Ballare means “to dance.” It is a completely regular -ARE verb, used for nights out, weddings and village festivals as well as for dance styles such as il tango or la salsa.
Infinitive
ballare
English
to dance
Auxiliary
avere
Past participle
ballato
Gerund
ballando
Regular -ARE verb with the stem ball-. Present: ballo, balli, balla, balliamo, ballate, ballano, with a clear double l in every form. Future and conditional: ballerò, ballerei. Imperfect: ballavo. Passato remoto: ballai, ballò, ballarono. Present subjunctive: che io balli, che loro ballino. Watch the noun il ballo (the dance, the ball), which looks like the io form. No form is irregular.
Ballare works alone (ti va di ballare?, balliamo!) or with the name of a dance as its object: ballare il valzer, ballare la tarantella, ballare l'hip hop. Going dancing is andare a ballare, and the place is often la discoteca or, in summer, un locale all'aperto. Ballare also describes things that wobble or shake: questo tavolo balla, ho un dente che balla (a loose tooth). In formal or artistic contexts, danzare is the more elevated verb, and a professional dancer is un ballerino or una ballerina.
Ballare takes avere, whether or not it has an object: abbiamo ballato tutta la notte, hanno ballato un tango. With a preceding direct object pronoun the participle agrees: la salsa? L'abbiamo ballata al corso.
Ballare in context
Presente:Il sabato sera balliamo in un locale vicino al porto. (On Saturday nights we dance at a club near the harbour.)
Presente:Questo tavolo balla, mettiamoci sotto un cartoncino. (This table wobbles, let's put a bit of cardboard under it.)
Passato Prossimo:Al matrimonio di mio cugino abbiamo ballato fino alle tre. (At my cousin's wedding we danced until three.)
Imperfetto:I miei nonni ballavano il liscio ogni domenica. (My grandparents used to do ballroom dancing every Sunday.)
Futuro Semplice:Stasera ballerai con me, vero? (You'll dance with me tonight, won't you?)
Condizionale Presente:Ballerei volentieri, ma ho male ai piedi. (I'd gladly dance, but my feet hurt.)
Imperativo:Balla con noi, non stare seduto! (Dance with us, don't just sit there.)
Common expressions with ballare
andare a ballare: to go dancing, to go clubbing
quando il gatto non c'è, i topi ballano: when the cat's away, the mice will play
ballare da solo: to dance on your own
essere in ballo: to be at stake, to be involved. Ci sono molti soldi in ballo. Also ormai siamo in ballo, “we're in it now.”
ballare guancia a guancia: to dance cheek to cheek
Common mistakes
Ho ballato tutta la sera., not Sono ballato tutta la sera. (I danced all evening.). Ballare is an activity, not a movement to a place, so it takes avere in every compound tense.
Andiamo a ballare stasera?, not Facciamo un ballo stasera? (Shall we go dancing tonight?). Fare un ballo means having one dance with someone. Going out to dance for the evening is andare a ballare.
Avere: ho ballato, abbiamo ballato. The participle stays ballato unless a direct object pronoun precedes it.
What is the difference between ballare and danzare?
Ballare is the everyday verb, from parties to dance lessons. Danzare is more formal and artistic, used for ballet or contemporary dance: la danza classica. In conversation, ballare is almost always the right choice.
Is ballare a regular verb?
Yes. It uses regular -ARE endings in every tense, and its participle ballato and gerund ballando are regular too.
What does il dente balla mean?
It means the tooth is loose. Ballare describes anything that wobbles or moves when it should not: la sedia balla, “the chair is wobbly.”