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ITALIAN VERB

esprimere

to express (esprimere un desiderio, to make a wish)

  • #244 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: espresso
  • Gerund: esprimendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use esprimere

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

  1. Present

    Non esprime mai la sua opinione in riunione.

    He never expresses his opinion in meetings.

  2. Past

    Ho espresso un desiderio, ma non te lo dico.

    I made a wish, but I'm not telling you.

  3. Imperfect

    Da piccolo non esprimeva mai quello che sentiva.

    As a kid he never expressed what he felt.

  4. Future

    Esprimerò il mio parere alla fine.

    I'll give my opinion at the end.

  5. Conditional

    Lo esprimerei in modo più gentile.

    I'd put it more kindly.

  6. Present subjunctive

    È importante che ognuno esprima la propria idea.

    It's important that everyone expresses their own idea.

  7. Imperative

    Esprimi un desiderio e spegni le candeline!

    Make a wish and blow out the candles!

Good to know

  • Esprimersi is to express yourself: si esprime bene in italiano. Un espresso is the coffee, and also the participle.

Where you hear esprimere

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

Italian · Intermediate Level 3

  • Esprimi un desiderio, Nonna. Make a wish, Nonna.
  • L'ho già espresso. I've already made it.
  • Esprimerò un desiderio anch'io. I'll make a wish too.
23
Ninety Candles

Intermediate Level 3 · Esprimi un desiderio, Nonna. · L'ho già espresso. Vi voglio bene.

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Verbs like this one

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