Vincere Conjugation in Italian
vincere means “to win” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 77 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of vincere — 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 vinco la partita ogni giorno.” — “I win the game.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: vincere
- English: to win
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect
- Gerund: vincendo
- Present participle: vincente
- Past participle: vinto
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
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. 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 vincere in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about vincere
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle vinto. 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 vincente and vinto: 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 vincere. 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 | vinco |
| tu | vinci |
| lui/lei | vince |
| noi | vinciamo |
| voi | vincete |
| loro | vincono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.” — “I win the game”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vinsi |
| tu | vincesti |
| lui/lei | vinse |
| noi | vincemmo |
| voi | vinceste |
| loro | vinsero |
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 vinsi la partita ieri.” — “I won the game”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vincevo |
| tu | vincevi |
| lui/lei | vinceva |
| noi | vincevamo |
| voi | vincevate |
| loro | vincevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io vincevo la partita una volta.” — “I used to win the game”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vincerò |
| tu | vincerai |
| lui/lei | vincerà |
| noi | vinceremo |
| voi | vincerete |
| loro | vinceranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io vincerò la partita domani.” — “I will win the game”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vincerei |
| tu | vinceresti |
| lui/lei | vincerebbe |
| noi | vinceremmo |
| voi | vincereste |
| loro | vincerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io vincerei la partita un giorno.” — “I would win the game”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho vinto |
| tu | hai vinto |
| lui/lei | ha vinto |
| noi | abbiamo vinto |
| voi | avete vinto |
| loro | hanno vinto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “He has won the game”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo vinto |
| tu | avevi vinto |
| lui/lei | aveva vinto |
| noi | avevamo vinto |
| voi | avevate vinto |
| loro | avevano vinto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo vinto la partita prima della festa.” — “I had won the game”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò vinto |
| tu | avrai vinto |
| lui/lei | avrà vinto |
| noi | avremo vinto |
| voi | avrete vinto |
| loro | avranno vinto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò vinto la partita per domani.” — “I will have won the game”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei vinto |
| tu | avresti vinto |
| lui/lei | avrebbe vinto |
| noi | avremmo vinto |
| voi | avreste vinto |
| loro | avrebbero vinto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei vinto la partita ieri.” — “I would have won the game”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vinca |
| tu | vinca |
| lui/lei | vinca |
| noi | vinciamo |
| voi | vinciate |
| loro | vincano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io vinca la partita.” — “It is important that I win the game”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | vincessi |
| tu | vincessi |
| lui/lei | vincesse |
| noi | vincessimo |
| voi | vinceste |
| loro | vincessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io vincessi la partita.” — “It was important that I win the game”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | vinci |
| lui/lei | vinca |
| noi | vinciamo |
| voi | vincete |
| loro | vincano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Vinci la partita!” — “Win the game!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | vincere |
| lui/lei | vinca |
| noi | vinciamo |
| voi | vinciate |
| loro | vincano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non vincere la partita.” — “Do not win the game.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | vincendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Vincendo la partita, imparo molto.” — “While winning the game, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | vincente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle vincente 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 | vinto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “I have won the game.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with vincere, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.” — “I win the game”
- “Tu vincesti la partita ieri.” — “You won the game”
- “Lui vinceva la partita una volta.” — “He used to win the game”
- “Io vincerò la partita domani.” — “I will win the game”
- “Tu vinceresti la partita un giorno.” — “You would win the game”
- “Lui ha vinto la partita questa settimana.” — “He has won the game”
- “Io avevo vinto la partita prima della festa.” — “I had won the game”
- “Tu avrai vinto la partita per domani.” — “You will have won the game”
- “È importante che io vinca la partita.” — “It is important that I win the game”
- “Vinci la partita!” — “Win the game!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io vinci la partita.”
✓ Right: “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.”
vinci is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with vinco.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io vinco la partita ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho vinto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono vinto la partita.”
✓ Right: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of vincere is formed with avere plus the past participle vinto: the io form is ho vinto. 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 vinco la partita.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io vinca la partita.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use vinca here, not the indicative vinco.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho vincendo la partita.”
✓ Right: “Io ho vinto la partita questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle vinto, not the gerund vincendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on vincere. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of vincere in the Present indicative?
- A) vinci
- B) vinco
- C) vince
- D) vinciamo
What is the lui/lei form of vincere in the Passato remoto?
- A) vinsi
- B) vincesti
- C) vinse
- D) vincemmo
What is the noi form of vincere in the Imperfect?
- A) vincevo
- B) vincevi
- C) vinceva
- D) vincevamo
What is the tu form of vincere in the Future?
- A) vincerai
- B) vincerò
- C) vincerà
- D) vinceremo
What is the io form of vincere in the Conditional?
- A) vinceresti
- B) vincerei
- C) vincerebbe
- D) vinceremmo
What is the lui/lei form of vincere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho vinto
- B) hai vinto
- C) ha vinto
- D) abbiamo vinto
What is the lui/lei form of vincere in the Present subjunctive?
- A) vinciamo
- B) vinciate
- C) vincano
- D) vinca
What is the io form of vincere in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) vincessi
- B) vincesse
- C) vincessimo
- D) vinceste
What is the gerund of vincere?
- A) vinto
- B) vincendo
- C) vincere
- D) vinco
What does vincere mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to win
- D) to call
Answer key
- B) vinco — the correct form is vinco. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) vinse — the correct form is vinse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) vincevamo — the correct form is vincevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) vincerai — the correct form is vincerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) vincerei — the correct form is vincerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha vinto — the correct form is ha vinto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) vinca — the correct form is vinca. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) vincessi — the correct form is vincessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) vincendo — the correct form is vincendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is vincere regular or irregular?
vincere is irregular: it is irregular in passato-remoto, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect. The gerund is vincendo and the past participle is vinto.
What are the gerund and past participle of vincere?
The gerund is vincendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is vinto — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho vinto.
Which auxiliary does vincere take in the passato prossimo?
vincere takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho vinto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle vinto.
How do I say “I win” in Italian?
Say “Io vinco la partita ogni giorno.” — “I win the game” The io form of the present is vinco, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of vincere — every tense of vincere in one place.
- Vincere in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Vincere examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Sedersi conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Tenere 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 vincere with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise vincere with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise vincere with the interactive tool.