* Simple tenses: Present, Past (Perfetto), Future (Futuro Semplice)
* Compound tenses: Past Participle + auxiliary verb (avere or essere)
* Conditional tenses: Present (Condizionale Presente), Past (Condizionale Passato)
Here's a breakdown of the 16 tenses:
Simple Tenses:
1. Present: describes actions happening now
2. Past (Perfetto): describes completed actions in the past
3. Future (Futuro Semplice): describes actions that will happen in the future
Compound Tenses:
4. Present Perfect (Passato Prossimo): describes actions completed recently
5. Past Perfect (Trapassato Prossimo): describes actions completed before another past action
6. Future Perfect (Futuro Anteriore): describes actions that will be completed before another future action
7. Past Imperfect (Imperfetto): describes ongoing actions in the past
8. Past Anterior (Trapassato Remoto): describes actions completed before another past action (more distant than Trapassato Prossimo)
9. Future Anterior (Futuro Anteriore): describes actions that will be completed before another future action (more distant than Futuro Anteriore)
Conditional Tenses:
10. Present Conditional (Condizionale Presente): describes actions that would happen under certain conditions
11. Past Conditional (Condizionale Passato): describes actions that would have happened under certain conditions
Other Tenses:
12. Subjunctive Present: expresses possibility, doubt, or necessity
13. Subjunctive Imperfect: expresses actions that were possible in the past
14. Subjunctive Past Perfect (Perfetto): expresses actions that were completed before another past action
15. Subjunctive Past Anterior (Trapassato): expresses actions that were completed before another past action (more distant than the Perfetto)
16. Imperative: expresses commands or requests
It's worth noting that some of these tenses are rarely used in everyday conversation. However, understanding the entire spectrum of verb tenses is essential for mastering the Italian language and achieving fluency.