10 Italian Verb Conjugation Practice Resources to Turn Elephants into Flies
Far d’una mosca un elefante is an Italian saying that means “to make an elephant out of a fly.”
This proverb refers to our tendency to make a huge deal out of a minor issue. This sums up how many Italian language learners approach the subject of verb conjugation.
But honestly? All you need are some basic rules, a bit of patience and some excellent resources to help you practice Italian verb conjugation.
Lucky for you, there are tons of practice resources out there, and some of them take conjugating verbs to an almost game-like level.
Contents
- How Can You Practice Italian Verb Conjugation?
- 10 Italian Verb Conjugation Practice Resources to Turn Elephants into Flies
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
How Can You Practice Italian Verb Conjugation?
Verb conjugation is the practice of changing a verb (the action word in a sentence) to reflect when the action occurs, who’s doing the action, whether the action is factual, transitive or metaphorical and more!
When you conjugate an Italian verb, the stem remains the same but its ending (-are, -ere and -ire in Italian) changes.
Italian also has a few irregular verbs—though fortunately, there aren’t too many!—that require learners to memorize some exceptions to the conjugation rules.
This part of Italian language learning is actually almost stress-free if you remember a few hints to master verb conjugation.
- Nail down a few familiar verbs to grasp the unfamiliar. In other words, learn a couple of verbs and carry what you learned across to your future learning.
- Bite the bullet and learn the irregular verbs. Many verbs become irregular through heavy use, which means that a lot of the irregular verbs in Italian are the ones that are most commonly used.
- Practice conjugation in your head all the time. Let it become a habit to translate what you’re doing and conjugate the verbs properly.
- An old-school hint is to carry verb note-cards with you. Making your own flashcards is easy! Write the verb on one side and the conjugations on the other. It’s a portable tool that means you can study anywhere. I do this and it really helps!
- Hearing verbs used in authentic resources like FluentU is also a great way to see conjugation in action.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
The immersive, entertaining content makes grammar concepts like verb conjugation much more memorable.
10 Italian Verb Conjugation Practice Resources to Turn Elephants into Flies
Il Tavolo Italiano
The online video lessons in this resource make conjugating verbs a snap. Every point of the process is presented in detail and topics include irregular verbs, verb stems as well as tons of examples of regular verb conjugation.
Watch the videos to learn the fine art of Italian verbs. Then, use the printable practice sheets that are included to perfect your conjugating skills!
SchoLINGUA
This is an incredible online spot for practicing Italian verb conjugation. There are thousands—yes, thousands!—of Italian verbs in their conjugation table database. Select any verb and get the verb forms. It’s that easy! You can even call up random verbs for more general practice.
You can choose from three methods of learning with this “conjugation trainer”: a structured mode which asks you to enter all the conjugations for a single word in one go, a random mode that asks for one conjugation at a time and a concentration game that makes conjugation fun.
If you get something wrong, you’re given the correct answer, making it easy to learn from your mistakes!
Memrise: Learn Italian Conjugation
Memrise offers tons of free lessons with a focus on vocabulary building through spaced repetition. One of these lessons is all about verbs and how to conjugate them.
An informative video explains the differences between verbs and shows how to conjugate each type. It also touches on irregular verbs, so this is a great place to take notes and learn the fundamentals.
Verbs are divided by levels of difficulty, with each level highlighting different tenses and verbs. Choose any level to learn the verbs and their meaning as well as practice picking out the correct tenses.
Verbix
Verbix provides an online Italian verb conjugator. It’s a valuable resource for anyone stuck on a verb conjugation! Simply search for the verb to get its conjugation in every single tense and mood.
In addition to the conjugator, there are notes about conjugating Italian verbs as well as tips on getting the task done.
There’s also an audio option which makes pronunciation practice practically effortless. Follow the audio to speak like a native Italian!
Use the English-to-Italian verb translator to translate, then conjugate, any verb. It’s a super way to check homework, make flashcards for additional practice or to just learn the different forms of any verb.
Verbi-italiani.info
This resource has a vast amount of information about Italian verbs and how to properly use them. Once you’ve learned a bit about tenses and moods, test your skill at the conjugation drills and practice conjugating over 1,000 verbs!
If you’re feeling especially confident in this skill, there’s a random verb form trainer “for the brave” which adds an element of challenge to the task.
Conjuguemos
Conjuguemos is an online resource that specializes in verb conjugation. There’s so much material available on this site that you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time browsing, learning and conjugating.
Fortunately, everything is clearly organized so it’s easy to find a particular verb. There are graded practice options and educational games you can play online—all created by professional language teachers.
Additionally, this resource provides downloadable reference materials and printable practice options so you can take your conjugating on the go!
ToLearnFree.com
Worksheets have been around for ages and there’s a reason for that: Worksheets work! They’re excellent for practicing so many skills, including verb conjugation.
This website has many options to practice online, but you can also print any worksheet for on-the-go practice.
The content here is created by regular people so it can be flawed, but for the most part, these quizzes are excellent and accurate.
You can see how difficult a test is by checking how many stars it has or seeing the average grade people received to get a general idea of the level of challenge it poses.
Italiano-Online.de
The worksheets here are presented in downloadable document form (answers are in a second, corresponding download) and are so well-written that they’re both interesting and educational.
Fill in the proper verb form to complete a chatty, newsy letter, a dialogue, a straightforward verb table and more. The variety of worksheets keeps this learning adventure moving along and presents the verbs in a more authentic context than simply conjugating words in isolation.
Learn Italian Verb Conjugation
We’re a mobile society and most of us wouldn’t dream of leaving home without our phones.
So how can you practice on the run? A verb conjugation app, of course! This app for iOS features over 900 verbs and makes conjugation practice possible anytime, anywhere.
The app also contains an Italian dictionary, pronunciation feature and tests to gauge verb conjugation progress and proficiency.
Italian Verb Trainer
The Italian Verb Trainer app for Android is an Italian learner’s best friend.
It might not look as slick as the iOS app, but it boasts many useful features: It includes tons of verbs, works offline, is customizable to each learner’s skill level and makes the most common verb conjugations available without having to search for them.
It’s a well-rounded learning tool for practicing verb conjugations wherever you are!
Verb conjugation doesn’t have to be a drag.
And there’s definitely no need to turn a molehill into a mountain or a fly into an elephant!
Use these fabulous Italian resources and become an expert in this necessary skill. With enough practice, you’ll be conjugating like a native Italian in no time!
Have fun—and good luck!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
