Uscire: Full Conjugation

Uscire (to go out, to leave a place, to exit) is one of the most common motion verbs in Italian. It's a third-conjugation (-ire) verb with one striking irregularity: a vowel shift between stressed and unstressed forms. When the stem is stressed (the so-called "boot" forms — io, tu, lui, loro), the u of uscire shifts to e: esco, esci, esce, escono. When the stress falls on the ending (noi, voi), the u returns: usciamo, uscite.

This pattern — sometimes called the u/e alternation — is unique to uscire and its compound riuscire (to succeed, to manage to). It is not a productive rule that applies to other -ire verbs; you can't generalise it. But once you've learned the shape, it's intuitive: stressed forms take esc-, unstressed forms take usc-.

Beyond conjugation, uscire sits at the centre of two distinctive Italian constructions: the idiom uscire di casa (with no article — meaning "to leave one's own home") versus uscire da + article ("to leave [some other building]"), and its broader social meaning, where uscire con + person means "to date / to go out with."

Indicativo presente

The classic "shoe" or "boot" pattern: four stressed forms with the esc- stem (io, tu, lui, loro) and two unstressed forms with the usc- stem (noi, voi). Pronunciation note: in Italian the cluster sc is soft [ʃ] (like English sh) before e or i, but hard [sk] before a, o, or u. So esci and esce take the soft sound (eh-shee, eh-sheh), while esco and escono take the hard sound (eh-sko, eh-sko-no). In usciamo the sc is followed by a written i that acts as a silent glide signalling palatalisation, so the cluster is again soft (oo-shaa-mo).

Imperfetto

The imperfetto is completely regular and built on the predictable usc- stem with standard -ire endings. The vowel shift disappears entirely because the stress now falls on the ending throughout the paradigm.

This is the workhorse for past habits ("we used to go out") and ongoing background ("I was leaving the house when…"): the imperfect of uscire often pairs with the passato prossimo of another verb to give the classic background-plus-event structure.

Passato remoto

A fully regular -ire passato remoto. Note uscii (with two i's — stem usc- + ending -ii) and uscì (with the obligatory grave accent on the stressed final i, distinguishing it from forms of other verbs). The accent on uscì is not optional — without it, you've written nothing recognisable.

Futuro semplice

The future is fully regular — third-conjugation verbs simply add the future endings to the infinitive stem (without contraction). No vowel shift here because the stem is unstressed.

The verb's broader meaning ("to come out, to be released") makes the future especially common in talking about books, films, and products: Il libro uscirà a settembre ("The book will come out in September").

Condizionale presente

Fully regular conditional. As always, watch the double m in usciremmo (conditional) versus single-m usciremo (future). And the conditional pairs naturally with hypothetical structures: Se non avessi tanto da fare, uscirei più spesso ("If I didn't have so much to do, I'd go out more often").

Congiuntivo presente

The same u/e shift that governs the indicative also governs the subjunctive: the four stressed forms (the three singulars and loro) take esc-, the two unstressed forms (noi and voi) take usc-. The three singulars collapse into esca — context disambiguates.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Fully regular -ire imperfect subjunctive on the predictable usc- stem. Used in hypotheticals and after past-tense subjunctive triggers.

Imperativo

The imperative follows the standard pattern: tu and voi borrow the indicative (esci, uscite), Lei and loro borrow the subjunctive (esca, escano), and noi uses the same form for indicative, subjunctive, and imperative. The vowel shift continues to play out: esci! (singular informal) but usciamo! (let's go out!).

Forme non finite

The participio passato uscito is regular. Because uscire takes essere as auxiliary, the participle agrees with the subject: uscito (m.sg.), uscita (f.sg.), usciti (m.pl. or mixed), uscite (f.pl.).

Compound tenses

Uscire is an intransitive verb of motion (specifically, motion away from a place), so it takes essere as its auxiliary in all compound tenses. The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number — exactly like an adjective.

Uscire di casa vs uscire da

A subtle but high-frequency distinction: when the place you're leaving is your own home, Italian says uscire di casa with no article. When it's any other building, you use uscire da + article.

The bare di casa construction (no article) is parallel to other Italian set phrases that drop the article when referring to one's own private space: a casa (at home), in cucina (in the kitchen), a letto (in bed). It signals the home as a familiar, default place rather than a specific building.

Uscire con: dating

A second high-frequency idiomatic use: uscire con + person means "to date" or "to go out with" in the romantic sense. This is the standard, neutral way to describe a dating relationship in Italian — there's no need for elaborate alternatives.

Riuscire: same pattern

The compound riuscire ("to succeed, to manage to") follows exactly the same paradigm as uscire, including the u/e vowel shift: riesco, riesci, riesce, riusciamo, riuscite, riescono. It also takes essere as auxiliary, with full agreement: sono riuscito a finire ("I managed to finish").

The construction is riuscire a + infinitive — note the obligatory preposition a, which uscire itself does not require.

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

Uscire is a high-frequency motion verb whose only major irregularity is the u/e vowel shift in the stressed forms of the present indicative, present subjunctive, and imperative. Memorise the boot: esc- in the four stressed forms, usc- in noi and voi.

Three points to internalise:

1. Auxiliary is essere, with full agreement. Sono uscito (m.), sono uscita (f.), siamo usciti (m.pl.), siamo uscite (f.pl.). Get the agreement right or the sentence sounds off.

2. Uscire di casa, uscire da + article. Bare di casa for one's own home; da + article for everywhere else. Esco di casa but Esco dall'ufficio.

3. Riuscire follows the same paradigm with the same vowel shift, plus the obligatory preposition a before an infinitive: Non riesco a finire ("I can't manage to finish").

Once uscire is solid, look at the parallel motion verbs andare, venire, and partire — they share the essere auxiliary and full subject agreement, even though their irregularities follow different patterns.