A periphrastic construction is a multi-word verbal expression whose meaning is not just the sum of its parts. Italian has a rich inventory of these — finely tuned ways of saying that an action is in progress, about to start, just about to end, gradually unfolding, or being undertaken on the way somewhere. English handles many of these with auxiliary verbs (be going to, be about to, keep on); Italian handles them with a verb-preposition-verb pattern that you must learn as a system.
This page consolidates the entire inventory in one place, then gives you a decision tree for picking the right one. For deep dives on individual constructions, follow the cross-references.
The full inventory
| Construction | Aspect | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| stare + gerundio | progressive | to be doing (right now) | sto parlando |
| stare per + infinito | imminent | to be about to do | sto per partire |
| andare a + infinito | motion + purpose | to go (in order) to do | vado a comprare il pane |
| venire a + infinito | motion + purpose | to come (in order) to do | vengo a trovarti |
| venire da + infinito | recent past (regional) | to have just done | vengo da fare la spesa |
| cominciare a / iniziare a + infinito | inchoative | to start doing | ho cominciato a studiare |
| mettersi a + infinito | ingressive | to set about, to launch into | si è messo a cantare |
| finire di + infinito | terminative | to finish doing | ho finito di leggere |
| smettere di + infinito | cessative | to stop, to quit doing | ha smesso di fumare |
| continuare a + infinito | continuative | to keep doing | continuo a studiare |
| riprendere a + infinito | resumptive | to resume, start again | ho ripreso a fumare |
| rimettersi a + infinito | resumptive | to take up again | mi sono rimesso a studiare |
| tornare a + infinito | repetitive | to do again | spero di tornare a vederti |
| fermarsi a + infinito | parenthetic | to stop (off) to do | fermiamoci a mangiare |
| andare + gerundio | gradual progression | to gradually be doing | la situazione va migliorando |
| venire + gerundio | literary progression | to come to be (literary) | viene maturando |
The progressive family
Stare + gerundio — action in progress right now
The classic present progressive. Sto parlando = I am speaking (right at this very moment).
Sto leggendo un libro bellissimo.
I'm reading a wonderful book (right now).
Cosa stavi facendo quando ti ho chiamato?
What were you doing when I called you?
Use sparingly. The simple presente already covers most "ongoing action" contexts. See the extended treatment for the full discussion.
Andare + gerundio — gradual progression
Marks an action that builds up over time. Common with verbs of changing state (migliorare, peggiorare, aumentare, crescere).
I prezzi vanno aumentando da mesi.
Prices have been gradually rising for months.
Le sue capacità vanno migliorando.
His skills are gradually improving.
Venire + gerundio — literary, rare
Same gradual sense as andare + gerundio but viewed from a backward perspective. Almost exclusively written/literary.
Le sue convinzioni vengono cambiando con il tempo.
His convictions have been gradually changing with time. (literary)
The imminent: stare per + infinito
Stare per + infinitive = to be about to + infinitive. The action is on the verge of happening but hasn't started yet. This is the standard Italian way to express imminence.
Sto per uscire, ti chiamo dopo.
I'm about to go out, I'll call you back.
Il treno sta per partire!
The train is about to leave!
Stavo per dirti la stessa cosa.
I was about to tell you the same thing.
Motion-plus-purpose: andare a, venire a, venire da
Italian uses andare a + infinitive and venire a + infinitive to express going/coming somewhere in order to do something. The construction is literal — there is real motion, and the infinitive states the purpose.
Vado a comprare il pane, torno subito.
I'm going to buy bread, I'll be right back.
Vieni a trovarmi quando vuoi.
Come visit me whenever you want.
Sono andati a vedere un film.
They went to see a movie.
Important: andare a + infinitive in Italian is NOT the future construction that English be going to has become. Vado a parlare con lui means "I'm going (physically) to speak with him" — there is implied motion. To say I'm going to study tomorrow in the sense of intention, use the simple futuro (studierò) or the simple presente (studio domani).
Venire da + infinitive is regional (mostly Northern Italy, especially the Veneto and surrounding areas) and means "to have just done." Standard Italian uses avere appena + participio instead.
Vengo da fare la spesa.
I've just done the shopping. (Northern regional)
Ho appena fatto la spesa.
I've just done the shopping. (standard)
The aspectual phases: starting, finishing, stopping, continuing
Six core verbs mark the phase of an action. Each takes a fixed preposition: a for start/continue/resume, di for finish/stop. See the aspectual periphrases page for the full treatment.
Cominciamo a lavorare alle nove.
We start work at nine.
Ho finito di leggere il libro ieri.
I finished reading the book yesterday.
Smetti di lamentarti, per favore.
Stop complaining, please.
Continuo a pensare a quello che mi hai detto.
I keep thinking about what you told me.
Mettersi a, fermarsi a — physical-to-aspectual
Two reflexive constructions extend the aspectual system with a more physical or vivid feel.
Mettersi a + infinitive = to set about, to plunge into, to start in on. More energetic than cominciare a.
Si è messo a piangere appena ha sentito la notizia.
He burst into tears as soon as he heard the news.
