Essere is one of two Italian verbs that can mean "to be."* It’s the most common verb in the Italian language, used to describe many aspects of being:
1) Names and professions
Sono Laura.
I’m Laura.
Quest'uomo è un medico.
This man is a doctor.
2) Nationality, origin
Sono tedesco.
I’m German.
Siete di Venezia?
Are you from Venice?
3) Relationships, ownership
È mio fratello.
He’s my brother.
Dov’é la tua macchina?
Where is your car?
4) Descriptions (physical, mental, material)
Sono alti.
They are tall.
Francesca è intelligente.
Francesca is smart.
Questo cuscino è di velluto.
This cushion is (made of) velvet.
5) Feelings
Siamo malati.
We’re sick.
Sei stanco?
Are you tired?
6) Time and date
Sono le 15:00.
It’s 3 pm.
È il 10 settembre.
It’s September 10.
7) "To exist"
Essere o non essere, questo è il dilemma.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Non c’è dubbio.
There is (exists) no doubt.
8) Compound tenses
Essere is also used to form compound tenses – lesson coming soon.
Essere present tense conjugations
io
sono
noi
siamo
tu
sei
voi
siete
lui, lei
è
loro
sono
Note that the io and loro conjugations are identical. Since Italian is pro-drop, you have to rely on context to let you know who the subject is, but this is rarely a problem as it’s usually obvious. If you’re concerned that it’s not, you can use the subject pronoun to make sure there’s no confusion.
* The other is stare. We’ll compare the two in detail in a future lesson.
En español
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