Coprire: Full Conjugation

Coprire (to cover) is the verb you need every time something has to be put under a lid, a blanket, a sheet, a layer of snow, a coat of paint, or a polite silence. Morphologically it is a near-twin of aprire: a pure -ire verb (no -isc- infix), with a perfectly regular paradigm except for one stubborn irregularity — the past participle coperto. The same -rto family that gives aperto also gives offerto, sofferto, scoperto and coperto, and once you've memorised one of them you've essentially memorised all five.

The verb's etymology helps anchor the participle. Latin cooperire (co- + operire, "to close over completely") gave the modern infinitive coprire but kept the older Latin participle coopertus alive in the form coperto. That is also why the derivative scoprire ("to uncover, to discover") forms its participle as scoperto — the privative s- prefix attaches to the same stubborn root. You will see the -rto ending of coperto turn up everywhere, from weather reports (cielo coperto, "overcast sky") to restaurant bills (coperto, the "cover charge" you pay just for sitting down).

Indicativo presente

A perfectly regular pure -ire present — no -isc- infix. Stress falls on the stem in the singular and 3pl (còpro, còpri, còpre, còprono) and shifts to the ending in noi and voi (copriàmo, coprìte). Compare finire → finisco, finisci, finisce, finiscono: coprire does not behave that way. The same shape applies to its sisters — aprire, offrire, soffrire, scoprire, ricoprire — all rizotonic in singular and 3pl, all -isc-free.

Pronunciation note: the o in the stressed forms (copro, copri, copre, coprono) is a closed o [o], not the open o [ɔ] you hear in some dialects. Northern speakers tend toward [ɔ] in stressed open syllables; standard pronunciation is closed.

Imperfetto

Standard -ire imperfect endings (-ivo, -ivi, -iva, -ivamo, -ivate, -ivano) on the regular stem copr-. Used for past habits ("she always covered her shoulders in church"), background description ("the snow was covering the fields"), and ongoing action interrupted by another event.

Passato remoto

Two parallel paradigms, both grammatical — and both directly mirroring the situation in aprire. The regular weak forms (coprii, coprì, coprirono) are the contemporary default and the only forms most speakers would actively produce. The strong alternative (copersi, coperse, copersero) — built on the same -rs- root that gives the participle coperto — is literary, found in older novels and in measured prose; you should recognise coperse in a 19th-century novel without flinching, but produce coprì yourself.

The grave accent on coprì (3sg) is mandatory. Without it, the form collapses into a non-word — copri belongs to the present indicative 2sg and the imperative tu, both with completely different meanings. Note also the double m in coprimmo (1pl passato remoto), which is what distinguishes the historical past from the present copriamo.

Futuro semplice

Regular -ire future, built from coprir- + the standard endings. The 1sg and 3sg take the mandatory grave accent: coprirò, coprirà. No contracted stem — pure -ire verbs do not contract their futures the way avere → avrò or venire → verrò do.

Condizionale presente

Hypothetical or polite "would cover." The orthographic trap is the usual Italian one: copriremmo (conditional, double m) versus copriremo (future, single m). Drop the accent on the 1sg and you have a non-word — coprirò is the future, coprirei is the conditional, no diacritic on the latter.

Congiuntivo presente

The three singulars collapse into copra — context (and explicit pronouns) disambiguate when needed. Note that copriamo does triple duty: it is the present indicative noi, the present subjunctive noi, and the noi imperative ("let's cover").

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Standard imperfect-subjunctive endings on the regular stem. The voi form copriste is identical to the passato remoto copriste — context disambiguates.

Imperativo

Heavily used in everyday Italian — every Italian parent says copriti! (with the reflexive clitic) at least three times a winter. As always, the negative tu takes the infinitive: non coprire, never non copri. Clitics attach to the affirmative tu, noi, and voi imperatives, doubling the consonant in the case of mi, ti, ci, vi, lo, la, li, le: copriti, coprilo, copritele.

Forme non finite

The participle coperto is the only major irregularity in this verb. It belongs to the -rto family of irregular -ire participles — the same family that gives aperto:

These six together cover essentially every -rto participle a learner needs. Memorise them in a single sweep and the irregularity stops feeling irregular.

Compound tenses (auxiliary: avere)

Coprire is transitive and takes avere as its auxiliary. The participle coperto stays invariable unless a direct-object pronoun precedes the verb, in which case it agrees with that pronoun in gender and number — the standard agreement rule for avere + ppp + preceding direct-object pronoun.

Coprirsi: the reflexive

The reflexive coprirsi is heavily used and means "to cover oneself" — typically to put on warm clothes. It is what Italian mothers and grandmothers say all winter. As a reflexive, it takes essere in compound tenses and the participle agrees with the subject.

The reflexive can also describe something becoming covered on its own: il cielo si è coperto ("the sky has clouded over"), a stock weather expression you will hear on every forecast.

Derivatives: scoprire, ricoprire, riscoprire

Three high-frequency derivatives all conjugate identically to coprire — same paradigm, same -rto participle, same auxiliary:

• scoprire ("to uncover, to discover") — participle scoperto. The privative s- prefix reverses the action. Ho scoperto un ristorante meraviglioso ("I've discovered a wonderful restaurant"). See scoprire for the full paradigm.
• ricoprire ("to cover again" or "to occupy a position/role") — participle ricoperto. Both literal and metaphorical. Ricopre la carica di sindaco da dieci anni ("He has held the office of mayor for ten years").
• riscoprire ("to rediscover") — participle riscoperto. Common in cultural and culinary discourse: riscoprire le tradizioni, riscoprire un autore dimenticato.

Set phrases worth memorising

• coprire le spese — to cover the costs
• coprire un turno — to cover a (work) shift
• coprire un ruolo / una carica — to hold a role / an office
• coprire una distanza — to cover a distance
• cielo coperto — overcast sky (weather forecast standard)
• a tutta copertura / coperto da assicurazione — fully insured
• coperto (noun) — cover charge at a restaurant
• a coperto — covered, sheltered (especially for outdoor seating)
• mettersi al coperto — to take cover

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

1. Pure -ire verb (no -isc-): copro, copri, copre, copriamo, coprite, coprono. Same group as aprire, partire, dormire, sentire; opposite to capire, finire, preferire.

2. Irregular -rto participle: coperto. Memorise it as part of the family — aperto, coperto, scoperto, ricoperto, offerto, sofferto — and the irregularity stops being a memory burden.

3. Two passato-remoto paradigms: regular coprii / coprì / coprirono (modern default) and literary copersi / coperse / copersero (recognise but rarely produce).

4. Three voices: transitive (copro la pentola), reflexive (mi copro la testa / il cielo si è coperto), and as a stand-in for to cover (a cost, a shift, a role).

The mandatory companion is scoprire — same paradigm, opposite meaning. Drilling them as antonyms — copro/scopro, ho coperto/ho scoperto, coprirò/scoprirò — is the fastest way to make both stick permanently.