Irregular Verbs: Potere, Volere, Dovere

Potere (can / to be able to), volere (to want), and dovere (must / to have to) are the three modal verbs of Italian. They are called modal verbs because they modify the meaning of another verb, expressing ability, desire, or obligation. They are almost always followed by an infinitive.

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Potere — Can / To Be Able To

Full Conjugation

Subject Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
io	posso	I can
tu	puoi	you can
lui / lei / Lei	può	he/she can
noi	possiamo	we can
voi	potete	you all can
loro	possono	they can

Key observation: The stem alternates between poss- (io, noi, loro) and pu- (tu, lui/lei). The voi form (potete) is the only regular-looking form.

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Uses of Potere

Usage	Example	Translation
Ability	Posso nuotare molto bene.	I can swim very well.
Permission	Posso entrare?	May I come in?
Possibility	Può piovere domani.	It may rain tomorrow.
Polite request	Può ripetere, per favore?	Could you repeat, please?

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Volere — To Want

Full Conjugation

Subject Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
io	voglio	I want
tu	vuoi	you want
lui / lei / Lei	vuole	he/she wants
noi	vogliamo	we want
voi	volete	you all want
loro	vogliono	they want

Key observation: The stem alternates between vogl- (io, noi, loro) and vu- (tu, lui/lei). Note the gli sound (like "ly" in "million") in voglio, vogliamo, vogliono.

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Uses of Volere

Usage	Example	Translation
Desire + infinitive	Voglio imparare l'italiano.	I want to learn Italian.
Desire + noun	Vuoi un caffè?	Do you want a coffee?
Strong intention	Vogliamo partire domani.	We want to leave tomorrow.
Polite (conditional is better)	Vorrei un gelato.	I would like an ice cream.

Tip: Using voglio (I want) can sound direct or demanding. In restaurants and shops, Italians prefer the conditional form vorrei (I would like). You will learn the conditional later, but vorrei is worth memorising now.

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Dovere — Must / To Have To

Full Conjugation

Subject Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
io	devo	I must / I have to
tu	devi	you must
lui / lei / Lei	deve	he/she must
noi	dobbiamo	we must
voi	dovete	you all must
loro	devono	they must

Key observation: The stem alternates between dev- (io, tu, lui/lei, loro) and dobb- (noi). The voi form (dovete) is regular. An alternative io form debbo and loro form debbono exist but are less common in modern Italian.

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Uses of Dovere

Usage	Example	Translation
Obligation	Devo studiare.	I must study.
Necessity	Devi mangiare.	You need to eat.
Logical deduction	Deve essere stanco.	He must be tired.
Owing money	Ti devo dieci euro.	I owe you ten euros.

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Modal Verbs + Infinitive

The core pattern for all three modal verbs is:

modal verb (conjugated) + infinitive (unchanged)