A1 · Débutant Chapitre 9

To Be and To Have

3 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the two essential verbs that build the foundation of every Italian sentence.

  • Conjugate the irregular verbs Essere and Avere.
  • Describe states of being and possession.
  • Express physical sensations and age using idioms.
Essere and Avere: The heart of Italian communication.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

The two most important verbs: Essere and Avere. Learn their irregular present tense forms and varied uses.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: confidently introduce yourself and describe your physical state.

Conseils et astuces (2)

💡

Drop the Pronoun

You don't need to say 'Io' every time. 'Sono italiano' is perfectly natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Essere
💡

Silent H

Never pronounce the H in 'ho', 'hai', 'ha', 'hanno'. It's a ghost!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Avere

Vocabulaire clé (5)

io I fame hunger sete thirst anni years studente student

Real-World Preview

coffee

At the Cafe

Review Summary

  • Subject + sono/sei/è/siamo/siete/sono
  • Subject + ho/hai/ha/abbiamo/avete/hanno
  • Avere + fame/sete/anni

Erreurs courantes

English speakers often use 'to be' for hunger. In Italian, use 'avere'.

Wrong: Io sono fame.
Correct: Io ho fame.

When stating age, it is common to contract the number with 'anni'.

Wrong: Io ho 20 anni.
Correct: Io ho vent'anni.

Use 'essere' for descriptions of personality or appearance, not 'avere'.

Wrong: Lei ha bella.
Correct: Lei è bella.

Next Steps

You have done an amazing job today. Mastering these two verbs is a giant leap forward in your Italian journey!

Write a diary entry about your day using Essere and Avere.

Continue to: Regular -ARE Verbs

Pratique rapide (10)

Fill in the correct form of avere.

Io ___ un cane.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ho
Io takes 'ho'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Avere

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ho fame
Idioms use 'avere'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Idioms with Avere (Hunger, Thirst, Age)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Lui è felice
Third person singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Essere

Fill in the blank with the correct form of avere.

Io ___ fame.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ho
Io requires 'ho'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Idioms with Avere (Hunger, Thirst, Age)

Select the correct verb.

Lui ___ paura del buio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ha
Fear is an 'avere' idiom.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Idioms with Avere (Hunger, Thirst, Age)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ho fame
Physical states use avere.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Avere

Fix the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

Tu sono stanco.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu sei stanco
Second person singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Essere

Fill in the correct form of 'essere'.

Io ___ italiano.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sono
First person singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Essere

Fix the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Lui ha 20 anni sono.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Lui ha 20 anni
Remove 'sono'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense of Avere

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ho venti.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ho vent'anni
Age requires 'anni'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Idioms with Avere (Hunger, Thirst, Age)

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

It is used for both 'I am' and 'They are'. Context will tell you which one is meant.
Yes! 'Sono italiano' is more common than 'Io sono italiano'.
It distinguishes 'ho' (I have) from 'o' (or). It's a historical spelling rule.
Yes, 'Ho fame' is more natural than 'Io ho fame'.
It's a historical spelling convention from Latin that stuck around.
Only if you are using an adjective like 'affamato' (hungry), but 'avere fame' is more common.
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More Than One: Plurals
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Regular -ARE Verbs
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