Conjugations › Italian › essere

essere

to be

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

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

How to Conjugate "essere" in the Present Tense

Presente indicativo Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
io I sono
tu you (informal) sei
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) è
noi we siamo
voi you all siete
loro they sono
Lui è un bravo medico.
He is a good doctor.

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

Passato prossimo Actions that finished in the recent past
Person English Conjugation
io I sono stato/a
tu you (informal) sei stato/a
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) è stato/a
noi we siamo stati/e
voi you all siete stati/e
loro they sono stati/e
Lui è stato in ufficio.
He was at the office.

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

Imperfetto Actions that were ongoing in the past
Person English Conjugation
io I ero
tu you (informal) eri
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) era
noi we eravamo
voi you all eravate
loro they erano
Lui era a casa ieri.
He was at home yesterday.

How to Conjugate "essere" in the Future Tense

Futuro semplice Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
io I sarò
tu you (informal) sarai
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) sarà
noi we saremo
voi you all sarete
loro they saranno
Lui sarà pronto presto.
He will be ready soon.

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

Condizionale presente Hypothetical actions
Person English Conjugation
io I sarei
tu you (informal) saresti
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) sarebbe
noi we saremmo
voi you all sareste
loro they sarebbero
Lui sarebbe pronto subito.
He would be ready immediately.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "essere"

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

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