Regular -IRE Verbs in Italian

Overview

Regular -IRE verbs form the third conjugation in Italian. These are verbs whose infinitive ends in -ire and that follow a straightforward pattern without the -isc- infix. At the A1 level, mastering this group gives you access to essential everyday actions like sleeping, leaving, feeling, and opening.

The -IRE conjugation is the smallest of the three regular groups (-ARE, -ERE, -IRE), but it contains many high-frequency verbs. Once you know the endings, you can conjugate any regular -IRE verb that does not use the -isc- expansion. The key is recognizing which -IRE verbs are "plain" (covered here) and which take -isc- (covered in a separate lesson).

To conjugate, you remove the -ire ending from the infinitive to get the stem, then add the appropriate personal ending.

How It Works

Conjugation Pattern

Take the verb dormire (to sleep). The stem is dorm-:

Person	Pronoun	Ending	Example
1st singular	io	-o	dormo
2nd singular	tu	-i	dormi
3rd singular	lui/lei/Lei	-e	dorme
1st plural	noi	-iamo	dormiamo
2nd plural	voi	-ite	dormite
3rd plural	loro	-ono	dormono

Common Regular -IRE Verbs (without -isc-)

Infinitive	Meaning
dormire	to sleep
partire	to leave / to depart
sentire	to hear / to feel
aprire	to open
seguire	to follow
servire	to serve / to be needed
offrire	to offer
coprire	to cover
soffrire	to suffer
divertire	to amuse

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
Dormo otto ore ogni notte.	I sleep eight hours every night.	1st person -o
A che ora parti domani?	What time do you leave tomorrow?	2nd person -i
Il treno parte alle nove.	The train leaves at nine.	3rd person -e
Sentiamo un rumore strano.	We hear a strange noise.	1st plural -iamo
Dormite bene in questo hotel?	Do you sleep well in this hotel?	2nd plural -ite
I bambini dormono già.	The children are already sleeping.	3rd plural -ono
Apro la finestra perché fa caldo.	I open the window because it is hot.	aprire, 1st person
Lui segue un corso di italiano.	He follows an Italian course.	seguire, 3rd person
Offriamo il caffè a tutti.	We offer coffee to everyone.	offrire, 1st plural
Senti freddo?	Do you feel cold?	sentire, 2nd person
Il ristorante serve piatti tipici.	The restaurant serves typical dishes.	servire, 3rd person
Coprite i bambini, fa freddo!	Cover the children, it is cold!	coprire, 2nd plural
Loro partono stasera.	They leave this evening.	partire, 3rd plural

Common Mistakes

Mixing up -IRE endings with -ERE endings

• Wrong: Io dorme. / Lui dormo.
• Right: Io dormo. / Lui dorme.
• Why: The 1st person singular ends in -o and the 3rd person ends in -e. The -ERE conjugation has the same endings for these persons, which can cause confusion with the stem vowel, but the endings themselves must match the subject.

Adding -isc- where it does not belong

• Wrong: Io dormisco.
• Right: Io dormo.
• Why: Only a specific subset of -IRE verbs (like capire, finire, preferire) take the -isc- infix. The verbs in this lesson (dormire, partire, sentire, etc.) never use it. When in doubt, check whether a verb belongs to the "plain" or "-isc-" group.

Forgetting the -i- in the noi and voi forms

• Wrong: Noi dormamo. / Voi dormte.
• Right: Noi dormiamo. / Voi dormite.
• Why: The noi form always ends in -iamo and the voi form always ends in -ite for -IRE verbs. The -i- is part of the ending and must not be dropped.

Confusing partire (to leave) with party or sharing

• Wrong: Using "partire" to mean "to party" or "to share/divide."
• Right: Partire means "to leave" or "to depart." For "to divide," use dividere. For "to party," Italians say fare festa.
• Why: False cognates between English and Italian are a common trap. Always verify meaning.

Practice Tips

1. Drill the pattern with substitution. Pick one sentence like "Parto domani" and run through all six persons: Parto, parti, parte, partiamo, partite, partono. Then switch to a different verb (sentire, aprire) and repeat. Speed builds automaticity.
2. Compare the three conjugations side by side. Write out parlare, leggere, dormire in a grid. You will see that the 1st person (-o) and 1st plural (-iamo) are identical across all three groups — this makes those forms easy to remember.
3. Use flashcards with full sentences, not isolated verbs. Instead of memorizing "dormire = to sleep," practice with "Dormo bene" or "Il treno parte alle otto." Context helps you recall the correct form faster.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subject Pronouns — you need to know the pronouns to match each verb ending
• Next step: -IRE Verbs with -isc- — the other group of -IRE verbs that insert -isc- before the ending