Vedere in Italian means to see and can also be used to mean to understand and, in a social context, to meet, in the same way as in English. Vedere can also mean to watch (TV, a film or a game) but mainly when used in the past tense, as vedere conveys the action of “seeing” rather than attentively watching. Vedere is an irregular verb, and so it does not vary in a regular way throughout its conjugation. It belongs to the Italian second conjugation, where the infinitive form ends in -ere.
Keep reading to find out more on how to conjugate the verb vedere in all its tenses and moods, and for examples of its usage.
Present indicative conjugation of vedere (indicativo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the present indicative tense.
| Vedere in the present indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the present indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vedo | I see |
| Tu vedi | You see |
| Lui/ lei vede | He/ she sees |
| Noi vediamo | We see |
| Voi vedete | You (pl) see |
| Loro vedono | They see |
You can use vedere in the present tense to talk about things that you see right now, in a physical or abstract sense, or for actions which involve seeing in the future, if they are going to happen with certainty.
Use vedere in the present tense:
- To talk about your physical ability to see in the present moment
- Mario non vede molto bene perchè ha dimenticato gli occhiali (Mario can’t see very well because he has forgotten his glasses)
- To talk about what you see right now, in the sense of understanding or noticing
- Loro non vedono dov’è il problema (they can’t see where the problem is)
- To talk about someone you have planned to meet in the future
- Tra due settimane vedo Giovanni (I’m seeing Giovanni in two weeks) – The present tense of vedere can be used to convey a future action that is definitely going to happen. A tense that translates this well into English is the present continuous.
Present perfect indicative conjugation of vedere (passato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the present perfect indicative tense.
| Vedere in the present perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the present perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io ho visto | I have seen | I saw |
| Tu hai visto | You have seen | You saw |
| Lui/ lei ha visto | He/ she has seen | He/ she saw |
| Noi abbiamo visto | We have seen | We saw |
| Voi avete visto | You (pl.) have seen | You saw |
| Loro hanno visto | They have seen | They saw |
Should I use an essere or avere auxiliary with vedere?
To form the present perfect tense in Italian, you need to know whether to use the essere or avere auxiliary.
The verb vedere takes the avere auxiliary most of the time, because the action of seeing is directly carried out onto something or someone (a direct object). However, if you are conveying a reflexive (like “I see myself”), reciprocal (like “we see each other”) or impersonal (like “is seen”/”you’ve seen”) action, you should use the essere auxiliary.
For example:
- Il gatto si è spaventato quando si è visto allo specchio (the cat got scared when it saw itself in the mirror) – use the essere auxiliary in a situation like this because the action of seeing is reflexive (itself).
- Ci siamo visti ieri (we saw each other yesterday) – use the essere auxiliary in a situation like this because the action of seeing is reciprocal (each other).
- Una cosa cosi non si è vista mai (you’ve never seen something like this) – use the essere auxiliary in a sitaution like this because the action of seeing is impersonal / a generic “you”
Whenever a verb takes the essere auxiliary, the past participle part of the present perfect must match the subject of the sentence in gender and number. For example il gatto (masculine) matches with si è visto (masculine past participle).
How to use the present perfect tense of vedere
The present perfect tense of vedere is used to talk about seeing something or someone at a certain point in the past. By using the present perfect tense, you emphasise a particular moment in the past, rather than a continuous or ongoing action.
Remember that vedere can take an essere auxiliary in the present perfect tense if it is used in a reflexive, reciprocal or impersonal way.
Use the Italian verb vedere in the present perfect tense:
- To talk about when you physically saw something or someone
- Sulla strada di casa, ho visto una volpe (on the way home I saw a fox)
- To talk about when you saw something in an abstract sense
- Hai visto che risultato professionale ha ottenuto? (did you see what a professional result he/ she obtained?)