Fermarsi a + infinitive = to stop off (somewhere) to do something. Combines pause with parenthetical action.
Ci fermiamo a mangiare un panino prima di partire.
We'll stop to grab a sandwich before leaving.
Decision tree: which periphrasis do I need?
Use this tree to pick the right construction for the meaning you want.
1. Is the action happening right now?
- Yes, and you want to emphasize the moment → stare + gerundio (sto parlando)
- Yes, but it's a habit, profession, or general state → simple presente (lavoro in banca)
2. Is the action about to start, but hasn't yet?
- → stare per + infinito (sto per partire)
3. Is there literal motion + a purpose?
- Going somewhere to do X → andare a + infinito (vado a comprare il pane)
- Coming somewhere to do X → venire a + infinito (vieni a trovarmi)
4. Are you marking a phase of the action?
- Starting → cominciare a / iniziare a / (with energy) mettersi a
- Finishing → finire di
- Stopping / quitting → smettere di
- Continuing → continuare a
- Resuming → riprendere a / rimettersi a / (do again) tornare a
5. Is the change gradual, building up over time?
- → andare + gerundio (va migliorando)
6. Did you just finish doing something?
- Standard → avere appena + participio (ho appena finito)
- Northern regional → venire da + infinito (vengo da finire)
Cross-construction interactions
Periphrastic constructions can stack — though piling them up gets clumsy fast. Common combinations:
Sto cominciando a capire.
I'm starting to understand.
Sta per smettere di piovere.
It's about to stop raining.
Continuiamo ad andare a comprare il pane lì.
We keep going to buy bread there.
The principle: each periphrastic verb is itself a verb, and can be embedded in another periphrastic construction, but the gerundio cannot stack with itself. You can't say sto stando parlando.
English-to-Italian: which English structure maps to which Italian construction?
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| I am eating (right now) | sto mangiando |
| I eat (habit) | mangio |
| I am about to eat | sto per mangiare |
| I'm going to eat (intention/future) | mangerò / mangio (con tempo) |
| I'm going (out) to eat | vado a mangiare |
| I started eating | ho cominciato a mangiare |
| I finished eating | ho finito di mangiare |
| I stopped eating | ho smesso di mangiare |
| I keep eating | continuo a mangiare |
| I just ate | ho appena mangiato |
| The situation is gradually improving | la situazione va migliorando |
Common mistakes
❌ Vado a studiare domani all'università.
Awkward as a future — implies physical going. Better: 'studio domani' or 'studierò domani'.
✅ Domani studio all'università.
Correct — Italian doesn't grammaticalize 'going to' as a future.
❌ Sto mangiando ogni giorno alle otto.
Incorrect — habits don't take the progressive.
✅ Mangio ogni giorno alle otto.
Correct — habits use the simple presente.
❌ Sto per mangiando.
Incorrect — stare per takes the infinitive, not the gerundio.
✅ Sto per mangiare.
Correct — stare per + infinito.
❌ Ho cominciato studiare.
Incorrect — missing 'a'.
✅ Ho cominciato a studiare.
Correct — cominciare a + infinitivo.
❌ Ho finito a leggere.
Incorrect — finire takes 'di', not 'a'.
✅ Ho finito di leggere.
Correct — finire di + infinitivo.
Key takeaways
Italian periphrastic constructions cluster into four families:
- Progressives (action in progress): stare + gerundio, plus the rarer andare/venire + gerundio.
- Imminence: stare per + infinito.
- Motion + purpose: andare a / venire a + infinito (with regional venire da for recent past).
- Aspectual phases: cominciare a, finire di, smettere di, continuare a, plus mettersi a, riprendere a, tornare a.
The two patterns to internalize: progressive verbs take the gerundio, while phase verbs take the infinitive with a fixed preposition (a or di). Memorize each verb-preposition pair as a unit, learn the boundary between the simple presente and the progressive, and you have the entire system.
Each construction has its own page with full detail; this is the map. Start from a meaning you want to express, follow the decision tree, then drill the chosen pattern until it surfaces automatically.
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Stare + Gerundio: Progressive (Extended)A1 — How Italian builds the progressive with stare + gerundio — when to use it, when to avoid it, and why this construction is rarer in Italian than in English.
- Aspectual Periphrases: cominciare a, finire di, smettere di, continuare aA2 — Italian uses a small family of aspectual verbs — to start, to stop, to continue, to resume — each followed by a fixed preposition before the infinitive. Get the prepositions right and you sound native; get them wrong and you give yourself away in three words.
- Stare per + Infinitive: Imminent FutureA2 — How to say 'about to' in Italian — the stare per + infinitive periphrasis that locates an action on the very edge of happening, and how to keep it apart from stare + gerundio and the futuro semplice.
- Andare a + Infinitive: Not a Future MarkerA2 — Why 'vado a mangiare' does NOT mean 'I'm going to eat' in the English sense — Italian keeps andare a literal, and the English/Spanish 'going to' future has no Italian equivalent.
- Il Gerundio: OverviewA2 — Italian's non-finite -ando / -endo form — what it is, what it does, and how it differs from the English '-ing' that learners always want to map onto it.