{"id":69965,"date":"2018-07-18T20:16:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-19T00:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/essere-and-avere\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T11:26:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:26:25","slug":"essere-and-avere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/essere-and-avere\/","title":{"rendered":"Essere vs. Avere: When to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

As two of the most common\u2014and arguably most important\u2014verbs in the Italian language, essere<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0avere <\/em>are used in a wide variety of ways and serve as a grammatical aid in many situations.<\/p>\n

They’re commonly in their present tense form to mean “to be” (essere)<\/em> and “to have” (avere)<\/em>. But they’re also used to create compound tenses, such as the passato prossimo<\/em> (the present perfect tense) and the\u00a0trapassato prossimo\u00a0<\/em>(the past perfect tense).<\/p>\n

Finally, these two verbs can be used in idiomatic expressions<\/strong><\/a> that extend their functions beyond their basic translations.<\/p>\n

Let’s dive in a little deeper with these Italian verbs.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Conjugations of\u00a0Essere<\/em>\u00a0and Avere<\/em><\/h2>\n

While these two verbs end in -ere<\/em> (a regular verb ending), they are, in fact, irregular in the present tense<\/a>. Not to worry, though: once you learn them, they can be used practically everywhere!<\/p>\n

Check out their full conjugations in the present tense<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Essere\u00a0<\/em>in the Present Tense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io sono<\/strong> felice. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I am happy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu sei<\/strong> triste. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You are sad.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui \u00e8<\/strong> un avvocato. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He is a lawyer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei \u00e8<\/strong> italiana. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She is Italian.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi siamo<\/strong> in un ristorante. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We are in a restaurant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi siete<\/strong> francesi. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all are French.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro sono<\/strong> di Milano. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They are from Milan.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Avere\u00a0<\/em>in the Present Tense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io ho<\/strong>\u00a0un libro. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I have a book.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu hai<\/strong>\u00a0un esame? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Do you have an exam?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui ha<\/strong>\u00a0un po' di vino. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He has a little wine.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei ha<\/strong>\u00a0una forchetta. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She has a fork.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi abbiamo<\/strong>\u00a0qualcosa da dire. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We have something to say.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi avete<\/strong> dei fidanzati? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Do you all have boyfriends?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro hanno<\/strong> le chiavi. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They have the keys.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

In other tenses, conjugating essere\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0avere<\/em> is a little bit simpler to remember.\u00a0While both have irregular stems for other tenses such as imperfetto\u00a0<\/em>(imperfect) and\u00a0il futuro semplice<\/em> (future simple<\/a>), they follow the almost same conjugation patterns.<\/p>\n

For example, in the imperfect<\/a>,\u00a0avere<\/em> uses the stem\u00a0av- <\/em>and adds the regular\u00a0-ere<\/em> verb endings, but\u00a0essere<\/em> is completely irregular.\u00a0Check them out!<\/p>\n

Essere<\/em>\u00a0in the Imperfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io ero<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I was<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu eri<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui era<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He was<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei era<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She was<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi eravamo<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi eravate<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro erano<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Avere<\/em>\u00a0in the Imperfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io avevo<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu avevi<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui aveva<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei aveva<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi avevamo<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi avevate<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro avevano<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They had<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

In the future simple<\/a>, e<\/em>ssere<\/em> uses the stem\u00a0sar-,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0avere<\/em> uses the stem\u00a0avr-.<\/em> To these stems, regular conjugation endings are added.<\/p>\n

Essere<\/em>\u00a0in the Future Simple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io sar\u00f2<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu sarai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui sar\u00e0<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei sar\u00e0<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi saremo<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi sarete<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro saranno<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They will be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Avere\u00a0<\/em>in the Future Simple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io avr\u00f2<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu avrai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui avr\u00e0<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei avr\u00e0<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi avremo<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi avrete<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro avranno<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They will have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Aside from these two tenses, the same stems for the\u00a0futuro semplice<\/em>\u00a0are also used for the\u00a0condizionale\u00a0<\/em>moods (present and past)<\/a> as well as the futuro anteriore\u00a0<\/em>(the future perfect).<\/p>\n

As for other other Italian past tenses<\/a>, such as il passato prossimo<\/em> (the present perfect), essere<\/em> and avere<\/em> have irregular past participles: essere<\/em>\u00a0uses stato<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>and avere<\/em> uses avuto<\/strong>.<\/em>\u00a0Both of these verbs take\u00a0avere<\/em> as an auxiliary in compound tenses.<\/p>\n

