Italian Verb Moods & Tenses: The Big Picture

Italian verbs are organized into Moods (Modi) and Tenses (Tempi).

• Mood tells you the attitude of the speaker (certainty, doubt, command, wish).
• Tense tells you when the action happens (past, present, future).

There are 4 Finite Moods (with person endings) and 3 Indefinite Moods (without person endings).

1. Indicative Mood (L’Indicativo)

The Mood of Reality and Certainty. Use this for facts, real events, and direct statements. This is the most common mood.

Simple Tenses (One word)

• Presente: Mangio. (I eat / I am eating)
• Imperfetto: Mangiavo. (I used to eat / I was eating)
• Passato Remoto: Mangiai. (I ate - distant past / literary)
• Futuro Semplice: Mangerò. (I will eat)

Compound Tenses (Auxiliary + Participle)

• Passato Prossimo: Ho mangiato. (I have eaten / I ate)
• Trapassato Prossimo: Avevo mangiato. (I had eaten)
• Trapassato Remoto: Ebbi mangiato. (I had eaten - literary, follows Passato Remoto)
• Futuro Anteriore: Avrò mangiato. (I will have eaten)

2. Subjunctive Mood (Il Congiuntivo)

The Mood of Subjectivity, Doubt, and Emotion. Use this for opinions, hopes, fears, doubts, and widely in complex sentences (after “che”).

• Presente: Credo che lui mangi. (I believe he eats)
• Passato: Credo che lui abbia mangiato. (I believe he ate)
• Imperfetto: Pensavo che lui mangiasse. (I thought he was eating)
• Trapassato: Pensavo che lui avesse mangiato. (I thought he had eaten)

3. Conditional Mood (Il Condizionale)

The Mood of Possibility and Politeness. Use this for “would”, “could”, “should”, and polite requests.

• Presente: Mangerei. (I would eat)
• Passato: Avrei mangiato. (I would have eaten)

4. Imperative Mood (L’Imperativo)

The Mood of Command. Use this for orders, instructions, and advice.

• Presente: Mangia! (Eat!), Non mangiare! (Don’t eat!)
• (Only has one tense)

Indefinite Moods (No Person)

Infinity (Infinito)

The base form of the verb.

• Presente: Mangiare (To eat)
• Passato: Aver mangiato (To have eaten)

Participle (Participio)

Used to form compound tenses and adjectives.

• Presente: Mangiante (Eating - rare as a verb, mostly adjective “The eating man”)
• Passato: Mangiato (Eaten)

Gerund (Gerundio)

Used for ongoing actions (“-ing”).

• Presente: Mangiando (Eating - as in “Sto mangiando” -> I am eating)
• Passato: Avendo mangiato (Having eaten)

Roadmap for Learners

Don’t panic! You don’t need to learn them all at once. Here is the recommended order:

1. Indicativo Presente: Essential for everything.
2. Indicativo Passato Prossimo: To talk about the past.
3. Indicativo Imperfetto: To tell stories.
4. Indicativo Futuro: For plans.
5. Condizionale Presente: For “I would like” (Vorrei) and politeness.
6. Imperativo: For giving directions/orders.
7. Congiuntivo: Advanced level to express complex thoughts and elegant Italian.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using Conditional for “I wish”

• English: “I wish I had a car.”
• Wrong: Desidererei avere una macchina. (Too formal/literal)
• Right (Congiuntivo): Magari avessi una macchina!

❌ Using Indicative after “Penso che…” (I think that…)

• Wrong: Penso che è bello. (Common in spoken slang, but grammar mistake)
• Right: Penso che sia bello. (Subjunctive required)

❌ Confusing Gerundio strictly with English “-ing”

• English “I like swimming” creates a noun from a verb.
• Italian uses Infinitive: Mi piace nuotare. (NOT Mi piace nuotando)
• Italian Gerundio is only for “While doing X” or “I am currently doing X” (Sto nuotando).

Summary Table

Mood	Function	Tenses
Indicative	Facts, Reality	8 (4 Simple, 4 Compound)
Subjunctive	Doubt, Emotion	4 (2 Simple, 2 Compound)
Conditional	Possibility	2 (1 Simple, 1 Compound)
Imperative	Commands	1

Master the Indicative first, and the rest will follow! 🗺️