The verb “to be” is one of the most used Italian verbs and it’s a must-know to be able to talk about yourself (and other people).
So don’t miss this Italian lesson, as you’ll learn three very common situations, where you can use the verb “to be” to tell something more about you.
The Verb “to Be” in Italian
(And how to use it to talk about yourself)
You can’t have basic conversations if you don’t know the verb “to be” in Italian! This is one of the most important Italian verbs and you definitely need it in order to speak about you.
In this lesson, we’ll see first of all how to say “to be” in Italian (in the infinitive form). Then, I’ll show you the conjugation of this verb in the present tense (which is all you need for now to know to talk about you!). Finally, you’ll learn how to use “to be” to tell people more about yourself, like for example your name, your origins, and your job. We’ll have a look at some examples to make this lesson more practical.
Are you ready? You can watch the video below or scroll down to read more 🙂
How to Use “to Be” in Italian (to Talk about Yourself)
The verb “to be” is one of the most used Italian verbs and especially you need it to talk about yourself.
In fact, among other things, this verb is used to tell people information about you, like for example your name, your origins, and your profession.
So first of all, let’s see how to say “to be” in Italian.
HOW TO SAY “TO BE” IN ITALIAN
In Italian, the verb “to be” in the infinitive form is “ESSERE“.
ESSERE
However, as mentioned above, “essere” is the infinitive form, so you can’t use it in conversations.
In fact, if you want to address other people, you need to conjugate this verb, depending on the person you’re talking to.
So the conjugation of “to be” is what we’re going to cover next.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB “TO BE”
When talking to other people, you can’t just say “essere”, but you need to conjugate this verb depending on your interlocutor.
So how do you conjugate the verb TO BE in Italian?
To keep it simple, we’ve only covered the present tense as it’s all you need to know in order to talk about you.
You can check it below.
PRESENT TENSE OF THE VERB "TO BE"
HOW TO USE “TO BE” TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF
Great! Now you know how to say TO BE in Italian and how to conjugate it, but certainly you need some examples.
So how can you use the verb TO BE in Italian to talk about yourself?
Here you are 3 very common situations where you have to use “I am” in Italian.
1. Tell your NAME:
IO SONO + [Your Name]
For example:
Io sono Ambra
2. Say where you’re from (your ORIGINS):
IO SONO + [Your Nationality] or [Your City]
Examples:
Io sono Italiano/a. = I’m Italian
Io sono di Roma. = I’m from Rome
3. Speak about your JOB:
IO SONO + [Your Profession]
For instance:
Io sono ingegnere = I’m an engineer
Io sono dottore = I’m a doctor
Perfect! Now you’re ready to have some basic conversations in Italian and tell people more about you.
That was all for this lesson, but you can also read:
HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN ITALIAN IN 3 EASY STEPS