Verb

essere

to be

Auxiliary: essere

Essere is the most irregular Italian verb and serves as the auxiliary for many intransitive and all reflexive verbs in compound tenses.

Io sono italiano.

I am Italian.

Indicativo

Presente

Present

io sono

I am

Sono molto stanco stasera.

I am very tired tonight.

tu sei

you are

Sei sempre puntuale agli appuntamenti.

You are always punctual for appointments.

lui/lei è

he/she is

Maria è una brava dottoressa.

Maria is a good doctor.

noi siamo

we are

Siamo pronti a partire.

We are ready to leave.

voi siete

you (pl.) are

Voi siete i miei migliori amici.

You are my best friends.

loro sono

they are

I bambini sono in giardino.

The children are in the garden.

Imperfetto

Imperfect

io ero

I was / I used to be

Da piccolo ero molto timido.

As a child I was very shy.

tu eri

you were / you used to be

Ieri eri di cattivo umore.

Yesterday you were in a bad mood.

lui/lei era

he/she was / used to be

La casa era vecchia ma accogliente.

The house was old but cozy.

noi eravamo

we were / we used to be

Eravamo felici in quel periodo.

We were happy in that period.

voi eravate

you (pl.) were / used to be

Eravate ancora a scuola quando ho chiamato.

You were still at school when I called.

loro erano

they were / used to be

I negozi erano tutti chiusi.

The shops were all closed.

Passato remoto

Past Historic

io fui

I was

Fui il primo ad arrivare quel giorno.

I was the first to arrive that day.

tu fosti

you were

Tu fosti molto coraggioso in quell'occasione.

You were very brave on that occasion.

lui/lei fu

he/she was

Dante fu un grande poeta.

Dante was a great poet.

noi fummo

we were

Fummo invitati alla cerimonia.

We were invited to the ceremony.

voi foste

you (pl.) were

Foste voi a scoprire la verità.

It was you who discovered the truth.

loro furono

they were

Furono anni difficili per tutti.

They were difficult years for everyone.

Passato prossimo

Present Perfect

io sono stato/a

I have been / I was

Sono stato a Roma la settimana scorsa.

I was in Rome last week.

tu sei stato/a

you have been / you were

Sei stato molto gentile con noi.

You have been very kind to us.

lui/lei è stato/a

he/she has been / was

Luca è stato malato per tre giorni.

Luca has been ill for three days.

noi siamo stati/e

we have been / we were

Siamo stati al mare tutta l'estate.

We were at the seaside all summer.

voi siete stati/e

you (pl.) have been / were

Siete stati davvero fortunati.

You have been really lucky.

loro sono stati/e

they have been / were

Sono stati insieme per dieci anni.

They have been together for ten years.

Trapassato prossimo

Pluperfect

io ero stato/a

I had been

Non ero mai stato in Giappone prima.

I had never been to Japan before.

tu eri stato/a

you had been

Eri già stato in quel ristorante.

You had already been to that restaurant.

lui/lei era stato/a

he/she had been

Prima di allora non era mai stato così felice.

Before then he had never been so happy.

noi eravamo stati/e

we had been

Eravamo stati amici per molti anni.

We had been friends for many years.

voi eravate stati/e

you (pl.) had been

Eravate stati molto pazienti fino a quel momento.

You had been very patient until that moment.

loro erano stati/e

they had been

Erano stati in vacanza appena prima.

They had been on holiday just before.

Futuro semplice

Future

io sarò

I will be

Domani sarò a casa tutto il giorno.

Tomorrow I will be home all day.

tu sarai

you will be

Sarai un ottimo insegnante.

You will be an excellent teacher.

lui/lei sarà

he/she will be

Il viaggio sarà lungo e stancante.

The trip will be long and tiring.

noi saremo

we will be

Saremo in ritardo per il treno.

We will be late for the train.

voi sarete

you (pl.) will be

Sarete stanchi dopo il lavoro.

You will be tired after work.

loro saranno

they will be

I risultati saranno pronti lunedì.

The results will be ready on Monday.

Futuro anteriore

Future Perfect

io sarò stato/a

I will have been

Entro maggio sarò stato qui un anno.

By May I will have been here a year.

tu sarai stato/a

you will have been

Sarai stato tu a lasciare la porta aperta.

It must have been you who left the door open.

lui/lei sarà stato/a

he/she will have been

A quest'ora sarà già stato dal medico.

By now he will have already been to the doctor.

noi saremo stati/e

we will have been

Domani saremo stati sposati per vent'anni.

Tomorrow we will have been married for twenty years.

voi sarete stati/e

you (pl.) will have been

Sarete stati voi a spostare le sedie.

It must have been you who moved the chairs.

loro saranno stati/e

they will have been

Saranno stati loro a lasciare quel biglietto.

It must have been them who left that note.

Condizionale

Condizionale presente

Present Conditional

io sarei

I would be

Al tuo posto sarei più prudente.

In your place I would be more careful.

tu saresti

you would be

Saresti così gentile da aiutarmi?

Would you be so kind as to help me?

lui/lei sarebbe

he/she would be

Sarebbe bello rivederci presto.

