Congiuntivo Presente — Regular Verbs

Now that you understand why Italian uses the subjunctive, it's time to learn how to form it. In this lesson, we focus on the congiuntivo presente (present subjunctive) for the three regular verb conjugation groups: -are, -ere, and -ire.

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The Three Conjugation Groups

Italian verbs are classified by their infinitive endings:

Group	Infinitive Ending	Example Verb	Meaning
1st conjugation	-are	parlare	to speak
2nd conjugation	-ere	scrivere	to write
3rd conjugation	-ire	dormire	to sleep
3rd conjugation (-isc-)	-ire	capire	to understand

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Formation Rules

To form the congiuntivo presente, take the first person singular indicative (io form), drop the -o, and add the subjunctive endings.

Step-by-Step

1. Start with the io form of the present indicative: parlo, scrivo, dormo
2. Drop the -o: parl-, scriv-, dorm-
3. Add the subjunctive endings (see tables below)

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Conjugation Tables

1st Conjugation: -ARE (parlare — to speak)