Finire: Full Conjugation

Finire (to finish, to end) is one of the half-dozen most-used verbs in Italian, and it carries two grammar lessons that come up immediately. First, it is the textbook model of the -isco subgroup of -ire verbs — those that insert an -isc- infix in four of the six present-tense forms (finisco, finisci, finisce — but plain finiamo, finite — then finiscono). Second, finire shows the transitive vs intransitive auxiliary split in compound tenses: avere when you finish something (ho finito il libro), essere when something finishes on its own (il film è finito). Neither lesson is optional — both come back across the entire verb system.

Etymologically, finire descends from Latin finire (to limit, to bring to an end), built on finis (boundary, end) — the same root that gives English final, finish, finite, define, and Italian fine (the noun "end"). The modern Italian verb covers the full semantic range of "ending": completing tasks, concluding events, running out of supplies, dying, and even the metaphorical "end up" (come è andata a finire?).

Indicativo presente

The signature shape of an -isco verb: an -isc- chunk pinned in the middle of four forms (io, tu, lui, loro) and entirely absent from two (noi, voi). This is the defining gap of the productive -ire subgroup — see presente: -isco -ire verbs for the full pattern explanation.

The pronunciation alternates as you conjugate. The digraph sc is hard /sk/ before o and consonants (so finisco, finiscono) but soft /ʃ/ before i and e (so finisci, finisce). The mouth shape changes within a single paradigm — automatic once internalised, but worth listening for in early practice.

Imperfetto

Crucially, the -isc- infix never appears in the imperfetto — only in the present tense (and in the related forms of the imperative and congiuntivo presente). Everywhere else, finire conjugates on the plain stem fin- with regular -ire endings. This is one of the most important facts about the -isco subgroup: the infix is a presente-only phenomenon.

Passato remoto

Regular passato remoto on the plain stem fin-. Three details to lock in: the double i in finii (stem-final i + ending -i), the mandatory grave accent on 3sg finì (without it, fini would just look like a plural noun), and the double m in 1pl finimmo (distinguishing the historical past from forms like the present finiamo).

The verb is heavily used in literary and biographical narrative, where the passato remoto dominates: Il romanzo finì in un cassetto — "The novel ended up in a drawer."

Futuro semplice

Fully regular -ire future on the stem finir-, with the standard endings. The mandatory grave accents on finirò (1sg) and finirà (3sg) mark the stressed final vowel — without the accent, you would have ambiguous, unaccented forms.

Like other Italian futures, this paradigm doubles as conjecture about the present: Saranno le otto, il film starà finendo ("It must be eight; the film must be just about finishing").

Condizionale presente

Standard -ire conditional on the stem finir-. As ever, watch the single-m vs double-m trap: finiremo is the future ("we will finish"), finiremmo is the conditional ("we would finish"). One letter, completely different tense.

Congiuntivo presente

The -isc- infix returns in the singular forms and 3pl of the congiuntivo presente — exactly the same four positions as in the indicativo presente. The three singulars collapse into finisca; the noi and voi forms again drop the infix (finiamo, finiate). The 3pl is finiscano with the typical -no plural ending.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Standard -ire congiuntivo imperfetto on the plain stem — no infix here. Used heavily in counterfactuals: se finissi prima, ti raggiungerei ("if I finished earlier, I'd join you").

Imperativo

The infix appears in the same four positions as in the present indicative: finisci (tu), finisca (formal Lei), finiscano (formal loro). The noi and voi forms — finiamo, finite — are infix-free. Heard daily in commands: Finisci la minestra! (Finish your soup!), Finitela! (Cut it out!).

Forme non finite

The participle finito is regular and works double duty: as the participle in compound tenses (ho finito, è finito) and as a free-standing adjective meaning "finished, over, done" — un lavoro finito, una storia finita, è finita tra noi ("it's over between us").

The auxiliary split: avere or essere?

This is the critical lesson of finire — the rule is exact and applies to dozens of other verbs (cominciare, iniziare, terminare, continuare, durare):

• Transitive use (finire something — there is a direct object) → auxiliary avere, no agreement on the participle.
• Intransitive use (something finishes on its own — no direct object) → auxiliary essere, participle agrees with the subject.

The diagnostic question is simple: is there a direct object after finire, or is the verb intransitive? If you finished the book, dinner, the project — that's transitive, use avere. If the film, the war, the lesson finished by itself — that's intransitive, use essere.

Compound tenses

The participle finito combines with both auxiliaries depending on transitivity. Below is the full table for the most common compound tenses, in the transitive (avere) form. For the intransitive sense, swap avere → essere and add subject agreement on the participle (è finito, sono finite).

Finire di + infinitive: "to finish doing X"

The most frequent construction with finire in everyday speech is finire di + infinitive ("to finish doing X"). The preposition is fixed: always di, never a or per. Compare with cominciare, where the preposition is always a (cominciare a fare) — these are mirror-image patterns and learners must keep them separate.

Idiomatic expressions with finire

Finire is exceptionally rich in idioms — its core meaning of "ending" extends naturally into "ending up," "wrapping up," and "putting an end to."

Synonyms and antonym

• terminare — formal synonym, common in announcements and notices: Il volo termina alle 14:30 ("The flight terminates at 14:30"). Same auxiliary split as finire.
• concludere — to conclude, wrap up; slightly more "purposeful" finish, like a speech or negotiation. Always takes avere.
• smettere (di) — to stop, to quit. Closer to "stop doing" than "finish doing": ho smesso di fumare ("I quit smoking").
• portare a termine — to bring to completion, see something through. Set phrase, takes avere.
• cominciare / iniziare — antonyms, "to begin / start." Pair naturally with finire in proverbs and everyday speech: Hai cominciato tu, finiscila tu ("You started this, you finish it").

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

Finire is the productive model of the -isco subgroup of -ire verbs and a daily workhorse of Italian. Three things to internalise:

1. The -isc- infix is presente-only. It appears in four forms of the indicativo presente (io, tu, lui, loro), in the matching imperative forms, and in the singular plus 3pl of the congiuntivo presente. Everywhere else — imperfetto, passato remoto, future, conditional, gerundio — finire is conjugated on the plain stem fin- with regular -ire endings.

2. The auxiliary split is the daily error. Transitive (with a direct object): avere, no participle agreement — ho finito i compiti. Intransitive (subject is what ends): essere, participle agrees with subject — la festa è finita, le vacanze sono finite. The same logic applies to cominciare, iniziare, terminare, continuare and dozens of other transition verbs.

3. The construction is finire di + infinitive — never a, never per. This contrasts directly with cominciare a + infinitive. Drill the pair as a unit: cominciare a, finire di.

Once finire and cominciare are solid, you have the model for the whole transitivity-driven auxiliary system in Italian. The third member of the trio worth memorising alongside is preferire, which shares the -isco pattern but always takes avere (it is unambiguously transitive).