When do you use the subjunctive in Italian?

Use it in a che clause after expressions of opinion (penso che), wish (voglio che, spero che), emotion (sono felice che), doubt (dubito che), and necessity or possibility (bisogna che, è possibile che). It also follows conjunctions such as benché, affinché, prima che, and senza che.

How do you form the present subjunctive in Italian?

-ARE verbs end in -i, -i, -i, -iamo, -iate, -ino (parli, parliamo, parlino). -ERE and -IRE verbs end in -a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano (venda, dorma, vendano). Many irregular verbs build it on the io form of the present: faccio becomes faccia, vengo becomes venga.

Do Italians still use the subjunctive?

Yes. It is standard in writing, in formal speech, and in most everyday speech too. Some speakers replace it with the indicative after penso che or credo che in casual conversation, but learners should use the subjunctive, because it is never wrong where it belongs.

Why is it spero di venire and not spero che io venga?

When the person who hopes and the person who comes are the same, Italian uses di plus the infinitive: spero di venire, I hope to come. The subjunctive is used only when the subjects are different: spero che tu venga, I hope you come.

How many subjunctive tenses does Italian have?

Four: the present (che io parli), the past (che io abbia parlato), the imperfect (che io parlassi), and the pluperfect (che io avessi parlato). The tense in the che clause depends on the tense of the main verb and on when the action happens.

Italian grammar · Intermediate

Italian Subjunctive

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

The Italian subjunctive (congiuntivo) is the verb mood for things seen through someone's opinion, wish, feeling, or doubt rather than stated as fact. This page covers the present subjunctive, which follows phrases such as penso che, spero che, and è importante che. English has almost lost its subjunctive, so where English says I think he is, Italian says penso che sia.

Spero che tu stia bene.

I hope you're well.

What it is

The indicative states facts: so che è vero (I know it's true). The subjunctive presents an idea as someone's view, hope, or feeling: penso che sia vero (I think it's true). In most cases it appears in a clause that starts with che, after a verb or phrase of opinion, wish, emotion, doubt, or necessity. The present subjunctive refers to the present or the future.

Credo che Marco abbia ragione. (I think Marco is right.) Credo che expresses an opinion, so the verb after it is subjunctive.

How to spot it

The present subjunctive swaps the typical vowel of the present tense. -ARE verbs, which have a in the present (parla), take i (parli). -ERE and -IRE verbs, which have e in the present (prende, dorme), take a (prenda, dorma).

Voglio che tu parli con lui. (I want you to talk to him.)
È meglio che prenda un taxi. (It's better if he takes a taxi.)
Spero che dormano bene. (I hope they sleep well.)
Penso che sia tardi. (I think it's late. (essere: sia))

The io, tu, and lui / lei forms are identical, so Italian often keeps the subject pronoun in the subjunctive to make the meaning clear: penso che tu abbia ragione.

Subjunctive Quick Reference

Present subjunctive endings: -ARE verbs take -i; -ERE and -IRE verbs take -a

Subject	parlare (-ARE)	vendere (-ERE)	dormire (-IRE)	capire (-IRE, -isc-)
che io	parli	venda	dorma	capisca
che tu	parli	venda	dorma	capisca
che lui / lei / Lei	parli	venda	dorma	capisca
che noi	parliamo	vendiamo	dormiamo	capiamo
che voi	parliate	vendiate	dormiate	capiate
che loro	parlino	vendano	dormano	capiscano

Common Subjunctive Examples in Italian

The Italian present subjunctive in real sentences:

Opinions

Penso che Marco abbia ragione.: I think Marco is right.
Credo che il negozio sia chiuso.: I think the shop is closed.

Pensare, credere, and sembrare all present an opinion, not a fact.

Wishes and Hopes

Spero che tu stia bene.: I hope you're well.
Voglio che tu venga con me.: I want you to come with me.

English uses I want you to come; Italian needs a full che clause with the subjunctive.

Feelings

Sono contenta che siate qui.: I'm glad you're here. (female speaker, plural you)
Ho paura che piova domani.: I'm afraid it'll rain tomorrow.

After an emotion, the present subjunctive can refer to the future: piova here means it will rain.

Impersonal Phrases and Conjunctions

È importante che tu dorma bene.: It's important that you sleep well.
Esco, benché faccia freddo.: I'm going out, although it's cold.
Te lo spiego prima che tu parta.: I'll explain it to you before you leave.

Benché, sebbene, affinché, prima che, and senza che always take the subjunctive.

How the Present Subjunctive Works

A simple vowel swap for the forms, and a few families of phrases that trigger it.

Swap the Vowel

-ARE verbs take -i in the singular and -ino in the loro form. -ERE and -IRE verbs take -a and -ano. Verbs with -isc- in the present keep it in the same persons: capisca, capiscano.

È meglio che tu parli con la professoressa.

It's better if you talk to the teacher.

parla → parli; prende → prenda.

Noi Is the Same as the Present; Voi Ends in -iate

The noi form of the present subjunctive is identical to the present indicative: parliamo, vendiamo, dormiamo. The voi form adds -iate to the stem: parliate, vendiate, dormiate.

Bisogna che partiamo presto.

We need to leave early.

noi -iamo, voi -iate, for every verb.

Opinion, Wish, Feeling, Doubt, Necessity

The subjunctive follows che after verbs and phrases in these families: penso che, credo che, voglio che, spero che, sono contento che, ho paura che, dubito che, non sono sicuro che, bisogna che, è importante che, è possibile che.

Non sono sicuro che lui capisca.

I'm not sure he understands.

If it is not a plain fact, it is likely subjunctive.

Certain Conjunctions Always Take It

Benché and sebbene (although), affinché and perché in the sense of so that, prima che (before), senza che (without), purché (as long as), and a meno che (unless) are always followed by the subjunctive.

