Potere(to be able), Dovere(to must, to have to) & Volere(to want)
The present tense of the irregular Italian ERE verbs Potere, Dovere and Volere
These verbs do not follow the regular conjugation patterns of the Italian ERE verbs and thus will be looked at separately here. These are not the only irregular ERE verbs but these three are extremely important to know as they can be used often in everyday conversation. Additionally, these three verbs work exceptionally well with other verbs. For example; I have to go, I want to speak or I can swim. Learning these verbs will prove extremely useful in your quest to communicate in Italian.
| Potere | ||
| Subject Pronoun | Potere conjugated | English |
| Io | Posso | I can |
| Tu | Puoi | You can |
| Lui/Lei | Può | He/She can |
| Noi | Possiamo | We can |
| Voi | Potete | Y’all can |
| Loro | Possono | They can |
Thus;
Io posso = I can / Tu puoi = You can / Lui può = He can / Lei può = She can
Noi possiamo = we can / Voi potete = Y'all can / Loro possono = They can
| Dovere | ||
| Subject Pronoun | Dovere conjugated | English |
| Io | Devo | I must |
| Tu | Devi | You must |
| Lui/Lei | Deve | He/She must |
| Noi | Dobbiamo | We must |
| Voi | Dovete | Y’all must |
| Loro | Devono | They must |
Thus;
Io devo = I must / Tu devi = You must / Lui deve = He must / Lei deve = She must
Noi dobbiamo = we must / Voi dovete = Y'all must / Loro devono = They must
| Volere | ||
| Subject Pronoun | Volere conjugated | English |
| Io | Voglio | I want |
| Tu | Vuoi | You want |
| Lui/Lei | Vuole | He/She wants |
| Noi | Vogliamo | We want |
| Voi | Volete | Y’all want |
| Loro | Vogliono | They want |
Thus;
Io voglio = I want / Tu vuoi = You want / Lui vuole = He wants / Lei vuole = She wants
Noi vogliamo = we want / Voi volete = Y'all want / Loro vogliono = They want
| You can learn more about the present tense in Italian on pages 61 -62 of the book "English Grammar for Students of Italian" by Sergio Adorni and Karen Primorac, copyright 1995. If you do not own this book, don't worry, it is not mandatory that you do. However, it can be very useful in a lot of ways and if you would like to know more about this book and where to buy it, click on the graphic link to the right or simply go to our online bookstore. | You can see these irregular ERE verbs and others on pages 19 & 20 of "Italian Verb Drills" by Paoloa Nanni-Tate, 2nd Edition, copyright 2004. If you do not own this book, don't worry, it is not mandatory that you do. However, it can be very useful in a lot of ways and if you would like to know more about this book and where to buy it, click on the graphic link to the right or simply go to our online bookstore. | You can learn more about the Italian irregular ERE verbs and how to use them on pages 101 - 103 (page #'s may vary as I have an older edition) of "Ciao", copyright 1986. If you do not own this book, don't worry, it is not mandatory that you do. However, it can be very useful in a lot of ways and if you would like to know more about this book and where to buy it, click on the graphic link to the right or simply go to our online bookstore. |
