Present Tense: -ere Verbs

Level 1

Italian verbs ending in -ere follow a specific pattern in the present tense: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono.

How It Works

The presente indicativo of -ere verbs is the second of the three Italian conjugations. While it contains many irregular verbs, it is the smallest group of regular verbs and is considered 'non-productive,' meaning new verbs entering the language do not use this ending.

1. The Conjugation Table
Using the verb prendere (to take) as an example:

io prendo (I take)
tu prendi (you take)
lui/lei prende (he/she takes)
noi prendiamo (we take)
voi prendete (you all take)
loro prendono (they take)

2. Infinitive Stress Patterns
Unlike -are verbs or -ire verbs, -ere verbs have two different stress patterns in the infinitive:

Stress on the second-to-last syllable: temére (to fear), vedére (to see).
Stress on the third-to-last syllable: prèndere (to take), lèggere (to read).

3. Phonological Changes (C and G)
If a verb stem ends in -c or -g (like leggere), the sound changes depending on the vowel that follows. It is a 'hard' sound before -o (leggo, leggono) and a 'soft' sound before -i or -e (leggi, legge, leggiamo, leggete).

4. Stress in Conjugation
To become confident with the rhythm of these verbs, note where the stress falls:

In the io, tu, lui/lei, and loro forms, the stress stays on the root (e.g., scrìvo, scrìvono).
In the noi and voi forms, the stress always shifts to the ending: scriviàmo and scrivéte.

Examples (5)

Io scrivo una lettera ogni settimana.
I write a letter every week.
Word by Word: I write a letter every week.
Shows the 'io' form (-o) used for a habitual action.
Loro leggono il giornale al bar.
They read the newspaper at the bar.
Word by Word: They read the newspaper at the bar.
Demonstrates the 'loro' form (-ono) and the hard 'g' sound in 'leggono'.
Voi prendete il treno delle otto?
Are you all taking the eight o'clock train?
Word by Word: You all take the train of the eight?
Shows the 'voi' form (-ete) used for a near-future planned action.
Lui chiude la finestra perché fa freddo.
He closes the window because it is cold.
Word by Word: He closes the window because it makes cold.
Shows the 'lui' form (-e) for the verb 'chiudere'.
Noi vediamo un film stasera.
We are seeing a movie tonight.
Word by Word: We see a movie tonight.
Shows the 'noi' form (-iamo) for the verb 'vedere'.

Common Mistakes

Using the subjunctive form instead of the indicative.
Lui scriva molto.
Lui scrive molto.
'Scriva' is the present subjunctive. A plain statement needs the indicative: -ere verbs use -e for 'lui/lei' ('scrive').
Confusing the 'voi' ending with -ire verbs.
Voi vendite la casa?
Voi vendete la casa?
The 'voi' ending for -ere verbs is -ete. The -ite ending belongs to -ire verbs.
Incorrect stress on the 'loro' form.
Loro scrivòno.
Loro scrìvono.
The stress in the 'loro' form of -ere verbs is almost always on the stem (antepenultimate syllable).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Present Tense: -ere VerbsLevel 1

Learn This First

To conjugate regular -ere verbs, you first need to know the subject pronouns to identify the correct person. It is also helpful to have already learned the -are conjugation, as it establishes the foundational logic of how Italian verbs change their endings based on the subject.

Present Tense: -are Verbs
Learning the first conjugation (-are) introduces the concept of verb stems and endings, which is then applied to the second conjugation (-ere).
Level 1

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 1 more in the full list.

Sources

Practice Present Tense: -ere Verbs in Bubblegum

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