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How to use infinitives in Italian?

By: Claudia Quesito Fri Aug 30 2024
Italian
Verbs

The infinitive is the basic form of a verb, 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)
seconda coniugazione
correre(to run)
terza coniugazione
dormire(to sleep)

Infinitives in Italian can serve as verbs —of course— as well as nouns, and are used in a variety of cases: ready to discover all their secrets? Keep reading!

Table of Contents

    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

      the past participle

      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.

    Important

    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 tenses: 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 pronouns and reflexive pronouns 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!

    ⇨ To learn more about the position of pronouns, check out our articles on Italian object pronouns and Italian reflexive pronouns.

    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 subject of a sentence, it normally appears before the verb.

      Leggere è la mia passione.

      Reading is my passion.

    • This infinitive may also be preceded by the definite article — so, our example would become Il leggere è la mia passione — although the form with no article is way more common.

      Cultural Note:

      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.

      lit. 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 pronouns. In these instances, the infinitive follows the main verb:

      Mi piace scrivere.

      I like writing.

    • Infinitives are also used after impersonal constructions such as:

      • è + adjective

        È necessario fare attenzione.

        It’s necessary to pay attention.

      • è + article / possessive adjective + 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.

      Important

      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 verb. In this case, the infinitive acts as the direct object of a verb, hence following the conjugated verb with no preposition in between them. But, which verbs can be followed directly by an infinitive?

    • Modal verbs: volere(want), potere(can, to be able to), and dovere(must, to have to).

      Devo partire domani.

      I have to leave tomorrow.

    • Verbs expressing states of mind: adorare(to adore), amare(to love), odiare(to hate), preferire(to prefer).

      Amo giocare a tennis.

      I love playing tennis.

    Important

    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:

    So di avere torto.

    I know I’m wrong.

    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 object 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.

        I’m going to buy a cake.

      • Sperano di arrivare alle sette.

        They hope to arrive at seven.

      Check out this list of common verbs followed by a or di.

      Important

      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 mood 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 clauses or exclamations, 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:

        Non posteggiare!

        Do not park!

      • To give instructions to someone nonspecific:

        Aggiungere la farina.

        Add flour.

    • In interrogative clauses or exclamations that express...

      • Doubt

        Che dire? Era strano!

        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:

      Sto per andare!

      I’m about to go!

    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!

    Downloadable Resources

    Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.

    When to use infinitives in Italian?~Verbs with prepositions followed by an infinitiveWhen to use infinitives in Italian?~Activities

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