16.2.1. Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
To conjugate verbs, remove the ending of the infinitive and replace it with the conjugation that corresponds to the correct subject.
For example, observe the first-person singular conjugation of the verb "cantare" [to sing].
Cantare ➜ Cant- ➜ Canto. = I sing.
Note that personal pronouns are almost always omitted before conjugated verbs. This is because the conjugation of the verb already communicates the subject of the sentence.
| PRONOUN | -ARE | -ERE | -IRE |
|---|
| Èo | -o | -o | -o |
| Tu | -as | -es | -es |
| Elle / Ella | -a | -e | -e |
| Nós / Nosaltros / Nosaltras | -amos | -emos | -imos |
| Vós / Vosaltros / Vosaltras | -ates | -etes | -ites |
| Ellos / Ellas | -an | -en | -en |
| PRONOUN | Parlare [To speak] | Apprèndere [To learn] | Partire [To depart] |
|---|
| Èo | Parlo | Apprèndo | Parto |
| Tu | Parlas | Apprèndes | Partes |
| Elle / Ella | Parla | Apprènde | Parte |
| Nós / Nosaltros / Nosaltras | Parlamos | Apprèndemos | Partimos |
| Vós / Vosaltros / Vosaltras | Parlates | Apprèndetes | Partites |
| Ellos / Ellas | Parlan | Apprènden | Parten |
Notice the following information:
- The first-person singular conjugation is the same for all three types of the infinitive.
- For verbs that end in -ere and -ire, notice that the conjugations are only different for the first-person plural (--emos and -imos respectively) and the second-person plural (-etes and -ites respectively). Apart from these, infinitives with -ere or -ire have the same conjugations for the pretense tense.
16.2.2. Uses of the Present Tense
- Facts, Descriptions and General Current Situations
| |
|---|
| La hèrba èst verde. | Grass is green. |
| Hai doos fratres. | I have two brothers. |
| Vivo ad Roma. | I live in Rome. |
- Ongoing Actions
| |
|---|
| Miran la televisione. / Estàn mirando la televisione. | They are watching the television. |
| Actualmente lègîo un libro. / Actualmente estao legèndo un libro. | I am currently reading a book. |
- Continuous or Habitual Actions
| |
|---|
| Normalmente, vado ad casa immediatamente depòs de lo trepallîo. | Normally, I go home immediately after work. |
| Non mangîo la carne. | I do not eat meat. |
| Lo sàbato, vado ad lo parche. | On Saturdays, I go to the park. |
- Actions in the Near Future
| |
|---|
| Te envio un messagge. / Te enviarai un messagge. | I will send you a message. |
| Demane ne parlamos. / Demane ne parlaremos. | We will talk about it tomorrow. |
| Torno súbito. / Tornarai súbito. | I will be right back. |
- To Indicate the Duration of an Action in Progress
| |
|---|
| Vivo ad Barcelona dès de (face) 5 [cinque] annos. | I have been living in Barcelona for 5 [five] years. (Literally: I live in Barcelona since five years ago.) |
- Asking Questions
| |
|---|
| Vamos ad lo musèo? | Shall we go to the museum? |
| Me passas lo sale? | Can you pass me the salt? |
| Pago acora aut plus tarde? | Do I pay now or later? |