Salire means “to go up,” “to climb” and “to get on” a vehicle. It adds a g in some present forms (salgo, salgono) and usually takes essere, which makes it worth learning carefully.
Infinitive
salire
English
to go up, to get on
Auxiliary
essere or avere
Past participle
salito
Gerund
salendo
Irregular -IRE verb with a -g- in the first person singular and the third person plural of the present: salgo and salgono, beside regular sali, sale, saliamo, salite. The same g appears in the present subjunctive (che io salga, che loro salgano) and in the imperative forms salga and salgano. Every other tense is regular -IRE: salivo, salii, salì, salirò, salirei, salito, salendo. Risalire (to go back up, to date back) conjugates the same way.
Salire is the verb for stairs, mountains and lifts (salgo al terzo piano, siamo saliti in cima), and also for boarding: salire sul treno, salire in macchina, salire a bordo. Prices, temperatures and fevers salire too: i prezzi salgono, la febbre è salita a trentanove. Its opposite is scendere, which covers going down and getting off. Sali! is what you say to invite someone into your car, and sali pure means “come on up.” The related nouns are la salita, an uphill road, and la discesa, a downhill one.
Salire takes essere when it is intransitive, which is its normal use, and the participle agrees with the subject: sono salito sull'autobus, Laura è salita in camera, i prezzi sono saliti. It takes avere when it has a direct object, typically stairs or a slope: ho salito le scale di corsa, abbiamo salito la collina a piedi.
Salire in context
Presente:Salgo un attimo a prendere la giacca e torno. (I'll pop upstairs to get my jacket and come back.)
Presente:Con il caldo i prezzi della frutta salgono sempre. (When it's hot, fruit prices always go up.)
Passato Prossimo:Siamo saliti sul treno sbagliato e siamo finiti a Bologna. (We got on the wrong train and ended up in Bologna.)
Imperfetto:Ogni estate salivamo in montagna a piedi con mio padre. (Every summer we used to hike up the mountain with my father.)
Futuro Semplice:Domani saliremo sulla cupola del Duomo. (Tomorrow we'll climb up to the dome of the cathedral.)
Congiuntivo Presente:Aspetta che salgano tutti prima di chiudere le porte. (Wait until everyone gets on before closing the doors.)
Imperativo:Sali in macchina, ti do un passaggio. (Get in the car, I'll give you a lift.)
Common expressions with salire
salire a bordo: to go on board, to board
salire alle stelle: to skyrocket. I prezzi delle case sono saliti alle stelle.
salire in cattedra: to lecture people, to act like a know-it-all. Literally “to go up to the teacher's desk.”
far salire la pressione: to drive someone up the wall. Mi fa salire la pressione: “he really winds me up.”
salire di livello: to move up a level
Common mistakes
Sono salito sul treno alle otto., not Ho salito sul treno alle otto. (I got on the train at eight.). Without a direct object, salire takes essere. Avere is only for salire with an object: ho salito le scale.
Io salgo al secondo piano., not Io salo al secondo piano. (I'm going up to the second floor.). The io form of salire adds a g: salgo. Loro salgono follows the same pattern.
Sono salita sul treno., not Sono salita il treno. (I got on the train.). Vehicles need a preposition: salire su for trains, buses and planes, salire in for cars, though salire in treno is also heard.
Usually essere: sono salito, siamo saliti, è salita la temperatura. Avere is used only when salire has a direct object, such as le scale or un pendio: ho salito tre rampe di scale.
Is salire irregular?
Yes, in the present (salgo, salgono), the present subjunctive (salga, salgano) and the related imperative forms. The participle salito and all other tenses are regular.
What is the opposite of salire?
Scendere: to go down or get off. Salgo sull'autobus e scendo alla terza fermata, “I get on the bus and get off at the third stop.” Scendere has the irregular participle sceso.
How do you say “to get on the bus” in Italian?
Salire sull'autobus, with su and the article contracted. For a car, salire in macchina; for a plane, salire sull'aereo or salire a bordo.