6. Verb types -are/-ere/-ire
In Italian, there are three types of verbs, which are classified according to the ending of their basic form.
| Type I – ARE | Type II – ERE | Type III – IRE | Type III – IRE |
|---|---|---|---|
| cantare sing | vedere see | sentire hear/listen | capire understand |
| io canto | io vedo | io sento | io capisco |
| tu canti | tu vedi | tu senti | tu capisci |
| lui/lei/Lei canta | lui/lei/Lei vede | lui/lei/Lei sente | lui/lei/Lei capisce |
| noi cantiamo | noi vediamo | noi sentiamo | noi capiamo |
| voi cantate | voi vedete | voi sentite | voi capite |
| loro cantano | loro vedono | loro sentono | loro capiscono |
The verbs presented in the table are all regular. The personal suffix of each verb type has been bolded and underlined, since all regular verbs in the present tense are conjugated this way. Most ERE verbs and several IRE verbs are irregular.
There are two types of IRE verbs. Most IRE verbs undergo an alteration in the singular and third person plural forms, whereby the letter combination -isc- is added between the verb’s stem and the inflected ending:
finire end ⇒ io fin-isc-o
In Italian, personal pronouns can be left out, since the person can be identified by looking at the verb ending:
Noi vediamo spesso i nonni.
= Vediamo spesso i nonni.
We often see our grandparents.