Italian language has a lot of grammar rules and students who want to speak this language fluently have to learn Italian verb tenses. Let’s discover together these tenses and when to use each of them, choosing the right one for each situation.
Present tense
Italian has only one present tense, which is called indicativo presente. This tense must be used when we want to describe a present action, for example Io sono italiano (I am Italian). We suggest you to read our guide about the verb to be in Italian and also that about the verb to have in Italian.
Past tenses
As for the past, Italian language has five past tenses: passato prossimo (present perfect), imperfetto (imperfect), trapassato prossimo (past perfect), passato remoto (remote past tense), trapassato remoto (preterite perfect tense).
The first one is used when the action was in recent past, the second is used to describe a continued action that lasted in the past for an indefinite time, the third is used for an action in the past that took place before another action, the fourth for an action which took place in the distant past and the fifth is used together with passato remoto for an action in the past that took place before the action described with passato remoto.
Future tenses
Italian has two future tenses, which are futuro semplice (future tense) and futuro anteriore (future perfect). The first one is used when we want to describe an action that will take place in the future, instead the second is used to describe a future action but that will take place after another action which is indicated with futuro semplice.
Future tenses
The best way to learn Italian verb tenses is studying Italian with professional Italian teachers. One of the best Italian school in Rome is Clidante, whose teachers have learnt how to teach this language and how to help their students overcome difficulties. If you want, you can discover more about Italian language school Clidante’s teaching method, which can be considered one of the strengths of this school. Clidante offers both Italian courses in Rome and Italian courses online: you can choose the kind of course that you prefer.