Dare means “to give.” It is short and irregular, and it appears in many fixed phrases where English uses other verbs, such as dare fastidio (to bother), dare retta (to listen to someone) and dare un esame (to take an exam).
Infinitive
dare
English
to give
Auxiliary
avere
Past participle
dato
Gerund
dando
Core irregular verb: dare is a one-syllable -ARE verb that keeps its a in most forms. The present is do, dai, dà, diamo, date, danno. Only dà (gives) needs a written accent, because da is a preposition. Older texts also write dò and dài, but the unaccented do and dai are the modern standard spellings. The passato remoto and the imperfect subjunctive switch to an -e- stem: diedi, diede, diedero and dessi, desse, dessero, never dassi. The present subjunctive is dia, diamo, diate, diano. The future and conditional keep the a: darò, darei. The imperfect (davo) and the participle (dato) are regular.
Dare takes what is given as its direct object and the person who receives it with a: dare un regalo a qualcuno, or with a pronoun, gli ho dato il libro. Italian has no “give him the book” order without a preposition. Many of its uses are set phrases that are best learned whole: dare una mano (to help), dare un'occhiata (to have a look), dare fastidio (to bother). With su it means “to face” or “to look onto”: la camera dà sul cortile. The reciprocal darsi del tu means two people agree to use the informal tu with each other. In conversation you will also hear dai! all the time, the tu imperative used as “come on.”
Dare takes avere: ho dato, avevamo dato, avrebbe dato. The participle dato does not change for the subject, but it agrees with a direct object pronoun placed before it: le chiavi? Gliele ho date ieri. The reflexive and reciprocal darsi takes essere, with agreement: ci siamo dati del tu, si è data da fare.
Dare in context
Presente:Mi dà un chilo di pomodori, per favore? (Could I have a kilo of tomatoes, please?)
Presente:Ci diamo del tu? (Shall we use tu with each other?)
Passato Prossimo:Gli ho dato il mio numero di telefono. (I gave him my phone number.)
Imperfetto:Mio padre mi dava sempre buoni consigli. (My father always gave me good advice.)
Passato Remoto:Alla fine il re diede in sposa la figlia al cavaliere più coraggioso. (In the end the king gave his daughter in marriage to the bravest knight.)
Futuro Semplice:Ti darò una risposta entro venerdì. (I'll give you an answer by Friday.)
Condizionale Presente:Daresti un'occhiata a questo documento? (Would you take a look at this document?)
Congiuntivo Imperfetto:Se mi dessi una mano, finiremmo prima. (If you gave me a hand, we'd finish sooner.)
Common expressions with dare
dare fastidio: to bother, to annoy. The person bothered takes a: ti dà fastidio se apro la finestra? (do you mind if I open the window?).
dare retta a: to listen to, to take someone's advice. Dammi retta (listen to me), non dargli retta (don't pay attention to him).
dare una mano: to give a hand, to help
darsi del tu: to be on first-name terms. The formal equivalent is darsi del Lei. Possiamo darci del tu? is a common offer.
dare un esame: to take an exam. Said of the student: lunedì Marta dà l'esame di storia. The formal equivalent is sostenere un esame.
dare su: to face, to look onto. La finestra dà sul giardino (the window faces the garden).
Common mistakes
Lui dà il libro a Maria., not Lui da il libro a Maria. (He gives the book to Maria.). Without the accent, da is the preposition “from” or “by.” The verb form always needs the accent: dà.
Ho dato il libro a Marco., not Ho dato Marco il libro. (I gave Marco the book.). English can put the receiver directly after “give.” Italian always marks the receiver with a, or uses an indirect pronoun: gli ho dato il libro.
Vorrei che tu mi dessi un consiglio., not Vorrei che tu mi dassi un consiglio. (I'd like you to give me some advice.). The imperfect subjunctive of dare is built on des-, not das-: dessi, desse, dessimo. Stare follows the same pattern: stessi.
Avere: ho dato, hai dato, abbiamo dato. The reflexive darsi takes essere: ci siamo dati appuntamento alle otto (we arranged to meet at eight).
What is the past participle of dare?
Dato. It is regular. It is also a noun, il dato, and the plural i dati means “data.”
Is it da or dà?
Dà, with the accent, is the verb: lei dà. Da, without the accent, is the preposition: vengo da Roma. The tu imperative has two forms, dai and da' with an apostrophe: da' un'occhiata qui.
Is dare irregular?
Yes, though its endings stay close to the -ARE pattern. The irregular parts are the present (danno, the accented dà), the present subjunctive (dia, diano), the passato remoto (diedi, diede, diedero), the imperfect subjunctive (dessi) and the future, which keeps the a (darò, not darerò).
What does dai mean in conversation?
Dai! is the tu imperative of dare used as an interjection: “come on.” It can encourage (dai, ce la fai!), urge (dai, andiamo!) or express disbelief (ma dai!, “no way”). It is one of the most frequent words in spoken Italian.