Introduction to Italian/Lesson 9

The Second Conjugation (-ere)
Infinitive verbs in the second conjugation all end in -ere. Most of them conjugate regularly (according to the chart below) but there are more irregularities than the first conjugation. Here is an example of how verbs ending in -ere conjugate.

Some Basic Verbs in the Second Conjugation
Here are a few basic -ere verbs to help build your vocabulary. chiedere – to ask (for) chiudere – to close conoscere – to know credere – to believe decidere di (+ infinitive verb) – to decide to do something (io decido di prendere un gelato – I’m deciding to get an ice cream) discutere (di) – to discuss (noi discutiamo di politica – we are discussing politics) leggere – to read mettere – to put, to place perdere – to lose prendere – to take, to have (as in have some food or have a drink), to get ricevere – to receive rispondere – to answer scrivere – to write spendere – to spend (money) vedere – to see vendere – to sell