Italian grammar · Beginner
Italian Modal Verbs
Italian modal verbs (i verbi modali) are dovere (to have to, must), potere (can, may), and volere (to want), plus sapere when it means to know how to. They are followed directly by an infinitive, with no preposition: devo lavorare, posso venire. All four are irregular in the present tense, and in compound tenses they usually take the auxiliary of the infinitive that follows.
Devo partire presto, ma posso restare ancora un'ora.
I have to leave early, but I can stay another hour.
What it is
English modals such as must, can, and may have a single form and no past participle. Italian modals are full verbs: they change for person (devo, devi, deve), they have every tense, and they have a past participle (dovuto, potuto, voluto). The main difficulty is the past. In the passato prossimo, a modal usually borrows the auxiliary of the next verb: ho dovuto lavorare, but sono dovuto partire.
Devo studiare. (I have to study.) Posso entrare? (May I come in?) Voglio imparare. (I want to learn.) So nuotare. (I can swim.)
How to spot it
Look for a form of dovere, potere, volere, or sapere followed directly by an infinitive.
- Devo finire questo lavoro. (I have to finish this work.)
- Posso entrare? (May I come in?)
- Vuoi venire con noi? (Do you want to come with us?)
- Sai guidare? (Can you drive?)
English can covers two Italian verbs. Potere means you are able or allowed to now. Sapere means you have learned the skill.
Modal Verbs Quick Reference
The modal verbs in the present tense
| Subject | dovere (must, have to) | potere (can, may) | volere (to want) | sapere (to know how to) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | devo | posso | voglio | so |
| tu | devi | puoi | vuoi | sai |
| lui / lei / Lei | deve | può | vuole | sa |
| noi | dobbiamo | possiamo | vogliamo | sappiamo |
| voi | dovete | potete | volete | sapete |
| loro | devono | possono | vogliono | sanno |
Common Modal Verbs Examples in Italian
Italian modal verbs in real sentences:
Obligation: Dovere
- Devo finire questo lavoro entro venerdì.
- I have to finish this work by Friday.
- Dovresti riposarti un po'.
- You should rest a little.
Devo means I must or I have to. The conditional dovrei means I should.
Ability and Permission: Potere and Sapere
- Posso entrare?
- May I come in?
- Non possiamo venire stasera.
- We can't come tonight.
- Mia figlia sa già leggere.
- My daughter can already read.
Reading is a learned skill, so it takes sapere. Coming tonight depends on circumstances, so it takes potere.
Wanting: Volere
- Vuoi venire con noi?
- Do you want to come with us?
- Vorrei parlare con il direttore.
- I'd like to speak with the manager.
Vorrei is the polite form for requests. Voglio can sound demanding when you ask for something.
In the Past
- Ho dovuto prendere un taxi.
- I had to take a taxi.
- Siamo voluti restare fino alla fine.
- We wanted to stay until the end.
- Non sono potuta venire.
- I couldn't come.
Prendere takes avere, so ho dovuto. Restare and venire take essere, so siamo voluti and sono potuta.
How Italian Modal Verbs Work
A direct infinitive, two places for pronouns, and an auxiliary that depends on the next verb.
The Infinitive Follows Directly
A modal verb takes the infinitive with no preposition. English has to and want to, but Italian has no word for to here.
Possiamo parlare un momento?
Can we talk for a moment?
devo andare, voglio andare (never voglio di andare).
Potere vs Sapere
Use sapere for a skill you have learned, such as swimming, cooking, or speaking a language. Use potere when something makes an action possible or allowed at a given moment.
So nuotare, ma oggi non posso.
I can swim, but I can't today.
sapere = know how to; potere = be able or allowed to.
Vorrei Is the Polite Form of Volere
The conditional vorrei (I would like) is the normal way to ask for something in a shop, a bar, or a restaurant.
Vorrei prenotare un tavolo per due.
I'd like to book a table for two.
Vorrei is more polite than voglio.
The Auxiliary Comes From the Infinitive
In compound tenses, a modal usually takes the auxiliary of the infinitive that follows. With essere, the participle of the modal agrees with the subject. Many speakers also use avere in every case (ho dovuto partire), and this is accepted, but the essere form is the careful standard.
Non sono potuto venire perché ero malato.
I couldn't come because I was ill.
ho dovuto lavorare; sono dovuto partire.
Pronouns Go Before the Modal or Attach to the Infinitive
Object and reflexive pronouns can go before the modal verb or attach to the end of the infinitive. Both positions are correct and mean the same thing.
Posso aiutarti?
Can I help you?
Posso aiutarti? = Ti posso aiutare?
With Reflexive Verbs, the Pronoun Decides the Auxiliary
With a reflexive infinitive in a compound tense, the auxiliary depends on where the pronoun goes. Before the modal, use essere. Attached to the infinitive, use avere.
Mi sono dovuta alzare presto.
I had to get up early.
Ho dovuto alzarmi presto is also correct.
Common Mistakes with Modal Verbs
Incorrect: Voglio di imparare l'italiano. (I want to learn Italian.)
Correct: Voglio imparare l'italiano. (I want to learn Italian.)
English needs to before the second verb. Italian modals take the infinitive directly, with no preposition.
Incorrect: Posso nuotare molto bene. (I can swim very well.)
