What are the three infinitive endings in Italian?

Italian infinitives end in -are (parlare), -ere (vedere, leggere), or -ire (dormire, capire). A few common verbs have shortened infinitives, such as fare, dire, bere, porre, and tradurre, and they are irregular in several tenses.

How do you say to before a verb in Italian?

Usually you don't. The infinitive ending already means to: parlare is to speak. After many verbs, Italian adds di or a (decidere di, cominciare a), but these depend on the first verb, and after modal verbs there is no preposition at all.

Why does Italian use the infinitive where English uses -ing?

Italian uses the infinitive as a noun and after prepositions, while English uses -ing in both places. Swimming is fun becomes nuotare è divertente, and without saying becomes senza dire. The Italian gerund is not used in these positions.

What is the past infinitive in Italian?

It is avere or essere plus the past participle: aver mangiato, essere partito. It describes an action before the main verb, and it is required after dopo: dopo aver mangiato, after eating.

How do you make a negative command with the infinitive?

For tu, use non + infinitive: non parlare, non preoccuparti. This replaces the tu imperative in the negative. For Lei, noi, and voi, use the normal imperative form with non in front.

Italian grammar · Beginner

Italian Infinitive

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

The Italian infinitive (l'infinito) is the basic form of the verb, the one you find in the dictionary: parlare, vedere, dormire. It ends in -are, -ere, or -ire, and that ending tells you how the verb conjugates. Italian uses the infinitive after modal verbs, after prepositions, and as a noun, which covers many places where English uses to or -ing.

Prima di uscire, spegni la luce.

Before going out, turn off the light.

What it is

English marks the infinitive with to: to speak, to see. Italian marks it with the ending: parlare, vedere, dormire. Because the ending already does the job, Italian has no word for to in front of the infinitive. Sometimes a preposition such as di or a comes before it, but that depends on the verb that comes first, not on the infinitive itself.

Voglio parlare. (I want to speak.) Ho deciso di parlare. (I decided to speak.) Comincio a parlare. (I'm starting to speak.)

How to spot it

Look for a verb ending in -are, -ere, or -ire that does not change for the person. It usually follows another verb, a preposition, or stands at the start of the sentence as the subject.

Devo lavorare domani. (I have to work tomorrow.)
Viaggiare apre la mente. (Travelling broadens the mind.)
È uscito senza dire niente. (He left without saying anything.)
Non toccare! (Don't touch.)

Before a pronoun, the infinitive drops its final -e and the pronoun attaches: vedere + ti = vederti.

Infinitive Quick Reference

The three groups of Italian infinitives

Group	Ending	Examples	Notes
First conjugation	-are	parlare, mangiare, lavorare	The largest group. Almost all are regular.
Second conjugation	-ere	vedere, leggere, prendere	The stress moves: vedére, but lèggere and prèndere.
Third conjugation	-ire	dormire, partire, capire	Some add -isc- in the present: capisco.
Shortened forms	-rre, -re	tradurre, porre, bere, dire, fare	Shortened from older forms such as traducere, bevere, dicere, facere.

Common Infinitive Examples in Italian

The Italian infinitive in real sentences:

After Modal Verbs

Devo lavorare domani.: I have to work tomorrow.
Puoi aiutarmi?: Can you help me?
Vorrei prenotare un tavolo.: I'd like to book a table.

Dovere, potere, volere, and sapere take the infinitive directly, with no preposition.

After Prepositions

Prima di uscire, spegni la luce.: Before going out, turn off the light.
Dopo aver mangiato, facciamo una passeggiata.: After eating, we take a walk.
È uscito senza dire niente.: He left without saying anything.

English uses -ing after before, after, and without. Italian uses the infinitive.

As a Noun

Viaggiare apre la mente.: Travelling broadens the mind.
Mi piace leggere.: I like reading.

The infinitive can be the subject of a sentence. It counts as masculine singular.

Instructions and Signs

Agitare prima dell'uso.: Shake before use.
Non toccare!: Don't touch.

Labels, recipes, and signs use the infinitive for general instructions.

How the Italian Infinitive Works

The infinitive never changes for person, but the word before it decides whether you need di, a, or nothing.

Three Endings: -are, -ere, -ire

Every regular Italian verb belongs to one of three groups. Remove the ending to find the stem, and the group tells you which set of endings to add in each tense.

Imparare una lingua richiede tempo.

Learning a language takes time.

parl-are, cred-ere, dorm-ire.

No Preposition After Modal Verbs

After dovere, potere, volere, and sapere, the infinitive follows directly. The same is true after verbs such as preferire, piacere, desiderare, and amare.

Preferisco restare a casa.

I prefer to stay at home.

voglio andare, preferisco restare.

Di or A After Many Other Verbs

Many verbs need di or a before the infinitive. There is no rule that predicts which, so learn each verb with its preposition. Verbs of starting, learning, and helping often take a. Verbs of deciding, trying, and finishing often take di.

Ho deciso di restare e comincio a capire perché.

I've decided to stay, and I'm starting to understand why.

decidere di, finire di, cercare di; cominciare a, imparare a, aiutare a.

Prepositions Take the Infinitive, Not -ing

After prima di, senza, invece di, per, and other prepositions, Italian uses the infinitive. English uses the -ing form in the same place.

Grazie per avermi aiutato.

Thanks for helping me.

senza dire, prima di partire, invece di lavorare.

