Usare Conjugation in Italian
usare means “to use” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 92 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the everyday verb for using something, and it is completely regular in every tense. It takes a direct object — a phone, a tool, a word — and it appears in almost every conversation about how things are done. This page gives you the complete conjugation of usare — 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 uso il telefono ogni giorno.” — “I use the phone.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: usare
- English: to use
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: usando
- Present participle: usante
- Past participle: usato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + 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 usare, 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 usare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about usare
- 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 avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle usato. 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 usante and usato: 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 usare. 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 | uso |
| tu | usi |
| lui/lei | usa |
| noi | usiamo |
| voi | usate |
| loro | usano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io uso il telefono ogni giorno.” — “I use the phone”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | usai |
| tu | usasti |
| lui/lei | usò |
| noi | usammo |
| voi | usaste |
| loro | usarono |
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 usai il telefono ieri.” — “I used the phone”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | usavo |
| tu | usavi |
| lui/lei | usava |
| noi | usavamo |
| voi | usavate |
| loro | usavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io usavo il telefono una volta.” — “I used to use the phone”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | userò |
| tu | userai |
| lui/lei | userà |
| noi | useremo |
| voi | userete |
| loro | useranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io userò il telefono domani.” — “I will use the phone”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | userei |
| tu | useresti |
| lui/lei | userebbe |
| noi | useremmo |
| voi | usereste |
| loro | userebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io userei il telefono un giorno.” — “I would use the phone”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho usato |
| tu | hai usato |
| lui/lei | ha usato |
| noi | abbiamo usato |
| voi | avete usato |
| loro | hanno usato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha usato il telefono questa settimana.” — “He has used the phone”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo usato |
| tu | avevi usato |
| lui/lei | aveva usato |
| noi | avevamo usato |
| voi | avevate usato |
| loro | avevano usato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo usato il telefono prima della festa.” — “I had used the phone”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò usato |
| tu | avrai usato |
| lui/lei | avrà usato |
| noi | avremo usato |
| voi | avrete usato |
| loro | avranno usato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò usato il telefono per domani.” — “I will have used the phone”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei usato |
| tu | avresti usato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe usato |
| noi | avremmo usato |
| voi | avreste usato |
| loro | avrebbero usato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei usato il telefono ieri.” — “I would have used the phone”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | usi |
| tu | usi |
| lui/lei | usi |
| noi | usiamo |
| voi | usiate |
| loro | usino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io usi il telefono.” — “It is important that I use the phone”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | usassi |
| tu | usassi |
| lui/lei | usasse |
| noi | usassimo |
| voi | usaste |
| loro | usassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io usassi il telefono.” — “It was important that I use the phone”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | usa |
| lui/lei | usi |
| noi | usiamo |
| voi | usate |
| loro | usino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Usa il telefono!” — “Use the phone!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | usare |
| lui/lei | usi |
| noi | usiamo |
| voi | usiate |
| loro | usino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non usare il telefono.” — “Do not use the phone.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | usando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Usando il telefono, imparo molto.” — “While using the phone, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | usante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle usante 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 | usato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho usato il telefono questa settimana.” — “I have used the phone.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with usare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io uso il telefono ogni giorno.” — “I use the phone”
- “Tu usasti il telefono ieri.” — “You used the phone”
- “Lui usava il telefono una volta.” — “He used to use the phone”
- “Io userò il telefono domani.” — “I will use the phone”
- “Tu useresti il telefono un giorno.” — “You would use the phone”
- “Lui ha usato il telefono questa settimana.” — “He has used the phone”
- “Io avevo usato il telefono prima della festa.” — “I had used the phone”
- “Tu avrai usato il telefono per domani.” — “You will have used the phone”
- “È importante che io usi il telefono.” — “It is important that I use the phone”
- “Usa il telefono!” — “Use the phone!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io usare il telefono.”
✓ Right: “Io uso il telefono ogni giorno.”
The infinitive usare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form uso.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io usi il telefono.”
✓ Right: “Io uso il telefono ogni giorno.”
usi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with uso.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io uso il telefono ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho usato il telefono questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho usato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono usato il telefono.”
✓ Right: “Io ho usato il telefono questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of usare is formed with avere plus the past participle usato: the io form is ho usato. 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 uso il telefono.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io usi il telefono.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use usi here, not the indicative uso.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho usando il telefono.”
✓ Right: “Io ho usato il telefono questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle usato, not the gerund usando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on usare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of usare in the Present indicative?
- A) usi
- B) uso
- C) usa
- D) usiamo
What is the lui/lei form of usare in the Passato remoto?
- A) usai
- B) usasti
- C) usò
- D) usammo
What is the noi form of usare in the Imperfect?
- A) usavo
- B) usavi
- C) usava
- D) usavamo
What is the tu form of usare in the Future?
- A) userai
- B) userò
- C) userà
- D) useremo
What is the io form of usare in the Conditional?
- A) useresti
- B) userei
- C) userebbe
- D) useremmo
What is the lui/lei form of usare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho usato
- B) hai usato
- C) ha usato
- D) abbiamo usato
What is the lui/lei form of usare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) usiamo
- B) usiate
- C) usino
- D) usi
What is the io form of usare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) usassi
- B) usasse
- C) usassimo
- D) usaste
What is the gerund of usare?
- A) usato
- B) usando
- C) usare
- D) uso
What does usare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to use
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) uso — the correct form is uso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) usò — the correct form is usò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) usavamo — the correct form is usavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) userai — the correct form is userai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) userei — the correct form is userei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha usato — the correct form is ha usato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) usi — the correct form is usi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) usassi — the correct form is usassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) usando — the correct form is usando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to use — the correct form is to use. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does usare mean in English?
usare means “to use”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is usare regular or irregular?
usare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is usando and the past participle is usato.
What are the gerund and past participle of usare?
The gerund is usando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is usato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho usato.
Which auxiliary does usare take in the passato prossimo?
usare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho usato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle usato.
How do I say “I use” in Italian?
Say “Io uso il telefono ogni giorno.” — “I use the phone” The io form of the present is uso, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of usare — every tense of usare in one place.
- Usare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Usare 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.
- Spiegare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Domandare 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 usare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise usare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise usare with the interactive tool.