The Italian futuro is regular almost everywhere, but a closed list of about 25 high-frequency verbs has irregular stems. These are the verbs you cannot avoid — essere, avere, andare, venire, fare, volere, dovere, potere, sapere, vedere. The good news, in three parts. First, the irregularity is in the stem only: every irregular verb takes the same regular endings (-ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno). Second, the irregular stems sort cleanly into three patterns with internal logic — they are not random. Third, the same stems serve the condizionale: every minute spent on this page also pays off when you reach the conditional. Learn them once, use them in two tenses.
The three patterns
| Pattern | What happens | Example verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of the unstressed vowel between stem and -r- | andare, avere, dovere, potere, sapere, vedere, vivere |
| The original consonant assimilates into a double r | essere, bere, venire, volere, rimanere, tenere, parere |
| Stem is identical to infinitive minus -e (no a→e shift) | fare, dare, stare |
These patterns aren't random oddities — they reflect the historical fusion of Vulgar Latin infinitive + habere. Andare habeo "I have to go" → andar-ò → andrò. The vowel that disappears is the unstressed vowel that simplified across centuries of speech. You don't need the etymology to use the forms, but if you wonder why the vowel falls out, that's the reason.
Pattern 1: Syncopated stems (vowel drops)
These verbs drop the unstressed vowel before the -r- of the future stem. The result is a stem ending in -r- preceded by a consonant.
| Verb | Stem | io form | noi form | loro form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| andare (to go) | andr- | andrò | andremo | andranno |
| avere (to have) | avr- | avrò | avremo | avranno |
| dovere (must / to have to) | dovr- | dovrò | dovremo | dovranno |
| potere (can / to be able) | potr- | potrò | potremo | potranno |
| sapere (to know) | sapr- | saprò | sapremo | sapranno |
| vedere (to see) | vedr- | vedrò | vedremo | vedranno |
| vivere (to live) | vivr- | vivrò | vivremo | vivranno |
| cadere (to fall) | cadr- | cadrò | cadremo | cadranno |
Domani andrò dal medico, non mi sento bene.
Tomorrow I'll go to the doctor, I don't feel well.
Avremo abbastanza tempo per visitare il museo?
Will we have enough time to visit the museum?
Dovrai studiare di più se vuoi passare l'esame.
You'll have to study more if you want to pass the exam.
Potrò venire alla festa solo dopo le nove.
I'll only be able to come to the party after nine.
Vedremo cosa succede, è ancora presto per dirlo.
We'll see what happens, it's still too early to say.
Pattern 2: Double-consonant stems (-rr-)
A second group has stems ending in -rr-. Historically the original final consonant of the stem assimilated to r when the r of the future ending arrived: venire habeo → ven-r-ò → verrò. The result is the distinctive double-r flavor of these forms.
| Verb | Stem | io form | noi form | loro form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| essere (to be) | sar- | sarò | saremo | saranno |
| bere (to drink) | berr- | berrò | berremo | berranno |
| venire (to come) | verr- | verrò | verremo | verranno |
| volere (to want) | vorr- | vorrò | vorremo | vorranno |
| rimanere (to stay) | rimarr- | rimarrò | rimarremo | rimarranno |
| tenere (to hold / keep) | terr- | terrò | terremo | terranno |
| parere (to seem) | parr- | parrà | parremo | parranno |
Essere is the odd one out: its stem is sar- (not err- or anything similar) — a unique formation inherited from a different Latin root entirely. Memorize sarò, sarai, sarà, saremo, sarete, saranno as a high-frequency block; you will use it constantly.
Domani sarò a Milano per lavoro.
Tomorrow I'll be in Milan for work.
Verrai alla mia festa di compleanno?
Will you come to my birthday party?
Vorrei un caffè, per favore.
I'd like a coffee, please. (conditional — same stem)
A pranzo berremo del Chianti.
At lunch we'll drink some Chianti.
Rimarremo a casa stasera, fa troppo freddo.
We'll stay home tonight, it's too cold.
Note that compounds of these verbs — intervenire, sostenere, mantenere, divenire, contenere, ottenere — inherit the same -rr- stem: interverrò, sosterrò, manterrò, diverrò, conterrò, otterrò.
Interverranno anche i ministri alla riunione.
The ministers will also be at the meeting (lit. 'will also intervene/take part').
Pattern 3: Fare, dare, stare — keep the infinitive stem
These three verbs do not undergo the -are class's usual a→e shift. Their futuro stems are simply the infinitive minus the final -e: far-, dar-, star-.
| Verb | Stem | io form | noi form | loro form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fare (to do / make) | far- | farò | faremo | faranno |
| dare (to give) | dar- | darò | daremo | daranno |
| stare (to stay / be) | star- | starò | staremo | staranno |
This is the simplest pattern of all: regular -are verbs become parler-, amer-, lavorer-; fare, dare, stare alone keep the -ar-. They are the holdouts.
Cosa farai questo weekend?
What will you do this weekend?
Ti darò la risposta domani mattina.
I'll give you the answer tomorrow morning.
Staremo a Roma una settimana.
We'll stay in Rome for a week.