Pronouns Attach and the Final -e Drops

Object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, ci, and ne attach to the end of the infinitive, which loses its final -e. After a modal verb, the pronoun can also go before the modal.

Voglio vederti stasera.

I want to see you tonight.

Voglio vederti = Ti voglio vedere.

The Past Infinitive: Avere or Essere + Participle

For an action that happened before the main verb, use avere or essere and the past participle. The final -e of the auxiliary often drops: aver mangiato. With essere, the participle agrees with the subject.

Dopo essere arrivate, le ragazze hanno telefonato a casa.

After arriving, the girls called home.

dopo aver mangiato, dopo essere partiti.

Common Mistakes with Infinitive

Incorrect: Voglio di andare al mare. (I want to go to the seaside.)

Correct: Voglio andare al mare. (I want to go to the seaside.)

English to is not a separate word in Italian. Modal verbs such as volere take the infinitive directly.

Incorrect: Grazie per aiutandomi. (Thanks for helping me.)

Correct: Grazie per avermi aiutato. (Thanks for helping me.)

After a preposition, Italian uses the infinitive, not the gerund. For a finished action, use the past infinitive.

Incorrect: Non tocca! (Don't touch.)

Correct: Non toccare! (Don't touch.)

The negative command for tu is non + infinitive. Tocca is the affirmative form, and non tocca means he doesn't touch.

Incorrect: Lo voglio vederlo. (I want to see it.)

Correct: Voglio vederlo. (I want to see it.)

The pronoun goes in one place only: before the modal (lo voglio vedere) or attached to the infinitive (voglio vederlo), never both.

The Past Infinitive and the Infinitive With Pronouns

The infinitive itself does not change for the person, but the past infinitive with essere shows agreement, and attached pronouns change the end of the word.

After Dopo: The Past Infinitive

Dopo always takes the past infinitive. Use avere or essere as you would in the passato prossimo.

Pronoun	mangiare (avere)	partire (essere)
io	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partito / partita
tu	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partito / partita
lui / lei / Lei	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partito / partita
noi	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partiti / partite
voi	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partiti / partite
loro	dopo aver mangiato	dopo essere partiti / partite

Dopo avere mangiato and dopo esser partito are also correct. The short form aver is the most common in speech.

Infinitive + Object Pronoun

The infinitive drops its final -e and the pronoun joins it as one word.

Pronoun	vedere	chiamare	dire
mi	vedermi	chiamarmi	dirmi
ti	vederti	chiamarti	dirti
lo / la	vederlo / vederla	chiamarlo / chiamarla	dirlo / dirla
ci	vederci	chiamarci	dirci
vi	vedervi	chiamarvi	dirvi
li / le	vederli / vederle	chiamarli / chiamarle	dirli / dirle

Dirlo means to say it. Dirle can mean to say them (feminine) or to tell her.

The Infinitive as a Command

Italian uses the infinitive in two kinds of commands where English uses the imperative.

Negative commands to tu

To tell one person you address as tu not to do something, use non + the infinitive, not the tu imperative.

Non preoccuparti.: Don't worry.
Non dimenticare le chiavi.: Don't forget the keys.
Non dirlo a nessuno.: Don't tell anyone.

This rule applies only to tu. For voi, use the normal form: non preoccupatevi.

General instructions

Signs, recipes, labels, and forms use the infinitive for instructions to anyone who reads them.

Spingere.: Push.
Cuocere per dieci minuti.: Cook for ten minutes.
Compilare in stampatello.: Fill in using block capitals.

On doors you will see spingere (push) and tirare (pull).

Quick Check: Infinitive

Complete each sentence with the infinitive, a preposition, or a past infinitive.

1. Ho deciso ___ partire.

Answer: di

Decidere takes di before the infinitive.

2. Comincio ___ capire.

Answer: a

Cominciare takes a before the infinitive.

3. (alzarsi) Domani devo ___ presto.

Answer: alzarmi

The reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject: io → mi.

4. (preoccuparsi) Non ___, va tutto bene.

Answer: preoccuparti

Non + infinitive is the negative command for tu.

5. (arrivare) Dopo essere ___, le ragazze hanno telefonato a casa.

Answer: arrivate

With essere, the participle agrees with the subject.

Infinitive FAQs

What are the three infinitive endings in Italian?: Italian infinitives end in -are (parlare), -ere (vedere, leggere), or -ire (dormire, capire). A few common verbs have shortened infinitives, such as fare, dire, bere, porre, and tradurre, and they are irregular in several tenses.
How do you say to before a verb in Italian?: Usually you don't. The infinitive ending already means to: parlare is to speak. After many verbs, Italian adds di or a (decidere di, cominciare a), but these depend on the first verb, and after modal verbs there is no preposition at all.
Why does Italian use the infinitive where English uses -ing?: Italian uses the infinitive as a noun and after prepositions, while English uses -ing in both places. Swimming is fun becomes nuotare è divertente, and without saying becomes senza dire. The Italian gerund is not used in these positions.
What is the past infinitive in Italian?: It is avere or essere plus the past participle: aver mangiato, essere partito. It describes an action before the main verb, and it is required after dopo: dopo aver mangiato, after eating.
How do you make a negative command with the infinitive?: For tu, use non + infinitive: non parlare, non preoccuparti. This replaces the tu imperative in the negative. For Lei, noi, and voi, use the normal imperative form with non in front.