Finally, in the\u00a0congiuntivo\u00a0<\/em>(subjunctive), both verbs are highly irregular\u2014but that is a subject for another post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When to Use\u00a0Essere<\/em><\/h2>\n

Outside of its simple meaning and use in compound tenses,\u00a0essere<\/em>\u00a0is also used in fixed expressions.<\/p>\n

It can be used to describe emotions<\/a> such as anger, happiness, boredom, sadness or worry.\u00a0It can also be used in idiomatic expressions to describe lateness, stubbornness and tiredness.<\/p>\n

Check out these examples:<\/p>\n

Mi scusi: sono<\/strong> in ritardo. <\/em>(Excuse me: I am late.)<\/p>\n

Mia sorella \u00e8<\/strong> molta testarda. <\/em>(My sister is very stubborn.)<\/p>\n

Loro non sono <\/strong>stanchi.<\/em> (They are not tired.)<\/p>\n

Note: contrary to what our English brains might assume,\u00a0essere<\/em> is not used to answer the question “come stai?”<\/em>\u00a0(“how are you?”<\/a>). Instead, the verb stare<\/a><\/em> is used for that:<\/p>\n

Come stai?<\/strong> Bene, grazie!<\/em> (How are you? Good, thanks<\/a>!)<\/p>\n

Further, essere\u00a0<\/em>is also used as a linking verb that connects subjects with adjectives<\/a> (description words).\u00a0When used like this, the adjective must agree in gender<\/a> and number with the subject.<\/p>\n

For example, in the sentence “the bottle is white” (“la bottiglia \u00e8 bianca”),<\/em> the word “white”<\/a> is in its feminine form bianca<\/em> to agree with the feminine word bottiglia<\/em> (bottle) instead of its masculine form bianco<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lastly, c’\u00e8\u00a0<\/em>(there is) and ci sono<\/em>\u00a0(there are) are also fixed expressions in Italian.<\/p>\n

When to Use\u00a0Avere<\/em><\/h2>\n

Avere<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>is, of course, used to mean “to have,” but it is also used as an auxiliary for a compound tense (do not worry, we will explain that soon).<\/p>\n

It is also used with very specific expressions, like to express age, hunger and thirst:<\/p>\n

Maria ha<\/strong> 3 anni.<\/em> (Maria is 3 years old.)<\/p>\n

Io non ho<\/strong> fame. <\/em>(I am not hungry.)<\/p>\n

Luigi ha<\/strong> sete.<\/em> (Luigi is thirsty.)<\/p>\n

Further, avere<\/em>\u00a0is used in the expressions “to be in a hurry,” “to be afraid of,” “to need,” “to be sleepy,”<\/a> “to feel like” and “to deal with.” Take a look at them:<\/p>\n

Io ho<\/strong> fretta. <\/em>(I am in a hurry.)<\/p>\n

Mio figlio ha<\/strong> paura di questo film. <\/em>(My son is afraid of that movie.)<\/p>\n

Maria ha<\/strong> bisogno di una penna. <\/em>(Maria needs a pen.)<\/p>\n

Noi non abbiamo<\/strong> sonno. <\/em>(We are not sleepy.)<\/p>\n

Loro hanno<\/strong> voglia di andare. <\/em>(They feel like going.)<\/p>\n

Luigi ha<\/strong> a che fare con dei problemi ultimamente. <\/em>(Luigi has been dealing with some problems lately.)<\/p>\n

Essere<\/em> and Avere\u00a0<\/em>in Compound Tenses<\/h2>\n

As we mentioned earlier, both\u00a0a<\/em>vere<\/em> and essere\u00a0<\/em>are also used as helper verbs (also known as “auxiliary verbs”) in compound tenses.<\/p>\n

Common compound tenses<\/a> include the\u00a0passato prossimo <\/em>(present perfect),\u00a0trapassato prossimo <\/em>(past perfect), <\/em>futuro anteriore <\/em>(future perfect),\u00a0congiuntivo passato\u00a0<\/em>(past subjunctive) and\u00a0condizionale passato\u00a0<\/em>(past conditional).<\/p>\n

Essere\u00a0<\/em>as an Auxiliary<\/h3>\n

While avere<\/em> acts as an auxiliary for a vast majority of Italian verbs, there is a select group of verbs that conjugate with\u00a0essere\u00a0<\/em>in compound tenses.<\/p>\n