It would be nice to see each other again soon.

noi saremmo

we would be

Senza di te saremmo persi.

Without you we would be lost.

voi sareste

you (pl.) would be

Sareste disposti a collaborare?

Would you be willing to collaborate?

loro sarebbero

they would be

Sarebbero più felici in campagna.

They would be happier in the countryside.

Condizionale passato

Perfect Conditional

io sarei stato/a

I would have been

Con più tempo sarei stato più preciso.

With more time I would have been more precise.

tu saresti stato/a

you would have been

Saresti stato un bravo medico.

You would have been a good doctor.

lui/lei sarebbe stato/a

he/she would have been

Sarebbe stato meglio partire prima.

It would have been better to leave earlier.

noi saremmo stati/e

we would have been

Saremmo stati contenti di aiutarti.

We would have been happy to help you.

voi sareste stati/e

you (pl.) would have been

Sareste stati orgogliosi di lui.

You would have been proud of him.

loro sarebbero stati/e

they would have been

Sarebbero stati d'accordo con te.

They would have agreed with you.

Congiuntivo

Congiuntivo presente

Present Subjunctive

che io sia

that I be / am

Credo di essere in ritardo.

I think I am late.

che tu sia

that you be / are

Spero che tu sia felice.

I hope that you are happy.

che lui/lei sia

that he/she be / is

Penso che lei sia molto brava.

I think that she is very good.

che noi siamo

that we be / are

Vogliono che noi siamo puntuali.

They want us to be on time.

che voi siate

that you (pl.) be / are

È importante che voi siate presenti.

It's important that you are present.

che loro siano

that they be / are

Dubito che siano già arrivati.

I doubt that they have already arrived.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Imperfect Subjunctive

che io fossi

that I were / was

Se fossi ricco, viaggerei molto.

If I were rich, I would travel a lot.

che tu fossi

that you were / was

Vorrei che tu fossi qui con me.

I wish you were here with me.

che lui/lei fosse

that he/she were / was

Sembrava che lui fosse offeso.

It seemed that he was offended.

che noi fossimo

that we were

Pensavano che noi fossimo stranieri.

They thought that we were foreigners.

che voi foste

that you (pl.) were

Se foste più attenti, non fareste errori.

If you were more careful, you wouldn't make mistakes.

che loro fossero

that they were

Non sapevo che fossero già partiti.

I didn't know that they had already left.

Congiuntivo passato

Perfect Subjunctive

che io sia stato/a

that I have been / was

Credono che io sia stato fortunato.

They think that I have been lucky.

che tu sia stato/a

that you have been / were

Mi dispiace che tu sia stato male.

I'm sorry that you have been unwell.

che lui/lei sia stato/a

that he/she has been / was

Pare che sia stato un successo.

It seems that it has been a success.

che noi siamo stati/e

that we have been / were

Sono felice che siamo stati insieme.

I'm glad that we have been together.

che voi siate stati/e

that you (pl.) have been / were

Spero che siate stati bene in vacanza.

I hope that you have been well on holiday.

che loro siano stati/e

that they have been / were

Non credo che siano stati loro.

I don't think it was them.

Congiuntivo trapassato

Pluperfect Subjunctive

che io fossi stato/a

that I had been

Se fossi stato più veloce, avrei vinto.

If I had been faster, I would have won.

che tu fossi stato/a

that you had been

Vorrei che tu fossi stato più sincero.

I wish you had been more honest.

che lui/lei fosse stato/a

that he/she had been

Se fosse stato attento, non sarebbe caduto.

If he had been careful, he wouldn't have fallen.

che noi fossimo stati/e

that we had been

Pensavo che fossimo stati chiari.

I thought that we had been clear.

che voi foste stati/e

that you (pl.) had been

Se foste stati presenti, avreste capito.

If you had been present, you would have understood.

che loro fossero stati/e

that they had been

Non sapevo che fossero stati amici.

I didn't know that they had been friends.

Imperativo

Imperativo presente

Imperative

tu sii

be!

Sii gentile con tua sorella!

Be kind to your sister!

lui/lei (formale) sia

be! (formal)

Sia puntuale domani, per favore!

Be on time tomorrow, please!

noi siamo

let's be!

Siamo sinceri tra di noi!

Let's be honest with each other!

voi siate

be! (pl.)

Siate prudenti durante il viaggio!

Be careful during the trip!

loro (formale) siano

be! (formal pl.)

Siano i benvenuti nella nostra casa!

Let them be welcome in our home!

Infinito / Participio / Gerundio

Infinito

Infinitive

presente essere

to be

Voglio essere felice.

I want to be happy.

passato essere stato/a

to have been

Sono contento di essere stato utile.

I'm glad to have been useful.

Participio

Participle

presente essente

being

In filosofia si discute dell'essente e del divenire.

In philosophy one discusses being and becoming.

passato stato/a/i/e

been

Stati insieme per anni, si conoscevano bene.

Having been together for years, they knew each other well.

Gerundio

Gerund

presente essendo

being

Essendo stanco, sono andato a dormire presto.

Being tired, I went to bed early.

passato essendo stato/a

having been

Essendo stato in Italia, parla bene l'italiano.

Having been in Italy, he speaks Italian well.