Beginner Corsican grammar

Corsican Grammar Basics: A Simple Beginner Guide

Q: What is the main verb for to be in Corsican?

The main Corsican verb for to be is esse. Forms include sò, sì, hè, simu, site and sò.

Learn the essential building blocks of Corsican grammar: pronouns, articles, gender, plurals, esse and stà, word order, negatives, questions, possession, regional variation and basic verbs.

? How to use this guide

Use this page as a quick introduction to how Corsican works. Each section gives you the rule, a simple table and beginner-friendly examples.

CO What this guide includes

This page covers Corsican pronouns, articles, gender, plurals, the verbs esse and stà, word order, negatives, questions, possession, variation and one simple verb pattern.

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◎ Corsican grammar snapshot

Corsican is a Romance language closely connected to Italian, especially Tuscan varieties, but it has its own grammar, vocabulary and regional forms. This page uses beginner-friendly Corsican forms and notes variation where useful.

Feature	Corsican	Beginner note
Basic word order	Subject + verb + object	For example: Eiu parlu corsu = I speak Corsican.
Subject pronouns	Often optional	The verb ending usually shows the person.
Gender	Masculine and feminine	Nouns, articles and adjectives normally agree.
Articles	u, a, i, e	These correspond roughly to “the”.
Main verb for “to be”	esse	For example: Sò corsu = I am Corsican.
Negatives	ùn before the verb	Ùn parlu corsu = I do not speak Corsican.
Variation	Regional forms exist	Corsican has northern, central and southern variation.

☷ Personal pronouns in Corsican

Corsican has subject pronouns, but they are often left out because the verb ending usually shows who is doing the action.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
I	eiu / eo	Forms can vary by region.
you singular	tù	Informal singular “you”.
he	ellu	Masculine singular.
she	ella	Feminine singular.
we	noi	Used for “we”.
you plural	voi	Plural “you”.
they masculine / mixed	elli	Used for masculine or mixed groups.
they feminine	elle	Used for feminine groups.

Useful point: You can say eiu parlu corsu, but simply parlu corsu is also natural because parlu already means “I speak”.

BE The verbs esse and stà

The main Corsican verb for “to be” is esse. Corsican also has stà, which can mean “to stay”, “to live”, or be used in some location and state expressions.

English	esse	stà
I am / I stay	sò	stò
you are / you stay	sì	stai
he/she is / stays	hè	stà
we are / we stay	simu	stemu
you plural are / stay	site	state
they are / stay	sò	stanu

Examples: Sò di Corsica = I am from Corsica. Hè un libru = It is a book. Stò in Bastia = I live/stay in Bastia.

U Articles in Corsican

Corsican articles change according to gender and number. These forms are very useful because they appear constantly.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
the book	u libru	Masculine singular.
the house	a casa	Feminine singular.
the books	i libri	Masculine plural.
the houses	e case	Feminine plural.
a book	un libru	Masculine singular indefinite article.
a house	una casa	Feminine singular indefinite article.
some books	certi libri	One way to express “some books”.
some houses	certe case	One way to express “some houses”.

Extra note: Corsican articles are close to Italian patterns, but the common forms u, a, i, e give Corsican a very recognisable shape.

MF Gender and plurals in Corsican

Corsican nouns are usually masculine or feminine. Articles and adjectives normally agree with the noun.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
a good book	un libru bonu	Masculine singular.
a good house	una casa bona	Feminine singular.
good books	libri boni	Masculine plural.
good houses	case bone	Feminine plural.
the student	u studiente / a studiente	Some nouns can use the article to show gender.
the teacher	u prufessore / a prufessora	Many people words have masculine and feminine forms.
book / books	libru / libri	Many masculine nouns in -u form the plural in -i.
house / houses	casa / case	Many feminine nouns in -a form the plural in -e.

SVO Basic Corsican word order

Corsican often uses Subject + Verb + Object word order, like English. Subject pronouns can be omitted, and word order can change for emphasis.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
I speak Corsican.	Eiu parlu corsu.	Subject + verb + object.
I speak Corsican.	Parlu corsu.	The subject pronoun can be omitted.
She reads a book.	Ella leghje un libru.	A clear beginner sentence pattern.
We live in Ajaccio.	Stemu in Aiacciu.	stà can be used for living/staying.
the red house	a casa rossa	Adjectives often come after the noun.
a good friend	un bon amicu	Some common adjectives can come before the noun.