Ti lascio le chiavi affinché tu possa entrare.

I'm leaving you the keys so that you can get in.

benché, affinché, prima che, senza che.

Same Subject: Use the Infinitive

When the person in both clauses is the same, Italian does not use che and the subjunctive. It uses di plus the infinitive instead, or the bare infinitive after volere.

Spero di vederti presto.

I hope to see you soon.

spero che tu venga, but spero di venire.

Common Mistakes with Subjunctive

Incorrect: Penso che è vero. (I think it's true.)

Correct: Penso che sia vero. (I think it's true.)

Penso che expresses an opinion, so standard Italian uses the subjunctive. You will hear the indicative in casual speech, but in writing and careful speech it counts as an error.

Incorrect: Spero che io possa venire. (I hope I can come.)

Correct: Spero di poter venire. (I hope I can come.)

When the subject of both verbs is the same person, Italian uses di plus the infinitive. Che and the subjunctive are only for a different subject.

Incorrect: Voglio che tu vieni. (I want you to come.)

Correct: Voglio che tu venga. (I want you to come.)

After voglio che, the verb must be subjunctive. Venire builds its subjunctive on the io form vengo, so the form is venga.

Incorrect: So che sia vero. (I know it's true.)

Correct: So che è vero. (I know it's true.)

Sapere presents a fact, so it takes the indicative. Learners who have just learned the subjunctive often use it after every che.

Irregular Present Subjunctive Forms

Most irregular verbs build the present subjunctive from the io form of the present tense: faccio gives faccia, vengo gives venga, posso gives possa. Essere and avere are the main exceptions.

Essere, Avere, Andare, Fare

Note how andare returns to its regular stem in the noi and voi forms.

Pronoun	essere	avere	andare	fare
io	sia	abbia	vada	faccia
tu	sia	abbia	vada	faccia
lui / lei / Lei	sia	abbia	vada	faccia
noi	siamo	abbiamo	andiamo	facciamo
voi	siate	abbiate	andiate	facciate
loro	siano	abbiano	vadano	facciano

Stare (stia) and dare (dia) follow the same pattern as essere: stia, stiamo, stiate, stiano.

Potere, Volere, Venire, Dire

These four take their stem from the io form of the present: posso, voglio, vengo, dico.

Pronoun	potere	volere	venire	dire
io	possa	voglia	venga	dica
tu	possa	voglia	venga	dica
lui / lei / Lei	possa	voglia	venga	dica
noi	possiamo	vogliamo	veniamo	diciamo
voi	possiate	vogliate	veniate	diciate
loro	possano	vogliano	vengano	dicano

Uscire (esca), sapere (sappia), and dovere (debba) are also worth learning early.

Where the Subjunctive Does Not Go, and Where It Surprises You

Two edges of the rule: facts that stay in the indicative, and the formal command that is really a subjunctive.

Certainty takes the indicative

Verbs and phrases that present something as a fact take the indicative, even after che: so che, è vero che, è chiaro che, ho visto che.

So che hai ragione.: I know you're right.
È vero che Luca parte domani.: It's true that Luca is leaving tomorrow.
È chiaro che non vuole venire.: It's clear that he doesn't want to come.

The test is meaning, not the word che. Penso che sia (opinion) is subjunctive; so che è (knowledge) is not.

The formal command is a subjunctive

The polite imperative with Lei uses the present subjunctive forms. You hear it every day in shops, offices, and on the phone.

Prego, si accomodi.: Please, take a seat.
Mi dica.: How can I help you? (literally: tell me)
Scusi, signora.: Excuse me, madam.

Accomodi, dica, and scusi are the Lei subjunctive forms of accomodarsi, dire, and scusare.

Quick Check: Subjunctive

Put the verb in brackets into the present subjunctive, or the indicative if the sentence states a fact.

1. Penso che Giulia (essere) ___ in ufficio.

Answer: sia

opinion: subjunctive

2. Spero che voi (divertirsi) ___ alla festa.

Answer: vi divertiate

reflexive pronoun before the verb

3. È necessario che tu (finire) ___ entro domani.

Answer: finisca

-isc- verb

4. So che Marco (avere) ___ due fratelli.

Answer: ha

a fact: indicative

5. Vi aspetto, a meno che non (piovere) ___.

Answer: piova

a meno che always takes the subjunctive

Subjunctive FAQs

When do you use the subjunctive in Italian?: Use it in a che clause after expressions of opinion (penso che), wish (voglio che, spero che), emotion (sono felice che), doubt (dubito che), and necessity or possibility (bisogna che, è possibile che). It also follows conjunctions such as benché, affinché, prima che, and senza che.
How do you form the present subjunctive in Italian?: -ARE verbs end in -i, -i, -i, -iamo, -iate, -ino (parli, parliamo, parlino). -ERE and -IRE verbs end in -a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano (venda, dorma, vendano). Many irregular verbs build it on the io form of the present: faccio becomes faccia, vengo becomes venga.
Do Italians still use the subjunctive?: Yes. It is standard in writing, in formal speech, and in most everyday speech too. Some speakers replace it with the indicative after penso che or credo che in casual conversation, but learners should use the subjunctive, because it is never wrong where it belongs.
Why is it spero di venire and not spero che io venga?: When the person who hopes and the person who comes are the same, Italian uses di plus the infinitive: spero di venire, I hope to come. The subjunctive is used only when the subjects are different: spero che tu venga, I hope you come.
How many subjunctive tenses does Italian have?: Four: the present (che io parli), the past (che io abbia parlato), the imperfect (che io parlassi), and the pluperfect (che io avessi parlato). The tense in the che clause depends on the tense of the main verb and on when the action happens.