Imperfect indicative conjugation of vedere (imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the imperfect indicative tense.
| Vedere in the imperfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the imperfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vedevo | I saw | I used to see |
| Tu vedevi | You saw | You used to see |
| Lui/ lei vedeva | He/she saw | He/she used to see |
| Noi vedevamo | We saw | We used to see |
| Voi vedevate | You (pl.) saw | You used to see |
| Loro vedevano | They saw | They used to see |
The Italian verb vedere in the imperfect tense is used to talk about things or people that you used to see over a period of time or routinely in the past.
Use vedere in the imperfect tense:
- To talk about things or people that you used to physically see in the past
- Durante la vacanza, in genere la sera vedevamo un film (during the holiday, in the evening we would usually watch a film)
- To talk about things you used to see in an abstract sense
- Prima dell’ incidente non vedevano quanto erano fortunati (before the accident, they didn’t see how lucky they were) – Here the imperfect tense conveys the idea that they didn’t see how lucky they were throughout the period of time before the accident
Past perfect indicative conjugation of vedere (trapassato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the past perfect indicative tense.
| Vedere in the past perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the past perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avevo visto | I had had seen |
| Tu avevi visto | You had had seen |
| Lui/ lei aveva visto | He/ she had had seen |
| Noi avevamo visto | We had had seen |
| Voi avevate visto | You had had seen |
| Loro avevano visto | They had had seen |
The Italian verb vedere in the past perfect tense is used to set the action of seeing something or someone further back in the past than another event in the sentence.
Remember that vedere can take an essere auxiliary in the present perfect tense if it is used in a reflexive, reciprocal or impersonal way.
Use vedere in the past perfect tense:
- To describe seeing someone or something before a certain event which happened in the past
- Quando è arrivato il nostro turno dal dottore, lui aveva già visto venti pazienti (when our turn came at the doctor’s, he had already seen twenty patients)
Remote past indicative conjugation of vedere (passato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the remote past indicative tense.
| Vedere in the remote past indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the remote past indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vidi | I saw |
| Tu vedesti | You saw |
| Lui/ lei vide | He/ she saw |
| Noi vedemmo | We saw |
| Voi vedeste | You (pl.) saw |
| Loro videro | They saw |
The remote past indicative of vedere is most likely to be found in written language, such as novels, articles or essays. This tense is mostly used to talk about facts in history or as part of a story.
Use the remote past tense of vedere:
- To describe seeing something or someone as part of history or within a story
- All’ improvviso vide una forte luce (all of a sudden he/ she saw a strong light)
Preterite perfect indicative conjugation of vedere (trapassato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the preterite perfect indicative tense.
| Vedere in the preterite perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the preterite perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io ebbi visto | I had seen |
| Tu avesti visto | You had seen |
| Lui/ lei ebbe visto | He/ she had seen |
| Noi avemmo visto | We had seen |
| Voi aveste visto | You (pl.) had seen |
| Loro ebbero visto | They had seen |
The preterite perfect tense of the verb vedere is most likely to be found in written language such as novels, articles and essays, and is rarely used in spoken Italian today. The Italian preterite perfect is used to set an action further back in the past than another action in the remote past.
Remember that vedere can take an essere auxiliary in the present perfect tense if it is used in a reflexive, reciprocal or impersonal way.
Use the preterite perfect indicative of vedere:
- To describe seeing something or someone prior to other actions in the sentence which are in the remote past
- Dopo che ebbe visto una forte luce, sentì che stava per svenire (after seeing a strong light, he/ she felt that he/ she was about to faint)
Simple future indicative conjugation of vedere (futuro semplice)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the simple future indicative tense.
| Vedere in the simple future indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the simple future indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vedrò | I will see |
| Tu vedrai | You will see |
| Lui/ lei vedrà | He/ she will see |
| Noi vedremo | We will see |
| Voi vedrete | You (pl.) will see |
| Loro vedranno | They will see |
The simple future tense of the verb vedere in Italian is used to describe the action of seeing something or someone which will happen with certainty in the future.
