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fluentbyear

ITALIAN VERB

bere

to drink

  • #42 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: bevuto
  • Gerund: bevendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use bere

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

  1. Present

    Bevo un caffè e arrivo.

    I'll have a coffee and then I'm coming.

  2. Past

    Ieri sera abbiamo bevuto troppo vino.

    Last night we drank too much wine.

  3. Imperfect

    Mio padre beveva solo acqua a tavola.

    My father only drank water at the table.

  4. Future

    Berrò solo un bicchiere, poi guido.

    I'll only drink one glass, I'm driving after.

  5. Conditional

    Berrei volentieri un tè caldo.

    I'd gladly have a hot tea.

  6. Present subjunctive

    È meglio che tu beva più acqua.

    It's better that you drink more water.

  7. Imperative

    Bevi piano, è ancora bollente.

    Drink slowly, it's still boiling hot.

Good to know

  • Bere is short for the old bevere, which is why the forms begin with bev-: bevo, bevuto.
  • Qualcosa da bere is something to drink: vuoi qualcosa da bere?

Where you hear bere

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

Italian · Intermediate Level 2

  • Bevo un caffè prima del servizio. I drink a coffee before service.
  • Ieri sera abbiamo bevuto un bicchiere di vino. Last night we drank a glass of wine.
  • Domani berremo alla salute degli sposi. Tomorrow we'll drink to the newlyweds.

Italian · Fluency Level 1

  • Bevo un caffè prima del servizio. I drink a coffee before service.
  • Ieri sera abbiamo bevuto un bicchiere di vino. Last night we drank a glass of wine.
  • Domani berremo alla salute degli sposi. Tomorrow we'll drink to the newlyweds.
21
A Compliment from a Guest

Intermediate Level 2 · Il miglior vino che abbia mai bevuto.

Needs a subscription 23
A Venetian Evening

Fluency Level 1 · Quasi. Si beve un'ombra de vin.

Needs a subscription 5
The Wolf of the Fountain

Fluency Level 2 · Alla fontana, a bere. Grande, nero.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.