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ITALIAN VERB

ricamare

to embroider

  • Regular -are verb
  • Past participle: ricamato
  • Gerund: ricamando

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

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

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

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

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

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

Imperative

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

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

How to use ricamare

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

  1. Present

    Mia nonna ricama ancora le tovaglie a mano.

    My grandmother still embroiders tablecloths by hand.

  2. Past

    Ho ricamato il nome del bambino sulla coperta.

    I embroidered the baby's name on the blanket.

  3. Imperfect

    Da ragazza ricamava ogni sera davanti alla tv.

    As a girl she embroidered every evening in front of the TV.

  4. Future

    Ricamerò un fiore su questa camicia.

    I'll embroider a flower on this shirt.

  5. Conditional

    Ricamerei anch'io, se avessi la pazienza.

    I'd embroider too, if I had the patience.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Mi piace che tu ricami ancora a mano.

    I like that you still embroider by hand.

  7. Imperative

    Ricama le iniziali qui, in basso.

    Embroider the initials here, at the bottom.

Good to know

  • Ricamare su una storia is to embroider a story, adding details that weren't there.

Where you hear ricamare

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

Italian · Intermediate Level 3

  • Ricamo ancora, a novant'anni. I still embroider, at ninety.
  • L'ho ricamato io, a quindici anni. I embroidered it myself, at fifteen.
  • Ricamerò un fazzoletto per te. I'll embroider a handkerchief for you.
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What She Kept

Intermediate Level 3 · L'ho ricamato io, a quindici anni.

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Verbs like this one

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