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ITALIAN VERB

piangere

to cry

  • #102 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: pianto
  • Gerund: piangendo

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use piangere

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

  1. Present

    Il bambino piange perché ha fame.

    The baby's crying because he's hungry.

  2. Past

    Ho pianto tutto il tempo durante il film.

    I cried the whole time during the film.

  3. Imperfect

    Da piccolo piangevo per ogni cosa.

    As a little boy I cried over everything.

  4. Future

    Piangerai dal ridere, è un film bellissimo.

    You'll cry with laughter, it's a wonderful film.

  5. Conditional

    Piangerei anch'io, al posto suo.

    I'd cry too, in his place.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Non voglio che tu pianga per lui.

    I don't want you to cry over him.

  7. Imperative

    Non piangere, si aggiusta tutto.

    Don't cry, everything will work out.

Good to know

  • Piangere di gioia is to cry for joy; far piangere is to make someone cry.

Where you hear piangere

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

Italian · Beginner Level 3

  • Piango di gioia. I'm crying with joy.
  • Ho pianto al telefono. I cried on the phone.
  • Nonna piangerà. Nonna will cry.

Italian · Intermediate Level 1

  • Piango di gioia. I'm crying with joy.
  • Ho pianto al telefono. I cried on the phone.
  • Nonna piangerà. Nonna will cry.
8
Nonna's Birthday Is Coming

Beginner Level 3 · Che bella idea! Nonna piangerà.

Needs a subscription 17
Nonna's First Job

Intermediate Level 1 · Dura. La sera piangevo sempre.

Needs a subscription 24
The Day of the Ship

Intermediate Level 1 · E tua madre? Ha pianto? · Non ho pianto. · Mia madre non ha pianto. Io sì.

Needs a subscription 14
The Old Sailor

Intermediate Level 3 · Piangevano tutti. Anche gli uomini.

Needs a subscription 17
Nonna at the Museum

Intermediate Level 3 · Nonna... Non piangere. · Non piango, tesoro. Sono contenta.

Needs a subscription 18
Nonna's Reaction

Advanced Level 3 · Piangi stasera. Domani testa alta.

Needs a subscription 14
What She Found in America

Fluency Level 2 · La sera cucinavo. E la notte piangevo.

Needs a subscription 24
The Name

Fluency Level 2 · Niente. Ha pianto. Poi ha riso.

Needs a subscription 9
Over the Ocean

Fluency Level 3 · Piango, ma di gioia. Non ti preoccupare.

Needs a subscription 10
Landing in Rome

Fluency Level 3 · Piangi pure. Io piango con te.

Needs a subscription 19
Mass at the Church

Fluency Level 3 · Grazie, padre. Mi viene da piangere.

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Verbs like this one

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