Conjugations › Italian › difendere

difendere

to defend

Italian Irregular
cantare All Italian Verbs ballare

The Italian verb "difendere" means "to defend" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "difendere" across all 5 tenses.

Jump to a tense

Present Past (completed) Past (ongoing) Future Would (conditional)

How to Conjugate "difendere" in the Present Tense

Presente indicativo Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
io I difendo
tu you (informal) difendi
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) difende
noi we difendiamo
voi you all difendete
loro they difendono
Lei difende il suo cliente in tribunale.
She defends her client in court.

How to Conjugate "difendere" in the Past (completed) Tense

Passato prossimo Actions that finished in the recent past
Person English Conjugation
io I ho difeso
tu you (informal) hai difeso
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) ha difeso
noi we abbiamo difeso
voi you all avete difeso
loro they hanno difeso
Lui ha difeso la sua casa.
He defended his house.

Want to actually remember these?

VerbPal drills "difendere" in real Italian sentences using spaced repetition.

Try VerbPal Free

How to Conjugate "difendere" in the Past (ongoing) Tense

Imperfetto Actions that were ongoing in the past
Person English Conjugation
io I difendevo
tu you (informal) difendevi
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) difendeva
noi we difendevamo
voi you all difendevate
loro they difendevano
Lei difendeva il suo piccolo cane.
She was defending her little dog.

How to Conjugate "difendere" in the Future Tense

Futuro semplice Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
io I difenderò
tu you (informal) difenderai
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) difenderà
noi we difenderemo
voi you all difenderete
loro they difenderanno
Lei difenderà il suo cliente.
She will defend her client.

How to Conjugate "difendere" in the Would (conditional) Tense

Condizionale presente Hypothetical actions
Person English Conjugation
io I difenderei
tu you (informal) difenderesti
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) difenderebbe
noi we difenderemmo
voi you all difendereste
loro they difenderebbero
Lui difenderebbe la sua posizione.
He would defend his position.
cantare All Italian Verbs ballare

Frequently Asked Questions About "difendere"

Is "difendere" regular or irregular in Italian?
"Difendere" is an irregular Italian verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "difendere" mean in English?
The Italian verb "difendere" means "to defend" in English.
How do you conjugate "difendere" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Presente indicativo): io → difendo, tu → difendi, lui/lei → difende, noi → difendiamo, voi → difendete, loro → difendono.
How many tenses does "difendere" have in Italian?
"Difendere" is conjugated across 5 tenses in Italian: Present, Past (completed), Past (ongoing), Future, Would (conditional).

Learn More About Italian Verbs

Italian Conditional Tense: How to Express Would, Could and Should

The Italian conditional tense is more regular than you think. Learn the pattern, the exceptions, and how to use it naturally in conversation.

Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto: When to Use Which in Italian

Learn when to use passato prossimo vs. imperfetto in Italian, with clear rules, trigger phrases, examples, and storytelling tips for English speakers.

Why Some Italian Verbs Use Essere and Others Use Avere

Learn why some Italian verbs use essere and others use avere in compound tenses, including motion verbs, reflexives, transitive verbs, past participle agreement, and the key exceptions learners need to know.

Master Italian verbs for real

Stop memorizing tables. Start speaking with confidence.

Try VerbPal Free

7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.