Il verbo "essere" (1)

Verb 'essere' (to Be) (1)

Let’s bring it all together! Here is a quick recap of the first three persons of essere (to be) in the present tense.
Both positive and negative forms are included below to show how simple it is to switch between them. Just keep these two rules in mind: non always comes right before the verb, and subject pronouns (like io, tu, lui/lei) are usually optional.

As we’ve seen, Italian is what’s called a "pro-drop" language, meaning we often leave out the subject pronoun. It isn’t necessary for comprehension because the verb ending already tells you exactly who is speaking — for example, "I am" can be io sono or simply sono.

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Now it’s time to see the verb essere in action with some common everyday expressions.

When using the verb followed by an adjective — like stanco (tired) — it is important to remember that the adjective must always agree with the gender and number of the person it describes.

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