Italian conjugation explanation
Syncopated Future and Conditional stems
<p>While regular Italian verbs usually retain a vowel before the ending in the
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/40/" target="_blank">Future</a>
and<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/43/" target="_blank">Conditional</a>
tenses (e.g., <span style="font-style: italic;">lavorare</span> → <span style="font-style: italic;">lavorerò</span>), a specific group of high-frequency verbs undergoes <strong>syncopation</strong>.</p><p>This means they <strong>drop the vowel</strong> between the verb stem and the conjugated ending entirely. Learners often make the mistake of keeping the vowel (e.g., writing <span class="red_emphasis">anderò</span>), but the correct form connects the stem directly to the <span style="font-style: italic;">r</span> of the ending.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Common verbs with dropped vowels</div>
<p>The most common verbs following this pattern include:</p>
<ul>
<li><div>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/andare/" title="Click to see conjugations for andare" target="_blank">andare</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to go</span>) → <strong>andrò</strong> (not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">anderò</span>)</div></li><li><div>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/potere/" title="Click to see conjugations for potere" target="_blank">potere</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to be able to</span>) → <strong>potrò</strong> (not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">poterò</span>)</div></li><li><div>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/dovere/" title="Click to see conjugations for dovere" target="_blank">dovere</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to have to</span>) → <strong>dovrò</strong> (not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">doverò</span>)</div></li><li><div>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/sapere/" title="Click to see conjugations for sapere" target="_blank">sapere</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to know</span>) → <strong>saprò</strong> (not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">saperò</span>)</div></li><li><div>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/cadere/" title="Click to see conjugations for cadere" target="_blank">cadere</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to fall</span>) → <strong>cadrò</strong> (not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">caderò</span>)</div></li></ul>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Examples in Context</div>
<p>Note how the stems <span style="font-style: italic;">and-</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">pot-</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">dov-</span> attach directly to the endings:</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Domani <span class="green_emphasis">andrò</span> a Roma per lavoro. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Tomorrow I will go to Rome for work.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Non <span class="green_emphasis">potrei</span> mai fare una cosa del genere. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I could never do something like that.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">(This is the Conditional form of <span style="font-style: italic;">potere</span>.)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><span class="green_emphasis">Dovremo</span> studiare molto per l'esame. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We will have to study hard for the exam.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Conjugation Tables</div>
<p>Here are the full conjugations for
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/andare/" title="Click to see conjugations for andare" target="_blank">andare</a>
in the Future and<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/dovere/" title="Click to see conjugations for dovere" target="_blank">dovere</a>
in the Conditional, showing the contracted stems highlighted:</p><div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/40/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Futuro semplice</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
io
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andrò<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andrai<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
lui
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andrà<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
noi
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andremo<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
voi
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andrete<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
loro
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">andranno<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/43/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Condizionale</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
io
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovrei<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovresti<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
lui
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovrebbe<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
noi
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovremmo<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
voi
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovreste<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
loro
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">dovrebbero<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>