The infinitive is the basic form of a verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., the unconjugated entry we look up in the dictionary to check its meaning. In English, infinitives are preceded by “to”, as in “to eat,” “to run,” or “to sleep.” In Italian there are three groups of infinitives. Verbs can, indeed, end either in -are, -ere, or -ire and, according to these endings, infinitives are classified as follows:
prima coniugazione | mangiare(to eat) |
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seconda coniugazione | correre(to run) |
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terza coniugazione | dormire(to sleep) |
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Infinitives in Italian can serve as verbs —of course— as well as nounsNo definition set for nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and are used in a variety of cases: ready to discover all their secrets? Keep reading!
How are infinitives formed in Italian?
As mentioned above, infinitives in Italian belong to one of three groups: -are, -ere, and -ire. Besides this, infinitives can have two tenses and infinitives can interact with pronouns. Let’s go over these points next.
Infinitive tenses: ‘infinito presente’ and ‘infinito passato’
First thing first, the Italian infinitive only has two tenses:
infinito presente(present infinitive), the basic form of the verb
Serena ama leggere la sera.
Serena loves to read in the evening.
infinito passato(perfect infinitive), formed like this:
present infinitive of essere or avere
Essere andati in vacanza a giugno è stato saggio.
Having gone on vacation in June was wise.
Aver studiato lì è stato un onore.
Having studied there has been an honor.
See that the avere here above is missing its final e? It happens very often, both with essere and avere, when they are used to form the infinito passato, although both avere and aver are correct in this context.
Also, note that the past participles follow the same agreement rules as the other compound tensesNo definition set for compound tensesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.: the ones following avere always end in -o, while the ones following essere agree in gender and number with the subject.
Infinitive and pronouns
The infinitive can take object pronounsNo definition set for object pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and reflexive pronounsNo definition set for reflexive pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. which can precede or be attached to the infinitive itself. In this last case, the infinitive drops its final e:
object pronoun
Lo devo leggere tutto per domani!
I need to read it all by tomorrow!
object pronoun
Devo leggerlo tutto per domani!
I need to read it all by tomorrow!
reflexive pronoun
Sara si deve svegliare presto.
I need to read it all by tomorrow!
reflexive pronoun
Sara deve svegliarsi presto.
I need to read it all by tomorrow!
When and how to use infinitives in Italian?
Infinitives in Italian can be used in different ways: as nouns, after a conjugated verb, or after a preposition. Let’s go over these uses next.
Using infinitives as nouns
The infinitive can function as a noun. The English equivalent is generally an “-ing” verb. Because they can be used as nouns, infinitives can function as the subject of a sentence. Let’s break this down.
When an infinitive functions as a subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a sentence, it normally appears before the verb.
Leggere è la mia passione.
This infinitive may also be preceded by the definite articleNo definition set for definite articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. — so, our example would become Il leggere è la mia passione — although the form with no article is way more common.
One famous Italian proverb features two definite article + infinitive constructions:
Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare.
Easier said than done.
Between saying and doing there’s the sea.
The infinitive can be the subject of a verb like piacere (to like), mancare(to miss), or dispiacere(to be sorry), that is, verbs that require indirect object pronounsNo definition set for indirect object pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. In these instances, the infinitive follows the main verb:
Infinitives are also used after impersonal constructionsNo definition set for impersonal constructionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. such as:
è + adjective
È necessario fare attenzione.
It’s necessary to pay attention.
è + articleNo definition set for articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. / possessive adjectiveNo definition set for possessive adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. + noun
È un piacere assistere quei bambini.
It’s a pleasure to assist those children.
È mio dovere aiutare chi ha bisogno.
It’s my duty to help those in need.
The infinitive is generally placed after the impersonal construction, unless we want to highlight the subject, that is, the infinitive:
Aiutare chi ha bisogno è mio dovere.
Helping those in need is my duty.
Using an infinitive after a conjugated verb
You will often see infinitives directly after a conjugated verbNo definition set for conjugated verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. In this case, the infinitive acts as the direct objectNo definition set for direct objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a verb, hence following the conjugated verb with no prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in between them. But, which verbs can be followed directly by an infinitive?
