Vincere Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

vincere — to win — 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 means to win a game, a prize or a race, and it is irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is vinto, while the present is regular. On this page you will find vincere 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 vincere conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the vincere passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with vincere

In the present tense

  • “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.” — “I win the game”
  • “Tu vinci la partita ogni giorno.” — “You win the game”
  • “Lui vince la partita ogni giorno.” — “He wins the game”
  • “Noi vinciamo la partita ogni giorno.” — “We win the game”
  • “Voi vincete la partita ogni giorno.” — “You win the game”
  • “Loro vincono la partita ogni giorno.” — “They win the game”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “I have won the game”
  • “Tu hai vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “You have won the game”
  • “Lui ha vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “He has won the game”
  • “Noi abbiamo vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “We have won the game”
  • “Voi avete vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “You have won the game”
  • “Loro hanno vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “They have won the game”

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 vincevo la partita una volta.” — “I used to win the game”
  • “Tu vincerai la partita domani.” — “You will win the game”
  • “Lui vincerebbe la partita un giorno.” — “He would win the game”
  • “È importante che noi vinciamo la partita.” — “It is important that we win the game”
  • “Vinci la partita!” — “Win the game!”

How vincere is used

The first thing to know about vincere is its core meaning: to win. It means to win a game, a prize or a race, and it is irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is vinto, while the present is regular. 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 vincere keeps. The present io form is vinco, 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 vinto, 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 vincere does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need vinco, never vincere. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho vinto, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle vinto is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Vincere in context

Io vinco la partita ogni giorno. Tu vinci la partita ogni giorno. Lui vince la partita ogni giorno. Noi vinciamo la partita ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of vincere is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — vinco, vinci, vince, vinciamo — while the meaning stays the same: to win. Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana. Tu hai vinto la partita questa settimana. Lui ha vinto la partita questa settimana. Noi abbiamo vinto la partita questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of vincere 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 win — 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 vincere la partita.”

✓ Right: “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.”

The infinitive vincere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form vinco.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io vinci la partita.”

✓ Right: “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.”

vinci is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is vinco — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io vinco la partita ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho vinto here, not the present vinco.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono vinto la partita.”

✓ Right: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) vinco
    • B) vinci
    • C) vince
    • D) vinciamo

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

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

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

    • A) vincevo
    • B) vincevi
    • C) vincevamo
    • D) vinceva

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

    • A) vinceremo
    • B) vincerò
    • C) vincerai
    • D) vincerà

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

    • A) vincerei
    • B) vinceresti
    • C) vincerebbe
    • D) vinceremmo

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

    • A) vincesti
    • B) vinse
    • C) vinsi
    • D) vincemmo

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

    • A) vinca
    • B) vinciate
    • C) vincano
    • D) vinciamo

  8. What is the gerund of vincere?

    • A) vincendo
    • B) vinto
    • C) vincere
    • D) vinco

  9. What is the past participle of vincere?

    • A) vincendo
    • B) vinto
    • C) vincere
    • D) vinco

  10. What does vincere mean in English?

  • A) to sit down
  • B) to get dressed
  • C) to win
  • D) to call

Answer key

  1. B) vinci — the correct form is vinci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho vinto — the correct form is ho vinto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) vinceva — the correct form is vinceva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) vinceremo — the correct form is vinceremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) vinceresti — the correct form is vinceresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) vinsi — the correct form is vinsi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) vinciamo — the correct form is vinciamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) vincendo — the correct form is vincendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) vinto — the correct form is vinto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to win — the correct form is to win. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does vincere mean in English?

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

Is vincere regular or irregular?

vincere is irregular. vincere is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of vincere?

The gerund is vincendo and the past participle is vinto. The perfect tenses use avere + vinto.

Where can I see the full conjugation of vincere?

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

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