Italian verbs are complex to English speakers, only because of the number of
distinct forms each verb can have. The complexity comes with the number of
tenses and persons.
There is no gender distinction in Italian verbs (unlike nouns, which have two
genders). However, there are six personal forms per tense (three persons: first,
second, third; and two numbers: singular, plural).
There is two verb tenses:
- Compound tenses:The compound tenses (i tempi composti) are verb tenses that consist
of two words, such as the passato prossimo (present perfect).
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The conjugated forms of verbs agree with the person and number of the
subject. There are two numbers (singular and plural) and three
persons. First person is the speaker; second person is the one spoken to;
third person is the one spoken about. For example, for the present
tense:
| Persons |
Singular |
Plural |
|
| 1st. Person |
io parlo » I speak |
noi parliamo » we speak |
| 2nd. Person |
tu parli » you speak |
voi parlate » you speak |
| 3rd. Person |
lei parla » she speaks |
loro parlano » they speak |
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