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Italian Grammar 24 min read
CILS B2: Congiuntivo + Conditional — What You Actually Need (with Drills)
V
Vurbit Team
Language Expert
At B2, Italian exams don’t reward obscure grammar. They reward controlled complexity.
Two of the most important “B2 signals” are:
- conditional (especially for politeness and hypotheses)
- congiuntivo (subjunctive) in common, high-frequency structures
B2 accuracy is mostly verb control under pressure. Try Vurbit’s Italian conjugation trainer on iOS to drill congiuntivo + conditional patterns in real sentences.
Table of contents
- Conditional: the exam-friendly uses
- Congiuntivo: the triggers that matter
- Core forms: essere/avere/fare (tables)
- High-frequency patterns you should memorize
- Drills + answer key
Conditional: the exam-friendly uses
1) Polite requests
- Vorrei informazioni su… — I would like information about…
- Potrebbe aiutarmi? — Could you help me? (formal)
- Mi piacerebbe… — I would like…
2) Hypotheses (if… then…)
- Se avessi tempo, andrei in Italia. — If I had time, I would go to Italy.
Congiuntivo: the triggers that matter
At B2, focus on these triggers:
- Penso che… / Credo che…
- È importante che…
- Mi sembra che…
- Sebbene / Nonostante (even if / despite)
Core forms (tables)
Knowing the congiuntivo of common irregular verbs pays off immediately.
Essere — congiuntivo presente
| Verb Essere | ||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Verb | English meaning |
| Io | sia | I am (subjunctive) |
| Tu | sia | you are |
| Lui/Lei | sia | he/she is |
| Noi | siamo | we are |
| Voi | siate | you (pl.) are |
| Loro | siano | they are |
Avere — congiuntivo presente
| Verb Avere | ||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Verb | English meaning |
| Io | abbia | I have (subjunctive) |
| Tu | abbia | you have |
| Lui/Lei | abbia | he/she has |
| Noi | abbiamo | we have |
| Voi | abbiate | you (pl.) have |
| Loro | abbiano | they have |
Fare — congiuntivo presente
| Verb Fare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Verb | English meaning |
| Io | faccia | I do/make (subjunctive) |
| Tu | faccia | you do/make |
| Lui/Lei | faccia | he/she does/makes |
| Noi | facciamo | we do/make |
| Voi | facciate | you (pl.) do/make |
| Loro | facciano | they do/make |
High-frequency patterns
- Penso che sia una buona idea. — I think it’s a good idea.
- È importante che tu abbia tempo. — It’s important that you have time.
- Vorrei che mi aiutassi. — I’d like you to help me. (more advanced, but very useful)
Drills + answer key
Drill 1: choose the correct form
- Penso che lui (sia / è) pronto.
- È importante che noi (abbiamo / abbiamo) tempo. (hint: same spelling!)
- Vorrei (un / che tu) mi aiutassi. (choose the correct structure)
Drill 2: rewrite politely
- Mi dai informazioni? → ______
- Puoi aiutarmi? (formal) → ______
Answer key (examples)
Drill 1: 1) sia 2) (abbiamo) is correct (subjunctive and present are identical here) 3) vorrei che tu mi aiutassi
Drill 2: 1) Vorrei informazioni. / Potresti darmi informazioni? 2) Potrebbe aiutarmi?
If you can deploy these structures confidently in writing and speaking, you’ll sound B2 — and you’ll score better.