Irregular First Conjugation Verbs

Irregular First Conjugation Verbs

Many important Italian verbs are irregular: they do not follow the regular pattern of conjugation (infinitive stem + endings). They may have a different stem or different endings. There are only three irregular first conjugation verbs (verbs ending in –are):

andare	to go
dare	to give
stare	to stay

Note! (Fare, since it is derived from facere, a Latin verb of the second conjugation, is considered an irregular second conjugation verb.)

# Dare and stare are conjugated as follows:

dare (to give)	stare (to stay)
do	sto
dai	stai
dà	sta
diamo	stiamo
date	state
danno	stanno

The verb stare is used in many idiomatic expressions. It has different English equivalents according to the adjective or adverb that accompanies it.

stare attento/a/i/e	to pay attention
stare bene/male	to be well/not well
stare zitto/a/i/e	to keep quiet
stare fresco	to be mistaken (or kidding oneself)
stare fuori	to be outside
starsene da parte	to stand aside, to be on one side
stare su	to stand (sit) up straight
stare a cuore	to matter, to have at heart
stare con	to live with
stare in piedi	to be standing
stare in guardia	to be on one's guard

Ciao, zio, come stai? Hi Uncle, how are you?
Sto bene, grazie. I'm fine, thanks.
Molti studenti non stanno attenti. Many students don't pay attention.

Andare is conjugated as follows:
andare (to go)
vado
vai
va
andiamo
andate
vanno

If the verb andare is followed by another verb (to go dancing, to go eat), the sequence andare + a + infinitive is used. Andare is conjugated, but the second verb is used in the infinitive. Note that it is necessary to use a even if the infinitive is separated from the form of andare.

Quando andiamo a ballare? When are we going dancing?
Chi va in Italia a studiare? Who's going to Italy to study?

A means of transportation, if indicated with andare, is preceded by in.

andare in aeroplano	to fly
andare in bicicletta	to ride a bicycle
andare in treno	to go by train
andare in automobile (in macchina)	to drive, to go by car

but: andare a piedi to walk

As a general rule, when andare is followed by the name of a country, the preposition in is used; when it is followed by the name of a city, a is used.

Vado in Italia, a Roma. I'm going to Italy, to Rome.

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