These verbs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Arrivare<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To arrive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Andare<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To go <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uscire<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To go out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Entrare<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To enter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Venire<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To come<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Essere<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Partire<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To leave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stare<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To stay, to be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sparire<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To disappear<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tornare<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To come back\/return<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nascere<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To be born<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Morire<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To die<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rimanere<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To remain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

If you are familiar with French, you will notice that some of these verbs are the same DR MRS VANDERTRAMP\u00a0<\/em>verbs<\/a> that take \u00eatre<\/em><\/a> (to be) in the past tense.<\/p>\n

Here are a few more examples:<\/p>\n

Sono<\/strong> arrivato alle tre. <\/em>(I arrived at three o’clock.)<\/p>\n

Lui \u00e8<\/strong> tornato a casa. <\/em>(He returned to the house.)<\/p>\n

In addition to the above-mentioned verbs, reflexive verbs also take\u00a0essere<\/em>\u00a0as their auxiliary. Reflexive verbs<\/a> are those with a -si<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in their infinitive such as lavarsi<\/em> (to wash oneself) or mettersi<\/em>\u00a0(to put on clothes).<\/p>\n

Io mi sono<\/strong> lavato. <\/em>(I washed myself.)<\/p>\n

Loro si sono<\/strong> vestiti. <\/em>(They got dressed.)<\/p>\n

Avere<\/em> as an Auxiliary<\/h3>\n

In the compound tenses,\u00a0avere<\/em> is used as the auxiliary for most verbs.\u00a0These are verbs that generally take a direct<\/a> or indirect object<\/a> (which is another noun that follows the verb).<\/p>\n

In these cases, avere<\/em> is conjugated in its desired tense, and then the past participle is added.<\/p>\n

Verbs that use avere<\/em> include mangiare\u00a0<\/em>(to eat) and leggere<\/em>\u00a0(to read).\u00a0Let’s check out their conjugations in the\u00a0passato prossimo<\/em> (the present perfect):<\/p>\n

Mangiare<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(to eat) in the Present Perfect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io ho<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu hai<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui ha<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei ha<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi abbiamo<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi avete<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro hanno<\/strong> mangiato <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They ate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Leggere<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(to read) in the Present Perfect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Italian<\/strong><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Io ho<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu hai<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lui ha<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lei ha<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>She read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Noi abbiamo<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voi avete<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You all read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loro hanno<\/strong> letto <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>They read<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Agreement with\u00a0Essere<\/em><\/h3>\n

One last thing: when using\u00a0essere<\/em>\u00a0as an auxiliary, the past participle must agree with the gender and number of the subject.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That means that the\u00a0-o<\/em>\u00a0changes to an -a<\/em>\u00a0for past participles of feminine, singular subjects, to an -i<\/em>\u00a0for past participles of masculine, plural subjects and to an -e<\/em>\u00a0for past participles of feminine, plural subjects.<\/p>\n

Io mi sono<\/strong> lavato.<\/strong> <\/em>(I [masculine, singular] washed myself.)<\/p>\n

Io mi sono<\/strong> lavata.<\/strong> <\/em>(I [feminine, singular] washed myself.)<\/p>\n

Loro si sono<\/strong> lavati<\/b>.<\/strong> <\/em>(They [masculine, plural] washed themselves.)<\/p>\n

Loro si sono<\/strong> lavate<\/b>.<\/strong> <\/em>(They [feminine, plural] washed themselves.)<\/p>\n

But be careful! This agreement happens only<\/strong> with\u00a0essere <\/em>and not with verbs that use\u00a0avere\u00a0<\/em>as an auxiliary.<\/p>\n

Practice Using\u00a0Essere and Avere<\/em><\/h2>\n

That is a lot to take in, isn’t it? Well, lucky for you, there are loads of places to practice!<\/p>\n

You can start off by practicing the conjugations of essere\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0avere<\/em> in their present tenses on To Learn Free<\/a> and Il Tavolo Italiano<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next, look at essere<\/em> on its own for some enhanced practice of this important verb with exercises from\u00a0To Learn Free<\/a> and Pro Profs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You’ll also need to practice the\u00a0passato prossimo<\/em><\/a> with\u00a0<\/em>these two auxiliaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Round things off by seeing essere <\/em>and avere <\/em>being used in context by native speakers<\/strong>. One way to do this online is with authentic videos, like the ones on FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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