Use the simple future tense of vedere:
- To say who or what you will physically see in the near or distant future
- L’ anno prossimo vedremo la costruzione di questo quartiere (next year we’ll see this neighbourhood be built)
- To say what you will see/ assess/ judge in the near or distant future
- Domani ci parleremo e vedremo come si sente (we’ll speak to him/ her tomorrow and see how he/ she feels)
Future perfect indicative conjugation of vedere (futuro anteriore)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the future perfect indicative tense.
| Vedere in the future perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the future perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avrò visto | I will have seen |
| Tu avrai visto | You will have seen |
| Lui/ lei avrà visto | He/ she will have seen |
| Noi avremo visto | We will have seen |
| Voi avrete visto | You (pl.) will have seen |
| Loro avranno visto | They will have seen |
The future perfect tense of vedere in Italian is used when the future action of seeing something or someone will happen before other future actions or events.
Remember that vedere can take an essere auxiliary in the present perfect tense if it is used in a reflexive, reciprocal or impersonal way.
Use the future perfect tense of vedere:
- To talk about seeing something or someone, whether physically or in an abstract way, before another action in the future
- Domani, prima di lasciarla partire avranno visto come si sente (tomorrow, before letting her leave, they’ll have seen how she feels)
Present conditional conjugation of vedere (condizionale presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the present conditional tense.
| Vedere in the present conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the present conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vedrei | I would see |
| Tu vedresti | You would see |
| Lui/ lei vedrebbe | He/ she would see |
| Noi vedremmo | We would see |
| Voi vedreste | You would see |
| Loro vedrebbero | They would see |
Use the present conditional tense of vedere in Italian to express the possibility of seeing something or someone and to make if clauses. In Italian if clauses, the present conditional tense is used in combination with the present subjunctive.
Here is how you can use the present conditional tense of vedere:
- To make a hypothetical sentence about seeing something or someone, in a physical or abstract sense
- Se avessi gli occhiali giusti, vedrei meglio (if I had the right glasses, I would see better)
Past perfect conditional conjugation of vedere (condizionale passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the past perfect conditional tense.
| Vedere in the past perfect conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the past perfect conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io avrei visto | I would have seen |
| Tu avresti visto | You would have seen |
| Lui/ lei avrebbe visto | He/ she would have seen |
| Noi avremmo visto | We would have seen |
| Voi avreste visto | You would have seen |
| Loro avrebbero visto | They would have seen |
You can use the past perfect conditional tense of vedere in Italian to describe something or someone you would have seen in the past, or to indicate that you will see something or someone within a sentence in the past. For if clauses in the past, the past perfect conditional tense is used in combination with the past perfect subjunctive.
Remember that vedere can take an essere auxiliary in the present perfect tense if it is used in a reflexive, reciprocal or impersonal way.
Here is how you can use the past perfect conditional tense of conoscere:
- To talk about the past possibility of seeing something or someone
- Se fossi rimasto fino alla fine della serata, avresti visto la parte più bella del film (If you had stayed until the end of the evening, you would have seen the best part of the film)
- To indicate seeing in the future within a sentence in the past
- Non sapevamo che cosa avremmo visto (We didn’t know what we would see) – Here the past perfect avremmo visto indicates an action in the future from the perspective of non sapevamo.
Imperative conjugation of vedere (imperativo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the imperative mood. The verb vedere in the imperative mood is best translated into English as “get to know” or “know”.
| Vedere in the imperative mood (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the imperative mood (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Tu) vedi | See |
| (Noi) vediamo | Let’s see |
| (Voi) vedete | See (pl) |
You can use the imperative mood of the verb vedere in Italian to make an invitation (“let’s” in English) or give an order.
For example:
- To invite someone to see something
- Vediamo (let’s see)
Present and past infinitive conjugation of vedere (infinito presente e passato)
The table below shows the infinitive form of the verb vedere in the present and past tense.
| Vedere in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Vedere | To see / seeing |
| Avere visto | Having seen |
The infinitive form of the verb vedere in Italian, both past and present tense, can be used:
- To indicate whether you like or don’t like seeing something/ someone (after the verb “mi piace”)
- Mi piacerebbe vedere i miei cugini più spesso (I’d like to see my cousins more often)
- After a verb-preposition combination which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as “cercare di…”
- Cerca di vedere se fosse possibile avere un appuntamento (try to see if it might be possible to get an appointment)
- After a verb which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as “voglio”, “posso”, “devo”
- Posso vedere? (can I see?)
