REGULAR VERBS IN ITALIAN IN “IRE” (5 USEFUL VERBS)

Popular Italian Verbs (Ending in “IRE”)

The regular verbs in Italian are divided into 3 categories, depending on the way they end in the infinitive form.

We call these three groups “coniugazioni”.

In my previous lessons, we’ve seen some verbs that belong to the first two groups, like for example “amare” (to love) and “leggere” (to read). 

Today, instead, we’ll focus on the third class of verbs that end in “ire” in their infinitive form.

1 – DORMIRE

Let’s start with the verb “dormire” which means to sleep.
Here you are its conjugation in the present:

• Io dormo
• Tu dormi
• Lui/Lei dorme
• Noi dormiamo
• Voi dormite
• Loro dormono 

Remember that these verbs follow a regular pattern in their conjugation and that’s why they’re called “regular”.
So once you know the conjugation of one of those, you’ll be able to conjugate all the ones in the same category.

Examples of Using the Verb “Dormire” in Italian: 

1. (Tu) dormi molto = you sleep a lot
2. (Io) vado a dormire presto = I go to sleep early 
3. (Noi) andiamo a dormire alle 11.30 = we go to sleep at 11.30

2 Popular Idioms with “Dormire”

• Dormire come un angioletto: sleeping peacefully
• Dormire come un sasso: being fast asleep 

2 – SENTIRE

Let’s move on to the second verb: “sentire” which can have different meanings, like “to hear”, “to feel” or “to smell”.
But let’s see its conjugation first:

• Io sento
• Tu senti
• Lui/Lei sente
• Noi sentiamo
• Voi sentite
• Loro sentono 

Examples when “Sentire” means “to Hear”: 

1. (Io) sento un rumore = I hear a noise
2. Mi senti? = Can you hear me?  
3. Non ti sento = I can’t hear you

“Sentire” with the Meaning of “Feeling”

1. (Io) sento caldo = I feel hot
2. Senti freddo? = Are you cold?
3. Mi sento bene = I’m feeling good
4. Si sentono male = They feel bad

Another Meaning of “Sentire”: “to Smell”

1. Sento un profumino = I smell something good
2. Non senti che puzza? = Can’t you smell it?

3 – PARTIRE

Verb number 3, “partire”, means “to leave”.

This is how you conjugate it (in the present): 

• Io parto
• Tu parti
• Lui/Lei parte
• Noi partiamo
• Voi partite
• Loro partono 

Emamples with the Verb “to Leave” (“Partire”) in Italian:  

1. (Tu) quando parti? = When are you leaving? 
2. (Io) Parto tra 3 settimane = I leave in three weeks
3. (Loro) partono domani = they leave tomorrow
4. (Noi) partiamo con il treno = We’re leaving by train
5. (Lui) parte con un amico = He’s going with a friend

4 – APRIRE

The next verb means “to open”: “aprire“.

Let’s have a look at its conjugation:  

• Io apro
• Tu apri
• Lui/Lei apre
• Noi apriamo
• Voi aprite
• Loro aprono 

How to Use the Verb “to Open” (“Aprire”) in Italian:  

1. Aprite le finestre = Open the windows 
2. Apro la porta = I open the door 
3. A che ora apre il museo? = What time does the museum open? 
4. I negozi aprono alle 9 = Shops open at 9 am
5. I bambini aprono i regali = kids open their presents
6. (Tu) apri le e-mail = you open the e-mail

5 – CAPIRE

The last verb of today’s lesson is “capire” that means “to understand”. 

There’s a slight difference in the way you conjugate it: you need to add the sound “isc” in the first, second, and third-person singular (io, tu, lui/lei) and with the third-person plural (loro). 

• Io capisco
• Tu capisci
• Lui/Lei capisce
• Noi capiamo
• Voi capite
• Loro capiscono 

Other Common Verbs with the Sound “ISC” (in the Present)  

• Finire (Io finisco, tu finisci, …) = to finish  
• Preferire (Io preferisco, tu preferisci, …) = to prefer 
• Pulire (Io pulisco, tu pulisci, …) = to clean

Examples with the Verb “Capire”  

1. (Io) capisco l’italiano = I understand Italian  
2. (Lui) non capisce l’inglese = He doesn’t understand English 
3. Capisco tutto = I understand everything
4. Non capisco niente = I don’t understand anything 

“I don’t understand a word!”: 3 Funny Expressions in Italian

1. Non capisco un tubo!  
2. Non capisco un cavolo!
3. Non capisco un fico secco! 

The words “tubo”, “cavolo” and “fico secco” mean: pipe, cabbage and dry fig. 

To learn how to say that you didn’t understand and ask people to repeat, check out the lesson below.

What to Read Next?

To know more about Italian verbs, check out the following lessons on some of the most important irregular verbs in Italian: “stare” (to stay), “avere” (to have), fare (to do), dare (to give).

In each lesson you can find loads of examples on how to use these verbs in real life.

• 10 WAYS TO USE THE ITALIAN VERB “STARE” (PRESENT)
• HOW TO USE “TO HAVE” IN ITALIAN (PRESENT TENSE)
• THE ITALIAN VERB TO DO: 5 WAYS YOU CAN USE IT (PRESENT)

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