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ITALIAN VERB

ballare

to dance

  • #146 most used
  • Regular -are verb
  • Past participle: ballato
  • Gerund: ballando

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I dance
  2. tu you dance
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she dances
  4. noi we dance
  5. voi you all dance
  6. loro they dance

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I danced
  2. tu you danced
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she danced
  4. noi we danced
  5. voi you all danced
  6. loro they danced

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to dance
  2. tu you used to dance
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to dance
  4. noi we used to dance
  5. voi you all used to dance
  6. loro they used to dance

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will dance
  2. tu you will dance
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will dance
  4. noi we will dance
  5. voi you all will dance
  6. loro they will dance

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would dance
  2. tu you would dance
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would dance
  4. noi we would dance
  5. voi you all would dance
  6. loro they would dance

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I dance
  2. tu (that) you dance
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she dance
  4. noi (that) we dance
  5. voi (that) you all dance
  6. loro (that) they dance

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu dance!
  2. Lei dance! (formal)
  3. noi dance! (let’s)
  4. voi dance! (all of you)

How to use ballare

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ballo il tango da tre anni.

    I've been dancing tango for three years.

  2. Past

    Abbiamo ballato tutta la notte al matrimonio.

    We danced all night at the wedding.

  3. Imperfect

    I miei nonni ballavano benissimo il valzer.

    My grandparents danced the waltz beautifully.

  4. Future

    Sabato sera balleremo fino all'alba.

    On Saturday night we'll dance until dawn.

  5. Conditional

    Ballerei volentieri, ma ho le scarpe sbagliate.

    I'd happily dance, but I've got the wrong shoes.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Voglio che tu balli con me almeno una volta.

    I want you to dance with me at least once.

  7. Imperative

    Balla con me, è la nostra canzone!

    Dance with me, it's our song!

Good to know

  • Andare a ballare is to go out dancing.

Where you hear ballare

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Italian · Beginner Level 2

  • Balli benissimo! You dance very well!
  • Ho ballato tutta la sera. I danced all evening.
  • Stasera balleremo in piazza. Tonight we'll dance in the square.

Italian · Intermediate Level 1

  • Balli benissimo! You dance very well!
  • Ho ballato tutta la sera. I danced all evening.
  • Stasera balleremo in piazza. Tonight we'll dance in the square.
20
The Dance

Beginner Level 2 · Laura! Balli? · No, non so ballare. · Balliamo? · Brava! Balli benissimo!

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Carnival in the Village

Intermediate Level 1 · Tantissimo! Abbiamo ballato fino alle tre.

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The Storm at the Wedding

Intermediate Level 2 · Speriamo! Gli sposi ballano dentro.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -are verb.