Introduction

Vendere means “to sell”, and this page covers exactly one thing: vendere 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 vendere, 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 vendere in the present. It means to sell something, and it is completely regular. Its passato remoto uses the -etti forms — io vendetti — which is the first-listed form in the standard references, so do not guess a regular -ei form. For example: “Lui vende la casa ogni giorno.” — “He sells the house.” Everything on this page uses the forms of vendere exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Vendere in the Present — full table

Person Form
io vendo
tu vendi
lui/lei vende
noi vendiamo
voi vendete
loro vendono
Gerund: vendendo · Past participle: venduto
The gerund is vendendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Vendendo la casa, imparo molto.” — “While selling the house, I learn a lot.” The past participle is venduto, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho venduto 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 vendere is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for vendere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of vendere is formed

The present tense of vendere has six forms: io vendo, tu vendi, lui vende, noi vendiamo, voi vendete, loro vendono. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. vendere is regular: every form follows the standard -ere 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 vendere 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 vendiamo and vendete pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so vendo can mean both “I sell” and “I am selling” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because vendere is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ere endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ere 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 vendere

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use vendere 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 vendere is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io vendo la casa ogni giorno.” — “I sell the house.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about vendere does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui vende la casa ogni giorno.” — “He sells the house.”

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 vendere 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 vendiamo la casa ogni giorno.” — “We sell the house.”

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 vendi la casa ogni giorno.” — “You sell the house.”

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 vendere in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro vendono la casa ogni giorno.” — “They sell the house.”

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 vende la casa ogni giorno.” — “He sells the house”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha venduto la casa questa settimana.” — “He has sold the house”
  • 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 vendo la casa ogni giorno.” — “I sell the house”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho venduto la casa questa settimana.” — “I have sold the house”
  • 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 vendi la casa ogni giorno.” — “You sell the house”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai venduto la casa questa settimana.” — “You have sold the house”
  • 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: vendere 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 vendo la casa ogni giorno.” — “I sell the house”
  2. “Tu vendi la casa ogni giorno.” — “You sell the house”
  3. “Lui vende la casa ogni giorno.” — “He sells the house”
  4. “Noi vendiamo la casa ogni giorno.” — “We sell the house”
  5. “Voi vendete la casa ogni giorno.” — “You sell the house”
  6. “Loro vendono la casa ogni giorno.” — “They sell the house”
  7. “Io vendo la casa ogni giorno.” — “I sell the house”
  8. “Lui vende la casa ogni giorno.” — “He sells the house”

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

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 vendere in the Present indicative?

    • A) vendi
    • B) vendo
    • C) vende
    • D) vendiamo

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

    • A) vendo
    • B) vende
    • C) vendi
    • D) vendiamo

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

    • A) vendo
    • B) vendi
    • C) vendiamo
    • D) vende

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

    • A) vendiamo
    • B) vendo
    • C) vendi
    • D) vende

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

    • A) vendo
    • B) vendete
    • C) vendi
    • D) vende

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

    • A) vendo
    • B) vendi
    • C) vendono
    • D) vende

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

    • A) vendi
    • B) vende
    • C) vendiamo
    • D) vendo

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

    • A) vendi
    • B) vendo
    • C) vende
    • D) vendiamo

Answer key

  1. B) vendo — the correct form is vendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) vendi — the correct form is vendi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) vende — the correct form is vende. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) vendiamo — the correct form is vendiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) vendete — the correct form is vendete. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) vendono — the correct form is vendono. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) vendo — the correct form is vendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) vendi — the correct form is vendi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does vendere mean in English?

vendere means “to sell”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ere verb.

How is the present tense of vendere formed?

The six present forms are: io vendo, tu vendi, lui vende, noi vendiamo, voi vendete, loro vendono. vendere is regular: every form follows the standard -ere 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 vendere?

The gerund is vendendo and the past participle is venduto.

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