lui trova le chiavi ogni giorno.” — “He finds the keys”

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

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 trovare in the Present indicative?

    • A) trovi
    • B) trovo
    • C) trova
    • D) troviamo

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

    • A) trovo
    • B) trova
    • C) trovi
    • D) troviamo

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

    • A) trovo
    • B) trovi
    • C) troviamo
    • D) trova

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

    • A) troviamo
    • B) trovo
    • C) trovi
    • D) trova

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

    • A) trovo
    • B) trovate
    • C) trovi
    • D) trova

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

    • A) trovo
    • B) trovi
    • C) trovano
    • D) trova

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

    • A) trovi
    • B) trova
    • C) troviamo
    • D) trovo

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

    • A) trovi
    • B) trovo
    • C) trova
    • D) troviamo

Answer key

  1. B) trovo — the correct form is trovo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) trovi — the correct form is trovi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) trova — the correct form is trova. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) troviamo — the correct form is troviamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) trovate — the correct form is trovate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) trovano — the correct form is trovano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) trovo — the correct form is trovo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) trovi — the correct form is trovi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does trovare mean in English?

trovare means “to find”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of trovare formed?

The six present forms are: io trovo, tu trovi, lui trova, noi troviamo, voi trovate, loro trovano. trovare 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 trovare?

The gerund is trovando and the past participle is trovato.

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