ÙN Negatives in Corsican

The basic way to make a sentence negative in Corsican is to place ùn before the verb. You may also see micca used for emphasis.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
I speak Corsican.	Parlu corsu.	Positive sentence.
I do not speak Corsican.	Ùn parlu corsu.	Ùn goes before the verb.
I do not speak Corsican.	Ùn parlu micca corsu.	micca can reinforce the negative.
He is not here.	Ùn hè micca quì.	Negative with esse.
I am not well.	Ùn stò micca bè.	Negative with stà.
I do not understand anything.	Ùn capiscu nunda.	nunda means “anything/nothing” depending on the structure.

? Question words in Corsican

These question words are among the most useful words for beginners because they help you build practical sentences quickly.

English	Corsican	Example
who?	quale?	Quale hè? = Who is it?
what?	chì?	Chì hè què? = What is this?
where?	induve?	Induve hè a stazione? = Where is the station?
when?	quandu?	Quandu ghjunghji? = When do you arrive?
why?	perchè?	Perchè studi u corsu? = Why are you studying Corsican?
how?	cumu?	Cumu stai? = How are you?
how much?	quantu?	Quantu costa? = How much does it cost?
how many?	quanti / quante?	Quanti libri hai? = How many books do you have?

MY Possession in Corsican

Corsican possessives usually agree with the thing possessed. They are commonly used with the article: u mo, a mo, i mo, e mo.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
my book	u mo libru	Masculine singular.
my house	a mo casa	Feminine singular.
your name	u to nome	Informal singular “your”.
his/her book	u so libru	Can mean his, her or their depending on context.
our family	a nostra famiglia	Feminine singular.
your plural house	a vostra casa	Plural “your”.
their friends	i so amichi	Masculine plural.

◇ Regional variation in Corsican

Corsican has regional variation, especially between northern and southern forms. This page uses simple beginner forms, but learners may see alternative spellings or forms in different resources.

Feature	Possible variation	Beginner note
I	eiu / eo	Both are associated with Corsican usage; choice may depend on variety.
you are	sì / sei	You may see different forms depending on dialect or source.
vocabulary	local words	Some words differ from one part of Corsica to another.
pronunciation	regional sound differences	Corsican pronunciation is not completely uniform.
spelling	minor written differences	Different learning resources may not always present forms identically.

Useful point: For a beginner grammar page, it is better to learn one clear set of forms first, then notice variation later.

V A simple Corsican verb pattern: parlà

The verb parlà means “to speak”. It is a useful first verb because it shows a common present-tense pattern.

English	Corsican	Grammar note
I speak	parlu	Eiu parlu is possible, but eiu is often omitted.
you speak	parli	Informal singular.
he/she speaks	parla	Third person singular.
we speak	parlemu	First person plural.
you plural speak	parlate	Plural “you”.
they speak	parlanu	Third person plural.

Example: Parlu corsu, talianu è francese = I speak Corsican, Italian and French.

◎ Quick facts

Romance grammarCorsican shares many patterns with Italian and other Romance languages.

Articles matterBeginners should learn u, a, i and e early.

◇

Variation existsCorsican has regional forms, so different resources may show small differences.

? Corsican grammar FAQ

Is Corsican grammar difficult for beginners?

Corsican grammar is manageable for beginners, especially if they already know Italian or another Romance language. The most important early points are articles, gender, plurals, verb endings, negatives and common regional variation.

Does Corsican have masculine and feminine nouns?

Yes. Corsican nouns are usually masculine or feminine, and articles and adjectives normally agree with the noun.

What is the main verb for “to be” in Corsican?

The main Corsican verb for “to be” is esse. Forms include sò, sì, hè, simu, site and sò.

Can Corsican subject pronouns be omitted?

Yes. Corsican often omits subject pronouns because verb endings usually show the subject. For example, parlu corsu means “I speak Corsican”.

Does Corsican have regional variation?

Yes. Corsican has regional variation, so learners may see different forms depending on the variety, source or region.