This 12-page reference covers more of the Italian verb system than most short guides. Alongside the present, passato prossimo, imperfetto, and future, it includes the trapassato prossimo, the futuro anteriore, the imperative, and a section on modal verbs, with full conjugation tables for model verbs and example sentences translated into English.

It works best as a map of the system for learners who can already handle the present tense and want to see how the other tenses fit together.

Two ways to classify a verb

The first section groups verbs in two complementary ways. By ending, there are three conjugations: -are (parlare), -ere (credere), and -ire, which splits into verbs like sentire and verbs like finire that add -isc- in some forms. By function, the guide separates auxiliaries (essere, avere), modals (dovere, potere, volere), reflexive verbs (alzarsi, lavarsi), and impersonal verbs used only in the third person (piovere, nevicare, bisognare).

Tenses and moods covered

Section	Forms	Example from the guide
Present	four regular models and six key irregulars	vado, faccio, sto, do, so, esco
Past	passato prossimo, imperfetto, trapassato prossimo	Avevo già mangiato quando sono arrivato
Future	futuro semplice, futuro anteriore	Avrò finito il lavoro prima che tu arrivi
Conditional	condizionale presente	Vorrei un caffè, per favore
Subjunctive	congiuntivo presente	Voglio che tu studi
Imperative	positive and negative commands	Parla più forte! / Non parlare!

The present tense tables are complete for all six persons, which makes them useful for checking an ending quickly.

Essere or avere in the past

The passato prossimo section gives the working rule that English speakers need most: avere goes with transitive verbs (Hanno lavorato tutto il giorno), while essere goes with verbs of movement and with reflexive verbs (È arrivata tardi, Si sono divertiti). With essere, the participle agrees with the subject, a point the guide lists among the most common mistakes.

Patterns hidden in the tables

Some useful regularities appear in the tables without being spelled out:

In the future and conditional, -are verbs change their vowel: parlare becomes parlerò and parlerei.
The conditional is built on the same stem as the future (parlerò, parlerei), so the irregular futures listed in section 4 (sarò, andrò, verrò) also give you sarei, andrei, and verrei.
The negative tu command is non + infinitive (Non parlare!), while the other persons simply add non.
In the present subjunctive, io, tu, and lui/lei share one form (parli, creda, senta), which is why Italian often keeps the subject pronoun there: che tu parli.

Practice built on the three exercises

The exercises cover present conjugation, choosing essere or avere, and changing present sentences into the passato prossimo. There is no answer key, so check your work against the tables:

For partire, decide first whether it is a sentire-type or a finire-type verb.
In the auxiliary exercise, ask whether the verb has a direct object. Andare does not, so it takes essere and the participle agrees: siamo andati.
When transforming Vai al mercato, remember that the participle must match the subject: sei andato or sei andata.

What is not included

The guide does not cover the passato remoto, the imperfect and past subjunctive, or the past conditional, although forms such as se avessi tempo and prima che io arrivassi appear in the examples. There is also no list of irregular past participles, which you will need as soon as you use verbs like fare, dire, or prendere in the past.

Italian Verbs Book