Gerundio

Mastering Italian Past Tenses with the Passato Progressivo

Formation:

To form the passato progressivo, use stare in the imperfetto tense, followed by the gerundio (the -ing form of the verb).

The confusion between the passato progressivo and the imperfetto in Italian stems from the fact that the passato progressivo is not officially recognized as a distinct tense in most grammar books, yet it is commonly used in conversation. Let’s clarify why.

Imperfect (Imperfetto)

io

stavo

Stavo studiando (I was studying)

Understanding 'presente progressivo' the Italian "Sto + -ing" Form (Gerundio)

Progressive form of Italian present

In Italian, the gerundio (gerund) is used similarly to the "-ing" form in English, mainly to describe actions happening right now. It’s typically constructed by combining the verb “stare” (to be) with the gerundio form of a verb.

How to Form the Gerundio

For regular verbs, the rules are straightforward:

  • Verbs ending in -ARE: Drop the “-are” and add -ando.
    • Parlare (to talk) → Sto parlando (I am talking)
  • Verbs ending in -ERE: Drop the “-ere” and add -endo.
    • Leggere (to read) → Sto leggendo (I am reading)
  • Verbs ending in -IRE: Drop the “-ire” and add -endo.
    • Dormire (to sleep) → Sto dormendo (I am sleeping)

Common Irregular Verbs in the Gerundio

Some Italian verbs are irregular and don’t follow the typical rules. Let’s look at the most common exceptions: