Sapere is a rather important verb. Let’s see it together and learn
some useful sentences. This time the webcast is for everyone. Ciao a
tutti Sapere VS conoscere Prima di tutto, first and foremost, let’s have
a look at the conjugations of the two verbs and listen to the correct
pronunciation. Both sapere and conoscere translate as “to …
There are two important Italian verbs English speakers tend to
confuse: “Sapere” and “Conoscere”. They both translate into English as
“to know”. Podcast. In a previous post, about some Italian verbs that my
students tend to mistake, I dedicated a few words to sapere VS
conoscere. I think the topic deserves some more attention. The confusion
is …
It’s time for you to start learning Italian modal verbs. Today we are
going to have a close look at DOVERE,: “Have to”, “Need to”, “Must”.
Listen to the podcast. Along with “fare”, “essere” and “avere”, modal
verbs are the pillars of the Italian language: DOVERE, POTERE, VOLERE,
SAPERE. All Italian modal verbs share an important …
Let’s have a look at the Italian imperfetto tense of the modal verbs
dovere, potere, volere and sapere. Listen to the podcast. We already
introduced the Italian imperfetto tense and the difference with the
passato prossimo tense, both belonging to the indicativo mood (realis
mood). If you want to progress from the beginner-level to the
intermediate-level, you need …
Ciao a tutti! Do you know the difference between dovere, potere,
volere and sapere? A guide to Italian modal verbs with podcast and
some examples. Today we will go deeper into details with the Italian
modal verbs dovere, potere, volere and sapere and provide examples with
the presente and passato prossimo. What is a modal verb? In Italian we …
dante-learning.com
Italian modal verbs: potere, dovere, volere, sapere. Quick guide and quiz
Riccardo Cristiani
Italian modal verbs, called verbi servili, express a necessity, a requirement, a possibility, a wish or an ability. Just like the English modal verbs, the Italian verbi servili are used in combination with a second verb. The Italian definition of verbi servili describes pretty well their function: to support, “be of service” to a second verb. Let’s see some basic theory and examples.
As usual, please be careful when comparing Italian and English. Italian modal verbs are slightly different.
The formula is simple:
modal verb+ another infinitive verb –> dovere/potere/volere/sapere + are/ere/ire
There are four common Italian modal verbs, but in theory all verbs supporting a second infinitive verb without the help of prepositions are modal.
The answer is pretty easy, we just need to follow a simple rule: use the same auxiliary of the main verb. For example:
All verbs supporting a second infinitive WITH a preposition (usually DI, A or PER) belong to a different family called verbi fraseologici. For example cominciare: Ho cominciato A leggere un libro. Please read this post for more information.
We hope you liked this quick guide about the Italian modal verbs and we hope to see you soon at one of our on-line Italian language lessons. Please take some time for solving the quiz about today’s topic. If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment. We’ll be happy to get back to you with an answer.
As usual, please be careful when comparing Italian and English. Italian modal verbs are slightly different.
The formula is simple:
modal verb+ another infinitive verb –> dovere/potere/volere/sapere + are/ere/ire
There are four common Italian modal verbs, but in theory all verbs supporting a second infinitive verb without the help of prepositions are modal.
Dovere
The meaning is similar to the English have to / must
The meaning is similar to the English have to / must
- Io devo andare
- Tu devi capire
- Lui/Lei deve dormire
- Noi dobbiamo giocare
- Voi dovete smettere
- Loro devono tornare
Potere
The meaning is similar to the English can
The meaning is similar to the English can
- Io posso aspettare
- Tu puoi entrare
- Lui/Lei può venire
- Noi possiamo pagare
- Voi potete cominciare
- Loro possono sedersi
Volere
The meaning is similar to the English want.
The meaning is similar to the English want.
- Io voglio imparare
- Tu vuoi comprare
- Lui/Lei vuole volare
- Noi vogliamo partecipare
- Voi volete scommettere
- Loro vogliono mentire
Sapere
The meaning is similar to the English know how to…
For the sake of simplicity, those examples are conveniently created with the presente indicativo. What if we use a compound tense like for example the passato prossimo? Which auxiliary verb are we going to use? Essere or avere?The meaning is similar to the English know how to…
- Io so nuotare
- Tu sai leggere
- Lui/Lei sa suonare
- Noi sappiamo guidare
- Voi sapete cucinare
- Loro sanno scrivere
The answer is pretty easy, we just need to follow a simple rule: use the same auxiliary of the main verb. For example:
- Io voglio andare –> Io sono voluto andare – andare wants the auxiliary essere
- Lui non sa cucinare –> Lui non ha saputo cucinare – cucinare wants the auxiliary avere
- Io devo essere all’aeroporto alle 10 –> Io ho dovuto essere all’aeroporto alle 10
All verbs supporting a second infinitive WITH a preposition (usually DI, A or PER) belong to a different family called verbi fraseologici. For example cominciare: Ho cominciato A leggere un libro. Please read this post for more information.
We hope you liked this quick guide about the Italian modal verbs and we hope to see you soon at one of our on-line Italian language lessons. Please take some time for solving the quiz about today’s topic. If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment. We’ll be happy to get back to you with an answer.
