The two verbs everything builds on
Essere (to be) and avere (to have) are the most frequent verbs in the language, and later they become the engines of the past tense. Learn them cold now.
Both verbs are irregular, so the present-tense table is pure memorisation. The payoff is enormous: descriptions, origins, possession, age and the whole passato prossimo all run through these twelve forms.
| Person | essere (to be) | avere (to have) |
|---|---|---|
| io | sono | ho |
| tu | sei | hai |
| lui / lei | è | ha |
| noi | siamo | abbiamo |
| voi | siete | avete |
| loro | sono | hanno |
What essere covers
- Identity and profession: Sono insegnante. (I am a teacher.)
- Origin: Siamo di Napoli. (We are from Naples.)
- Description: Sei stanco? (Are you tired?)
- Location: Il libro è sul tavolo. (The book is on the table.)
| Sono di Napoli, ma vivo a Torino. | I am from Naples, but I live in Turin. |
| Siamo in ritardo per la riunione. | We are late for the meeting. essere in ritardo, a fixed phrase. |
Where Italian says 'have' and English says 'be'
A cluster of everyday states runs on avere in Italian. Age is the famous one: Ho vent'anni, literally 'I have twenty years'. Saying 'sono venti anni' for your age is a classic English-speaker error.
The same logic covers hunger, thirst, heat, cold, sleepiness, fear and being right or wrong. In each case Italian 'has' the noun: avere fame, avere sete, avere caldo, avere freddo, avere sonno, avere paura, avere ragione, avere torto.
| Ho vent'anni. | I am twenty years old. Age always uses avere. |
| Hai fame? C'è ancora pasta. | Are you hungry? There is still pasta. Literally 'do you have hunger'. |
| Abbiamo freddo in questo ufficio. | We are cold in this office. |
| Hanno paura del buio. | They are afraid of the dark. avere paura di + noun. |
If the state is something you feel in your body or mind (hunger, cold, fear, sleepiness), reach for avere. If it describes what you are (tall, Italian, tired), reach for essere.
C'è and ci sono
'There is' is c'è, and 'there are' is ci sono. The choice is purely singular versus plural, and both are built on essere.
In the negative, non goes first: Non c'è tempo. Non ci sono posti liberi.
| C'è un bar in piazza. | There is a cafe on the square. |
| Ci sono due treni per Roma stamattina. | There are two trains to Rome this morning. |
The silent h
Ho, hai, ha and hanno all start with a written h that is never pronounced. It exists on paper to distinguish these forms from words like o (or), ai (to the) and anno (year).
This means hanno and anno sound identical: /ˈanno/. Context does the work, exactly as it does for 'their' and 'there' in English.
Pronunciation corner
The avere forms hide a silent h, and essere's è carries an open vowel that deserves attention.
| è | /ɛ/ | eh, with an open mouth The grave accent distinguishes è (is) from e (and). |
| ho | /ɔ/ | aw, as in 'law' but short The h is completely silent. |
| hai | /ˈai/ | eye |
| abbiamo | /abˈbjamo/ | ahb-BYAH-moh Hold the double b a beat longer. |
| hanno | /ˈanno/ | AHN-noh Identical in sound to anno (year); the held nn is essential. |
Practice drill
Fill each blank with the correct present form of essere or avere, as the sentence requires.
Io ___ italiano.Show answer
sono
Tu ___ vent'anni.Show answer
haiAge takes avere.
Noi ___ stanchi dopo il viaggio.Show answer
siamo
Loro ___ fame.Show answer
hanno
Voi ___ di Milano?Show answer
siete
Lei ___ una sorella.Show answer
ha
___ un problema con il biglietto. (there is)Show answer
C'è
___ molti turisti a Venezia. (there are)Show answer
Ci sono
Frequently asked questions
Why does Italian use avere for age?
Italian treats age as something you possess: Ho trent'anni, literally 'I have thirty years'. Using essere for age is ungrammatical, so drill the avere pattern until it is automatic.
Is the h in ho, hai, ha, hanno ever pronounced?
No. Italian h is always silent. In these forms it exists only in writing, to separate them from o (or), ai (to the), a (to) and anno (year).
What is the difference between c'è and ci sono?
C'è introduces a singular noun (C'è un treno) and ci sono a plural one (Ci sono due treni). Both mean 'there is/are' and both come from essere.
Do essere and avere matter for the past tense?
Yes, enormously. The passato prossimo builds on the present of avere or essere plus a participle, so these twelve forms are the foundation of the entire past tense system.
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