Correct: So nuotare molto bene. (I can swim very well.)
Swimming is a learned skill, so Italian uses sapere. Posso nuotare means that you are allowed to swim or that nothing stops you now.
Incorrect: Lo devo farlo. (I have to do it.)
Correct: Lo devo fare. (I have to do it.)
The pronoun goes in one place only: before the modal (lo devo fare) or attached to the infinitive (devo farlo), never in both.
Incorrect: Puoi aiutarmi, signora? (Can you help me, madam?)
Correct: Può aiutarmi, signora? (Can you help me, madam?)
To a stranger you address as Lei, use the third-person form può, not the tu form puoi.
Italian Modal Verbs in the Conditional and the Past
The conditional of dovere, potere, and volere gives you should, could, and would like. The passato prossimo shows how the auxiliary follows the infinitive.
The Conditional: Should, Could, Would Like
These forms soften a statement or a request. They are among the most frequent forms in spoken Italian.
| Pronoun | dovere (should) | potere (could) | volere (would like) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | dovrei | potrei | vorrei |
| tu | dovresti | potresti | vorresti |
| lui / lei / Lei | dovrebbe | potrebbe | vorrebbe |
| noi | dovremmo | potremmo | vorremmo |
| voi | dovreste | potreste | vorreste |
| loro | dovrebbero | potrebbero | vorrebbero |
Potrebbe also means it might: potrebbe piovere, it might rain.
The Passato Prossimo: Avere or Essere
Mangiare takes avere, so dovere takes avere. Partire takes essere, so dovere takes essere and its participle agrees with the subject.
| Pronoun | dovere + mangiare (avere) | dovere + partire (essere) |
|---|---|---|
| io | ho dovuto mangiare | sono dovuto / dovuta partire |
| tu | hai dovuto mangiare | sei dovuto / dovuta partire |
| lui / lei / Lei | ha dovuto mangiare | è dovuto / dovuta partire |
| noi | abbiamo dovuto mangiare | siamo dovuti / dovute partire |
| voi | avete dovuto mangiare | siete dovuti / dovute partire |
| loro | hanno dovuto mangiare | sono dovuti / dovute partire |
Potere and volere follow the same pattern: ho potuto mangiare, sono potuto partire; ho voluto mangiare, sono voluto partire.
Other Meanings of Dovere and Potere
The modal verbs have uses beyond obligation and ability. Two of them are very common in conversation.
Dovere for probability: must be
Like English must, dovere can express a logical guess about the present.
- Marco deve essere a casa, la luce è accesa.
- Marco must be at home, the light is on.
- Dev'essere difficile.
- It must be hard.
Deve essere often shortens to dev'essere in speech and writing.
Dovere without an infinitive: to owe
With a noun instead of an infinitive, dovere means to owe.
- Quanto Le devo?
- How much do I owe you?
- Ti devo un favore.
- I owe you a favour.
Quanto Le devo? is the polite way to ask for the bill in a shop or from a tradesman.
Riuscire a: to manage to
For can in the sense of succeeding after an effort, Italian often uses riuscire a + infinitive instead of potere.
- Non riesco a dormire.
- I can't sleep.
- Sei riuscito a trovare casa?
- Did you manage to find a place to live?
Riuscire takes essere in compound tenses: sono riuscito.
Quick Check: Modal Verbs
Give the correct form of the modal verb in brackets.
1. (dovere) Noi ___ partire alle sei.
Answer: dobbiamo
Dovere is irregular: devo, devi, deve, dobbiamo, dovete, devono.
2. (potere) ___ aprire la finestra, Luca?
Answer: Puoi
Luca is addressed as tu.
3. (volere) Loro non ___ mangiare il pesce.
Answer: vogliono
Volere is irregular: voglio, vuoi, vuole, vogliamo, volete, vogliono.
4. (sapere) Tu ___ cucinare?
Answer: sai
Cooking is a skill, so it takes sapere.
5. (dovere, passato prossimo) Ieri Anna ___ partire presto.
Answer: è dovuta partire
Partire takes essere, so the modal takes essere and agrees with Anna. Ha dovuto partire is also accepted.
Modal Verbs FAQs
- What are the modal verbs in Italian?
- Dovere (must, to have to), potere (can, may), and volere (to want). Sapere counts as a modal when it means to know how to, as in so nuotare. All four are followed directly by an infinitive without a preposition.
- Do Italian modal verbs take avere or essere in the past?
- They usually take the auxiliary of the infinitive that follows. Ho dovuto lavorare, because lavorare takes avere. Sono dovuto partire, because partire takes essere. Ho dovuto partire is also widely accepted, but the essere form is the careful standard.
- What is the difference between potere and sapere?
- Sapere means to know how to do something you have learned: so guidare, I can drive. Potere means that you are able or allowed to do something in a given situation: oggi non posso guidare, I can't drive today.
- How do you say should and could in Italian?
- Use the conditional of dovere and potere: dovrei (I should), potrei (I could). For the past, use the past conditional: avrei dovuto (I should have), avrei potuto (I could have).
- Where do pronouns go with Italian modal verbs?
- Before the modal verb or attached to the infinitive: ti posso aiutare or posso aiutarti. Both are correct. With reflexive verbs in compound tenses, the position changes the auxiliary: mi sono dovuto alzare, but ho dovuto alzarmi.