Modal verbsNo definition set for Modal verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.: volere(want), potere(can, to be able to), and dovere(must, to have to).
I have to leave tomorrow.
Verbs expressing states of mind: adorare(to adore), amare(to love), odiare(to hate), preferire(to prefer).
Sapere falls into the category of verbs followed by the infinitive, but only when it means “to be able to, to know how to do something.”
So suonare il pianoforte e il violino.
I can play the piano and the violin.
When it means, instead, “to know (a fact), to be aware,” sapere is followed by a preposition + infinitive:
Using the infinitive after a preposition
Whenever an Italian preposition is followed by a verb, this is in the infinitive form. For example,
Stamattina è andato a lavoro senza prendere la macchina.Phrase
This morning he went to work without taking the car.
Hai chiuso la finestra prima di uscire?
Did you close the window before leaving?
This is also the case when a verb functions as the indirect objectNo definition set for indirect objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the sentence and therefore is preceded by a preposition.
Most verbs require a particular preposition —generally a or di — between them and the infinitive.
Vado a comprare la torta.
Sperano di arrivare alle sette.
They hope to arrive at seven.
Check out this list of common verbs followed by a or di.
In all our examples with the infinitive so far, there’s no change of subject. If the subjects of the main verb and the infinitive are not the same, the subjunctive moodNo definition set for subjunctive moodLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. gets in the game, along with the word che(that). Compare:
infinitive
Giulio vuole diventare avvocato.
Giulio wants to become a lawyer.
subjunctive
I genitori di Giulio vogliono che diventi avvocato.
Giulio’s parents want him to become a lawyer.
Some verbs can be followed by more than one preposition, without any change in meaning.
Questo prodotto serve a/per pulire l’acciaio.
This product serves the purpose of cleaning the steel.
A few verbs, however, change their meaning depending on which preposition follows them, like pensare a and pensare di:
Pensa a fare i compiti, poi puoi uscire.
Focus on doing your homework, then you can go out.
Penso di stare a casa stasera.
I’m thinking of staying home tonight.
Other uses of the infinitive in Italian
Finally, the infinitive used to give commands, in interrogative clausesNo definition set for interrogative clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or exclamationsNo definition set for exclamationsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and after a few particular expressions.
In place of the imperative form of Italian verbs in some specific cases:
To give commands that are not addressed to anyone in particular:
To give instructions to someone nonspecific:
In interrogative clausesNo definition set for interrogative clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or exclamationsNo definition set for exclamationsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that express...
Doubt
What to say? It was strange!
Disapproval
Io fare bungee jumping? Neanche per sogno!
Me bungee jumping? Not a chance!
Desire
Diventare medico è il suo sogno!
Becoming a doctor is her dream!
After ecco(here) to highlight an action or a fact:
Ecco entrare Fabio con il suo meraviglioso sorriso.
And here is Fabio, entering the room with his wonderful smile.
In the construction stare + per + infinitive, to indicate that something is about to happen:
How is the past infinitive used in Italian?
The past infinitive or infinito passato is used to express an action that happened before the action of the main verb, or to indicate causality. The markers to look for are, respectively, dopo(after), prima di(before), and per(for).
Dopo aver parlato con lui, ho capito.
After having talked with him, I understood.
Prima di aver letto quel libro, non sapevo niente di quella storia.
Before reading that book, I knew nothing about that story.
Fui lodata per essere stata molto scrupolosa.
I was praised for having been very scrupulous.
To sum up
The infinitive is the standard dictionary form of the verb. In Italian, infinitives end in either -are, -ere, or -ire.
Infinitives can appear:
as nouns, after verbs like piacere, after some impersonal constructions
after a conjugated verb (modal, verbs that express a state of mind)
after a preposition or a verb + preposition, normally a or di
There are only two infinitive tenses: infinito presente and infinito passato. They are used in the same three contexts, but the infinito passato specifically expresses a cause-and-effect relationship, or an action occurred before the one expressed by the main verb.
Ready to practice? Check out these activities on the Italian infinitive!
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