Do you know how to use the Italian verbs potere, volere, and dovere?
Those three verbs are modal verbs, and in this post, you’ll find a detailed explanation of how to use them.
What you’ll also find in this post are two PDF files that you can keep for future reference. One file is a printable version of this post, while the other is the Italian translation. You can find them in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my website where I upload all language learning material. You can access Your Italian Toolbox by subscribing to my newsletter.
But let’s now see how to use potere, volere, and dovere in Italian.
Potere, volere, and dovere are modal verbs, which means that they follow certain rules. The first and most important one is that they are followed by the infinitive:
Posso andare al cinema stasera? – Can I go to the movies tonight?
Voglio comprare una macchina nuova – I want to buy a new car
Usciamo stasera? No, devo studiare – Shall we go out tonight? No, I have to study
So you have to remember that the verb that follows potere, volere, and dovere is never conjugated; you always have to use it in the infinitive form.
In terms of meaning, potere corresponds to the English can, may, and be allowed to, volere corresponds to want and wish, and dovere corresponds to have to, must, and need to.
Additionally, they are all irregular, so you must study their conjugation very carefully.
But let’s see how to use them in detail.
Potere means to have the freedom, the power, the possibility to do something.
Posso andare al mare domani? – Can I go to the beach tomorrow?
Posso entrare in ufficio quando voglio perché sono il capo – I can go to the office whenever I want because I am the boss
I cani non possono entrare in questo negozio – Dogs are not allowed in this shop
The use of potere is very similar to that of can in English, but there is a difference: unlike English, potere in Italian is NOT used to express the ability to do something (to express that meaning, in Italian we use sapere).
See the difference:
Non posso nuotare oggi perché non mi sento bene – I can’t swim today because I don’t feel well
Non so nuotare, ma devo imparare perché è utile – I can’t swim, but I have to learn because it is useful
Volere means to want or to wish for something.
Voglio studiare l’italiano perché è una bella lingua – I want to study Italian because it is a beautiful language
I miei figli vogliono trasferirsi in America – My kids want to move to the States
Voglio andare al mare oggi perché fa bello – I want to go to the beach today because the weather is nice
Dovere means must, to have to, to need to, to be obligated to do something; it expresses the duty to do something.
Devo mettermi a dieta perché ho mangiato troppo ultimamente – I must start a diet because I have been eating too much lately
Vieni al mare? No, devo lavorare – Are you coming to the beach? No, I have to work.
Devi lavorare sodo se vuoi avere successo – You need to work hard if you want to succeed
Dovere also has a non-modal function and works as a standard verb. In that case, it means to owe and is not followed by the infinitive but by an object.
Ti devo dieci euro, non devo dimenticarmi! – I owe you 10 euros, I must not forget!
Finally, let’s see the passato prossimo of these modal verbs.
When you need to conjugate potere, volere, and dovere in passato prossimo, there is something you have to pay attention to. When it comes to choosing the auxiliary, you can use essere or avere, but the choice of the auxiliary depends on the verb that follows the modal.
If the verb that follows the modal verb is transitive (it takes a direct object), then you need to use avere:
Non ho potuto capire bene quello che stava dicendo – I couldn’t figure out exactly what he was saying (capire is transitive)
Ho dovuto studiare tutta la notte per l’esame – I had to study all night for the exam (studiare is transitive)
Non ho voluto chiedere troppe cose – I didn’t want to ask too many things (chiedere is transitive)
If the verb that follows the modal verb is intransitive (it does not take an object), then you need to use essere:
Non sono potuta andare al matrimonio perché non stavo bene – I couldn’t go to the wedding because I wasn’t feeling well (andare is intransitive)
Non sono dovuta tornare a casa presto, fortunatamente – I didn’t have to get back home early, luckily (tornare is intransitive)
Sono voluta venire alla festa solo per vedere te – I wanted to come to the party just to see you (venire is intransitive)
But there’s something you need to remember: if the verb that follows the modal is essere, then you must use the auxiliary avere.
Ho voluto essere qui con te per aiutarti – I wanted to be here with you to help you
Ho dovuto essere forte quando è morta mia madre – I had to be strong when my mom died
Non ho potuto essere al tuo matrimonio e mi dispiace – I couldn’t come to your wedding and I am sorry for that
Also, if the verb that follows the modal is reflexive, you have two options.
If the pronoun is before the verb, the auxiliary is essere:
Laura si è dovuta svegliare presto – Laura had to get up early
Non mi sono voluta pettinare perché sono pigra – I didn’t want to comb my hair because I am lazy
Ieri era festa e i bambini si sono potuti svegliare tardi – It was a holiday yesterday, and the kids could sleep late
If the pronoun is after the verb, the auxiliary is avere:
Laura ha dovuto svegliarsi presto – Laura had to get up early
Non ho voluto pettinarmi perché sono pigra – I didn’t want to comb my hair because I am lazy
Ieri era festa e i bambini hanno potuto svegliarsi tardi – It was a holiday yesterday, and the kids could sleep late
I hope this post about how to use potere, volere, and dovere in Italian was clear. If you have doubts or questions, just leave them in the comments below!
Remember that you can download the printable version of this post and its Italian translation. You can find both files in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language learning materials, under the section Grammar. If can access the page by simply subscribing to my newsletter.
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