Modal verbs dovere, potere, and volere
Three very frequently used verbs in the second conjugation (-ere) are dovere (to have to, must), potere (to be able to, can, may), and volere (to want). These verbs are called “modal” verbs and they can take on different meanings depending on the tense. Today we will look at them in the indicativo presente. These verbs are generally followed by a verb in its infinitive form. They are conjugated as follows.
dovere | potere | volere | |
| io | devo | posso | voglio |
| tu | devi | puoi | vuoi |
| lui/lei/Lei | deve | può | vuole |
| noi | dobbiamo | possiamo | vogliamo |
| voi | dovete | potete | volete |
| loro | devono/debbono | possono | vogliono |