Compounds inherit the irregularity
Every compound of an irregular verb takes the same irregular stem. This multiplies your coverage significantly.
| Base verb | Compounds (futuro stem inherited) |
|---|---|
| venire (verr-) | intervenire (interverr-), avvenire (avverr-), divenire (diverr-), prevenire (preverr-) |
| tenere (terr-) | mantenere (manterr-), ottenere (otterr-), sostenere (sosterr-), contenere (conterr-) |
| vedere (vedr-) | prevedere (prevedr-), rivedere (rivedr-), provvedere (provvedr-) |
| fare (far-) | rifare (rifar-), disfare (disfar-), soddisfare (soddisfar-) |
| dire (dir-)* | predire, contraddire, disdire — all use dir- |
Note on *dire: its futuro stem is just dir- (dirò, dirai, dirà, diremo, direte, diranno). Some references list it as irregular because the infinitive is dire (one syllable when stressed), but mechanically you just drop the final -e — exactly like a regular -ire verb.
Ti dirò tutto stasera, non posso parlare adesso.
I'll tell you everything tonight, I can't talk now.
Manterrò la mia promessa, ho dato la mia parola.
I'll keep my promise, I gave my word.
The same stems serve the condizionale
Here is the payoff for learning these stems. The condizionale uses the same stems as the futuro, just with different endings (-ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero).
| Verb | Futuro (io) | Condizionale (io) |
|---|---|---|
| essere | sarò | sarei |
| avere | avrò | avrei |
| andare | andrò | andrei |
| volere | vorrò | vorrei |
| venire | verrò | verrei |
| fare | farò | farei |
Vorrei un caffè e un cornetto, grazie.
I'd like a coffee and a croissant, thanks.
Andrei volentieri al cinema, ma sono troppo stanca.
I'd happily go to the cinema, but I'm too tired.
This is one of the rare places in Italian morphology where learning is genuinely additive: every irregular futuro you internalize hands you the corresponding condizionale for free. See conditional irregular stems for the full parallel.
High-frequency uses in real Italian
These irregular verbs appear in some of the most common futuro constructions in spoken and written Italian.
Sarà un piacere conoscerla.
It will be a pleasure to meet you. (formal)
Avrà ragione lei, non discuto.
She must be right, I won't argue. (futuro for supposition about the present)
Verrai a trovarmi quando torni in Italia, vero?
You'll come visit me when you're back in Italy, right?
Non potrò venire al matrimonio, mi dispiace tantissimo.
I won't be able to come to the wedding, I'm so sorry.
Faremo del nostro meglio, te lo prometto.
We'll do our best, I promise.
Common mistakes
❌ Domani anderò a Roma.
Incorrect — andare's stem is andr-, not ander-. The vowel drops out.
✅ Domani andrò a Roma.
Correct — io form: andrò.
❌ Sarerò felice di vederti.
Incorrect — essere's stem is sar-, not sarer-. There's only one r and one e.
✅ Sarò felice di vederti.
Correct — io form: sarò.
❌ Verirò domani sera.
Incorrect — venire's stem is verr-, with double r. Not ver- or veni-.
✅ Verrò domani sera.
Correct — io form: verrò.
❌ Faerò la spesa più tardi.
Incorrect — fare keeps the -ar-: stem is far-, not faer-. (And it never shifts to fer-, either.)
✅ Farò la spesa più tardi.
Correct — io form: farò.
❌ Vorò un caffè.
Incorrect — volere's stem is vorr-, with double r. Vorò would be a non-existent word.
✅ Vorrò un caffè più tardi. / Vorrei un caffè.
Correct — vorrò is the futuro io form; vorrei is the more usual condizionale for polite requests.
❌ Manterrò della tua casa mentre sei via.
Incorrect — the verb intended is probably 'occuparmi di' or 'prendermi cura di'. Mantenere here is the wrong verb. But the stem is right!
✅ Mi prenderò cura della tua casa mentre sei via.
Correct — vocabulary issue, not stem issue. Manterrò is correctly formed but means 'I will maintain'.
Key takeaways
Three patterns cover everything. Syncopated (avr-, andr-, dovr-, potr-, sapr-, vedr-, vivr-, cadr-). Double-r (sar-, berr-, verr-, vorr-, rimarr-, terr-, parr-). Infinitive-stem (far-, dar-, star-).
Endings are always regular. Whatever the stem, you add -ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno. No exceptions.
Compounds inherit the stem. Manterrò (from tenere), interverrò (from venire), prevedrò (from vedere). Your investment compounds.
The same stems serve the condizionale. Every irregular futuro is also a condizionale waiting for different endings. Sarò / sarei. Vorrò / vorrei. Andrò / andrei.
Essere is sar-, not "err-". It's the most frequent verb in the language; learn its forms cold.
For the regular -are/-ere/-ire futuro paradigms, see regular formation. For the wider role of the futuro in Italian — including its surprising use for guessing about the present — see il futuro semplice: overview. For the parallel set of stems in the condizionale, see conditional irregular stems.
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Il Futuro Semplice: OverviewA2 — Italian's simple future — uniform endings across all three conjugation classes, one orthographic trap to avoid, and a surprising secondary use for guessing about the present.
- Futuro Semplice: Regular VerbsA2 — How to conjugate regular -are, -ere, and -ire verbs in the simple future — and how to navigate the small but unforgiving orthographic gymnastics of the -are class.
- Condizionale Presente: Regular FormationA2 — How to form the regular condizionale presente — and the one-letter difference between parleremo and parleremmo that every learner gets wrong at least once.
- Condizionale Presente: Irregular StemsA2 — Nineteen high-frequency verbs use irregular stems in the condizionale — exactly the same stems they use in the futuro. Learn them once, use them twice.
- Presente: Essere (to be)A1 — How to conjugate essere — the most important irregular verb in Italian — and how to navigate the situations where Italian uses avere where English uses 'to be'.