Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- io I tell
- tu you tell
- lui, lei, Lei he/she tells
- noi we tell
- voi you all tell
- loro they tell
ITALIAN VERB
raccontare
to tell, to recount
- #93 most used
- Regular -are verb
- Past participle: raccontato
- Gerund: raccontando
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”
- io I told
- tu you told
- lui, lei, Lei he/she told
- noi we told
- voi you all told
- loro they told
Imperfect
Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- io I used to tell
- tu you used to tell
- lui, lei, Lei he/she used to tell
- noi we used to tell
- voi you all used to tell
- loro they used to tell
Future
Futuro semplice · plans and guesses
- io I will tell
- tu you will tell
- lui, lei, Lei he/she will tell
- noi we will tell
- voi you all will tell
- loro they will tell
Conditional
Condizionale · “would”, polite requests
- io I would tell
- tu you would tell
- lui, lei, Lei he/she would tell
- noi we would tell
- voi you all would tell
- loro they would tell
Present subjunctive
Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”
- io (that) I tell
- tu (that) you tell
- lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she tell
- noi (that) we tell
- voi (that) you all tell
- loro (that) they tell
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi
- tu tell!
- Lei tell! (formal)
- noi tell! (let’s)
- voi tell! (all of you)
How to use raccontare
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Ti racconto tutto a cena.
I'll tell you everything at dinner.
-
Past
Ci ha raccontato una storia incredibile.
He told us an incredible story.
-
Imperfect
Il nonno ci raccontava sempre della guerra.
Grandpa always told us about the war.
-
Future
Un giorno racconterai questa storia ai tuoi figli.
One day you'll tell this story to your children.
-
Conditional
Racconterei tutto a Paola, ma non voglio preoccuparla.
I'd tell Paola everything, but I don't want to worry her.
-
Present subjunctive
Preferisco che tu non racconti niente a nessuno.
I'd rather you didn't tell anyone anything.
-
Imperative
Raccontami com'è andato il colloquio.
Tell me how the interview went.
Good to know
- Raccontare is to tell a story or what happened; dire is to say something short.
Where you hear raccontare
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Italian · Intermediate Level 3
- Ti racconto la mia storia. I'll tell you my story.
- Nonna mi ha raccontato tutto. Nonna told me everything.
- Domani ti racconterò il resto. Tomorrow I will tell you the rest.
Italian · Advanced Level 1
- Ti racconto la mia storia. I'll tell you my story.
- Nonna mi ha raccontato tutto. Nonna told me everything.
- Domani ti racconterò il resto. Tomorrow I will tell you the rest.
1
Ninety Years
Free
4
Intermediate Level 3 · Nonna, raccontami tutto, dall'inizio.
Giulia Asks
Needs a subscription
6
Intermediate Level 3 · Allora? Nonna te l'ha raccontato?
Zio Antonio's Version
Needs a subscription
24
Intermediate Level 3 · Laura, Nonna ti ha raccontato della nave?
The Arrival
Needs a subscription
11
Intermediate Level 3 · Nonna, raccontami l'arrivo in America.
Explaining the House
Needs a subscription
16
Advanced Level 1 · Le racconto della casa.
Telling a Joke
Needs a subscription
17
Fluency Level 1 · No. Dai, raccontala.
Why It's Funny
Needs a subscription
18
Fluency Level 1 · Infatti. Provo a raccontarla in inglese?
Nonna's Old Jokes
Needs a subscription
30
Fluency Level 1 · Ciro ti ha raccontato le sue barzellette?
Nonna's Stories Begin
Needs a subscription
1
Fluency Level 1 · Non me l'hai mai raccontata.
Nonna Begins
Free
5
Fluency Level 2 · Va bene. Racconta, Nonna. Dall'inizio.
The Wolf of the Fountain
Needs a subscription
20
Fluency Level 2 · Ora ti racconto del lupo della fontana.
The Title
Needs a subscription
Fluency Level 2 · Le storie che Nonna non raccontava.
And 2 more lessons.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -are verb.