Auxiliary verbs (to be & to have)
ITALIAN AUXILIARY VERBS
The verbs “to be” and “to have” are two of the main verbs in the Italian language, and they are used practically every day.
Unfortunately, they are irregular and take on a wide variety of meanings, but don’t worry!
Thanks to our guide you will discover the conjugation of the present tense of the verbs to be and to have, the meanings of these verbs, and their function as auxiliaries.
PRESENT TENSE
Essere (to be) and avere (to have) are two of the most important verbs in the Italian language.
These verbs are used every day and, unfortunately, they are irregular.
But don’t worry, because hearing them and using them so often will help you memorize them in no time! Below you can see the conjugation of the present indicative of essere and avere.
ESSERE (TO BE)
| Indicativo Presente |
|---|
| io sono |
| tu sei |
| lui è |
| noi siamo |
| voi siete |
| loro sono |
AVERE (TO HAVE)
| Indicativo Presente |
|---|
| io ho |
| tu hai |
| lui ha |
| noi abbiamo |
| voi avete |
| loro hanno |
Remember: in Italian, when a word begins with h, the h is not pronounced. For this reason, “hanno” is pronounced in the same way as “anno” (which means year). Pay attention to the correct spelling: if you mean the verb, you’ll need an h.
MEANINGS & EXAMPLES
When it’s used by itself, the verb avere (to have) can have three meanings:
- It can indicate possession:
- It can indicate feelings, moods, physical or mental sensations:
- It can indicate a person’s age:
When it’s used by itself, the verb essere (to be) can have four meanings:
- It can be used to identify someone/something:
- It can be used to attribute a characteristic to someone/something:
- It can mean “to be located”:
- When preceded by the particle “ci”, it means “there is/there are”:
AUXILIARY FUNCTION
Essere and avere can also be used as auxiliary verbs. This means that, when joined with another verb, these verbs form the compound tenses of the active conjugation and the passive conjugation.
Essere has 3 main uses as an auxiliary verb:
- It is used to create the passive form:
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| L’Italiano è studiato da molte persone. | Italian is studied by many people. |
- It is used with reflexive verbs:
A reflexive verb is a verb whose subject is also the object. In other words, the subject both performs and undergoes the action of the verb.
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Alla fine le cose si sono risolte da sole. | Eventually, things worked themselves out. |
| Oggi non mi sono lavato. | I didn’t wash today. |
- It is used with the majority of intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb is a verb that cannot have a direct object: they can only be followed by a complement introduced by a preposition.
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Ieri sono andato al mare. | Yesterday I went to the beach. |
| Laura è inciampata. | Laura tripped. |
For example, many verbs expressing movement (such as andare, venire, tornare, partire, entrare, uscire) are intransitive and form their compound forms with the auxiliary “essere”.
Below you can see the most simple compound tense, passato prossimo, which can be used to talk about events that took place in the past.
| Indicativo PASSATO PROSSIMO (with the ITALIAN auxiliary verb TO BE) |
|---|
| io sono andato |
| tu sei andato |
| lui è andato |
| noi siamo andati |
| voi siete andati |
| loro sono andati |
The auxiliary avere is used only in two specific cases:
- To form the compound tenses of all transitive verbs. For example:
| italian | english |
|---|---|
| La mamma ha fatto la pizza. | Mum made pizza. |
- To form the compound tenses of some intransitive verbs. For example:
| italian | english |
|---|---|
| Questa notte ho dormito male. | I didn’t sleep well last night. |
Below you can see the passato prossimo of the verb mangiare (to eat), which uses avere as its auxiliary.
| Indicativo PASSATO PROSSIMO (with the ITALIAN auxiliary verb TO HAVE) |
|---|
| io ho mangiato |
| tu hai mangiato |
| lui ha mangiato |
| noi abbiamo mangiato |
| voi avete mangiato |
| loro hanno mangiato |
Essere and avere are two of the most complicated verbs in the Italian language, but they’re easy to master, as they can be heard or read practically anywhere (songs, films, everyday conversations…) you just need to pick your favorite way to practice!
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FAQs
What is a transitive verb in Italian?
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object to receive the action of the verb. In other words, a transitive verb is a verb that takes an object.
For example, in the sentence “I ate an apple,” the verb “ate” is transitive because it requires an object (“an apple”) to make sense.
Transitive verbs can take one or more objects, and the direct object usually comes immediately after the verb in a sentence.
In Italian, transitive verbs usually form their compound tenses with the verb “avere”.
Do “essere” and “avere” belong to the 2nd conjugation?
No, they don’t. They are irregular verbs that follow no conjugation. They have their own conjugation (in Italian, we call it “coniugazione propria”).
Is indicativo presente enough to speak Italian?
There are other verbal tenses you’ll need to know, but as a starting point, and since indicativo presente can be used to convey many different meanings, that’s a good starting point to make people understand you.
How do I use “essere” and “avere” as auxiliary verbs?
Essere and Avere can be used as auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses in Italian. Essere is used with a majority of intransitive verbs, or in the passive form, while Avere is used with all transitive verbs and some intransitive verbs.
What are the main meanings of the verb “avere”?
“Avere” can be used to express:
– possession;
– feelings or sensations;
– someone’s age.
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