Modal verbs are the verbs “can”, “want” and “must”. They are the most useful verbs for a beginner, because one modal verb plus an infinitive gives you hundreds of ready sentences: I want to eat, I can help, I must go. You don’t need to conjugate the second verb at all, it stays in the dictionary form.
VOLERE – to want
| Io voglio | I want |
| Tu vuoi | You want |
| Lui, Lei vuole | He, she wants |
| Noi vogliamo | We want |
| Voi volete | You want |
| Loro vogliono | They want |
Voglio mangiare – I want to eat
Vuoi un caffè? – Do you want a coffee?
Vogliamo imparare l’italiano – We want to learn Italian
A polite note: “voglio” sounds very direct, like a child demanding candy. When you order something in a bar or a restaurant, use the conditional form vorrei – I would like: “Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore”. We will study the conditional mood later in the course, but learn “vorrei” right now, you will need it on day one in Italy.
POTERE – can, to be able to
| Io posso | I can |
| Tu puoi | You can |
| Lui, Lei può | He, she can |
| Noi possiamo | We can |
| Voi potete | You can |
| Loro possono | They can |
Posso entrare? – May I come in?
Non posso venire oggi – I can’t come today
Puoi ripetere, per favore? – Can you repeat, please?
DOVERE – must, to have to
| Io devo | I must |
| Tu devi | You must |
| Lui, Lei deve | He, she must |
| Noi dobbiamo | We must |
| Voi dovete | You must |
| Loro devono | They must |
Devo andare – I have to go
Dobbiamo studiare oggi – We have to study today
Non devi parlare così – You must not talk like that
SAPERE – to know, to know how
One more verb behaves like a modal: SAPERE. With an infinitive it means “to know how to do something”:
| Io so | I know |
| Tu sai | You know |
| Lui, Lei sa | He, she knows |
| Noi sappiamo | We know |
| Voi sapete | You know |
| Loro sanno | They know |
So nuotare – I can swim (I know how to swim)
Non so cucinare – I can’t cook
Sai dov’è la stazione? – Do you know where the station is?
What is the difference between POTERE and SAPERE? POTERE is about possibility and permission, SAPERE is about skill. “Non posso nuotare” means something stops me (maybe the pool is closed). “Non so nuotare” means I never learned how.
Examples
Voglio comprare una macchina nuova – I want to buy a new car
Non possiamo uscire, piove – We can’t go out, it’s raining
I bambini devono dormire – The children must sleep
Sapete parlare inglese? – Do you know how to speak English?
Puoi aiutarmi? – Can you help me?
Che cosa vuoi fare stasera? – What do you want to do tonight?
Scusi, può parlare più lentamente? – Excuse me, can you speak more slowly? (formal)
Devo lavorare domani – I have to work tomorrow
Vocabulary
| volere – to want
potere – can dovere – must sapere – to know comprare – to buy aiutare – to help cucinare – to cook nuotare – to swim |
entrare – to come in
ripetere – to repeat studiare – to study oggi – today domani – tomorrow nuovo / nuova – new lentamente – slowly per favore – please |
Exercises
Use the correct form of the modal verb
- Io ______________ un gelato (VOLERE) – I want an ice cream
- Tu ______________ venire alla festa? (POTERE) – Can you come to the party?
- Noi ______________ studiare per l’esame (DOVERE) – We have to study for the exam
- Lei non ______________ cucinare (SAPERE) – She doesn’t know how to cook
- Loro ______________ viaggiare in Italia (VOLERE) – They want to travel in Italy
- Voi ______________ aspettare qui (DOVERE) – You have to wait here
- Io non ______________ trovare le chiavi (POTERE) – I can’t find the keys
- Tu ______________ nuotare? (SAPERE) – Can you swim?
- Marco ______________ comprare il pane (DOVERE) – Marco has to buy bread
- Noi ______________ aiutare (POTERE) – We can help
Answers:
1: voglio; 2: puoi; 3: dobbiamo; 4: sa; 5: vogliono; 6: dovete; 7: posso; 8: sai; 9: deve; 10: possiamo