- In general, as the subject or object of a sentence
- Vedere bene è importante per questo tipo di lavoro (seeing well is important for this kind of job)
Past participle tense of vedere (participio passato)
The past participle tense of vedere is visto. This is used in conjunction with the auxiliary avere or essere to form the present perfect tense:
For example:
- Non ho mai visto una cosa simile (I’ve never seen something like this)
The present participle tense of vedere is vedente/ vedenti. This is used as a noun, but is technically a verb. The singular vedente means “the person who sees”, but it is extremely rare to see this used as a noun. The negative non vedente or non vedenti is used often, with the meaning of “sight impaired”.
For example:
- Questa pavimentazione è stata costruita per i non vedenti (this paving was built for the sight impaired)
Present and past gerund conjugation of vedere (gerundio presente e passato)
The table below shows the gerund mood of the Italian verb vedere in the present and past tense forms.
| Vedere in the present and past gerund (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the present and past gerund (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Vedendo | Seeing |
| Avendo visto | Having seen |
The present and past tense of vedere are used to talk about living situations which are ongoing right now or in this period of time (preceded by the verb “stare”), or to express causality in a sentence.
Use the gerund of vedere:
- To talk about seeing something or someone right now or in this period of time
- In questi giorni stiamo vedendo molti film interessanti (we are seeing many interesting films these days)
- In a phrase that is connected to another phrase and expresses causality
- Vedendo la gravità della situazione, hanno deciso che bisognava agire (seeing the gravity of the situation, they decided that there was a need to act)
Present subjunctive conjugation of vedere (congiuntivo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the present subjunctive tense.
| Vedere in the present subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the present subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io veda | (That) I see |
| (Che) tu veda | (That) you see |
| (Che) lui/ lei veda | (That) he/she sees |
| (Che) noi vediamo | (That) we see |
| (Che) voi vediate | (That) you (pl.) see |
| (Che) loro vedano | (That) they see |
The present tense subjunctive of vedere is used within a dependent clause that contains an action in the present or future. This can often be introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu lo veda (I’d like you to see it).
To be grammatically correct in Italian, there are several cases where use of the subjunctive is needed. If you are learning Italian, it can be tricky to understand when to use the subjunctive. It might be helpful to bear in mind, however, that more and more Italians now choose to not use the subjunctive in spoken informal Italian, and limit it to writing or more formal situations.
Use the present subjunctive of vedere:
- To talk about seeing something or someone within a dependent clause
- Gli ho consigliato che veda un medico (I advised that he sees a doctor)
Present perfect subjunctive conjugation of vedere (congiuntivo passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the present perfect subjunctive tense.
| Vedere in the perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io abbia visto | (That) I saw / have seen |
| (Che) tu abbia visto | (That) you saw / have seen |
| (Che) lui/ lei abbia visto | (That) he/she saw / have seen |
| (Che) noi abbiamo visto | (That) we saw / have seen |
| (Che) voi abbiate visto | (That) you (pl.) saw / have seen |
| (Che) loro abbiano visto | (That) they saw / have seen |
The present perfect subjunctive of vedere is used within a dependent clause which contains a past action. This can often be introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive mode.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu lo abbia visto (I wish you had seen it).
Use the present perfect subjunctive of vedere:
- To talk about seeing something or someone within a dependent clause which contains a past action
- Gli ho chiesto perchè non abbia visto un medico (I asked him why he hasn’t seen/ didn’t see a doctor)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to use the present perfect indicative instead of the subjunctive: “Gli ho chiesto perchè non ha visto un medico“.
