Can you provide a simple guide to Italian tense usage

A simple guide to Italian tense usage includes understanding the primary verb tenses and their common uses:

Present (Presente) - Used for actions happening now, habitual actions, general truths. Example: Mangio (I eat/I am eating).

Past Simple (Passato Prossimo) - Used for completed actions in the recent past. Example: Ho mangiato (I ate/I have eaten).

Imperfect (Imperfetto) - Used for ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions in the past. Example: Mangiavo (I was eating/I used to eat).

Future (Futuro Semplice) - Used for actions that will happen. Example: Mangerò (I will eat).

Past Perfect (Trapassato Prossimo) - Used for actions completed before another past action. Example: Avevo mangiato (I had eaten).

Conditional (Condizionale) - Used to express what would happen under certain conditions. Example: Mangerei (I would eat).

Subjunctive (Congiuntivo) - Used for doubt, uncertainty, wishes, or hypothetical situations.

These tenses form the core of Italian verb conjugation and usage in everyday conversation and writing. The selection depends mainly on when the action occurs and its nature (completed, ongoing, habitual, possible, or hypothetical).

Would you like example sentences or explanations for any specific tense?

References

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• Recensione a J.J. Kinder, V.M. Savini, Using Italian. A guide to contemporary usage, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004

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