Imperfect subjunctive conjugation of vedere (congiuntivo imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the imperfect subjunctive tense.
| Vedere in the imperfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the imperfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io vedessi | (That) I would see |
| (Che) tu vedessi | (That) you would see |
| (Che) lui/ lei vedesse | (That) he/ she would see |
| (Che) noi vedessimo | (That) we would see |
| (Che) voi vedeste | (That) you (pl.) would see |
| (Che) loro vedessero | (That) they would see |
The imperfect subjunctive of vedere is used within a dependent clause when the action of the main clause is in the past. This is often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because). A second use of the imperfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu lo vedessi (I’d like you to see it).
Use the imperfect subjunctive of vedere:
- To talk about having knowledge of something or someone within a dependent clause when the main clause is in the past
- Volevo che lei vedesse i nonni (I wanted her to see the grandparents)
In today’s spoken Italian, many might not use the subjunctive in this case, and use the imperfect tense in both the main and dependent sentences: “Volevo che lei conosceva meglio i suoi compagni durante la gita”.
- To make a hypothesis about seeing something or someone
- Se vedessi quanto è bello, lo compreresti (if you saw how beautiful it is, you would buy it)
In today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to put both parts of the if clause in the imperfect tense: “Se vedevi quanto era bello, lo compravi”. Although this wouldn’t hinder someone’s understanding of this sentence, the tense usage is grammatically incorrect.
Past perfect subjunctive conjugation of vedere (congiuntivo trapassato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb vedere in the past perfect subjunctive tense.
| Vedere in the past perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Vedere in the past perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io avessi visto | (That) I had seen |
| (Che) tu avessi visto | (That) you had seen |
| (Che) lui/ lei avesse visto | (That) he/ she had seen |
| (Che) noi avessimo visto | (That) we had seen |
| (Che) voi aveste visto | (That) you (pl.) had seen |
| (Che) loro avessero visto | (That) they had seen |
The past perfect subjunctive of vedere is used within a dependent clause, often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), when both the main clause and the dependent clause are in the past. A second use of the past perfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause placed in the past.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu lo avessi visto (I wish you’d seen it).
Use the past perfect subjunctive of vedere in Italian:
- To talk about seeing something or someone within a dependent sentence when both the main and dependent clauses are in the past
- Speravo che tu avessi visto i nonni (I hoped that you had seen the grandparents)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to use the past perfect tense in the dependent clause “Speravo che tu avevi visto i nonni“. Although this swap is grammatically incorrect, it is increasingly used and today’s spoken Italian, and does not sound too “wrong” to a native ear.
Usage of the verb vedere
The Italian verb vedere often introduces a dependent clause which details what is being seen (grammatically, the object of vedere).
These are common ways you can link vedere to a dependent clause:
- Vedo che…. (I see that…)
Vedo che non avete molto da fare (I see that you don’t have much to do)
- Vedo se… (I see if…)
Vedo se sono arrivati (I’ll see if they’ve arrived)
- Vedo + object + infinitive
Ho visto la macchina parcheggiare nel viale (I saw the car parking in the drive)
- Vedo di + infinitive (I’ll try to… / do my best to…)
Vedo di finire in tempo ma la scadenza è molto breve (I’ll try to finish on time but the deadline is very tight)
Vedere is also commonly used as part of the following expressions:
- Vederci (to see) – the “ci” in this case is not easily translatable into English. Its aim here is to add emphasis, and its closest translation is “it”
Non ci vedo (I can’t see) – you could simply say non vedo, and achieve a very similar effect, but the sentence would have less emphasis
- Fare vedere (to show)
Ti faccio vedere la mia casa (I’ll show you my house)
- Si vede che… (it’s apparent that/ probably/ maybe/ evidently) – you can use this expression to provide your subjective explanation of something
Si vede che non hanno abbastanza soldi – probably they don’t have enough money
Concluding thoughts on the verb vedere
Vedere is an essential verb to know in your Italian learning journey. Its usage can be tricky at times, when its object is a dependent sentence, because this may lead to a sentence within a sentence. Vedere, however, is a versatile verb that will come in very handy when having a conversation.
