Italian Grammar Bank
PAST TENSE IN ITALIAN
The past tense in Italian, the passato prossimo, is used to talk about actions that happened in the recent past and are relevant to the present.
Think of it as the “have done” tense in English.
QUICK INTRODUCTION
In Italian, we use the passato prossimo to talk about:
➡️ Completed actions in the recent past:
Ho mangiato
– I have eaten
Abbiamo visto
– We have seen
➡️ Actions with a connection to the present:
Hai lavorato oggi?
– Have you worked today?
➡️ Experiences or things you’ve done:
Sono andato a Roma
– I have been to Rome
Ho visitato la Galleria degli Uffizi
– I have visited the Galleria degli Uffizi
➡️ Actions that occurred at a specific time:
L’ho incontrato ieri
– I met him yesterday
SENTENCE STRUCTURES
The passato prossimo is formed by using an auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb.
- The auxiliary verb is usually avere (to have) or essere (to be), depending on the verb.
- Avere is the most common auxiliary verb.
- Essere is used with a few verbs, typically verbs of motion or reflexive verbs, and the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
1. With Avere (To Have)
For most verbs, you’ll use avere as the auxiliary verb. Here’s the structure:
PATTERN
Subject + avere (conjugated) + past participle
Example: Io (I) + ho + mangiato (eaten) = Ho mangiato (I have eaten).
2. With Essere (To Be)
For some verbs, we use essere as the auxiliary verb.
These are usually verbs that express movement (e.g., andare – to go) or change of state (e.g., diventare – to become), as well as reflexive verbs.
The past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.
PATTERN
Subject + essere (conjugated) + past participle (agrees with the subject)
Example: Io (I) + sono + andato (gone) = Sono andato (I have gone) (masculine form).
- Io + sono + andata = Sono andata (I have gone) (feminine form).
- Loro (they) + sono + andati = Sono andati (They have gone) (masculine plural).
- Loro (they) + sono + andate = Sono andate (They have gone) (feminine plural).
EXAMPLES
Let’s look at some examples of sentences in the passato prossimo:
Example 1: Using Avere
| Io ho mangiato una pizza ieri. | I have eaten a pizza yesterday. |
| Tu hai visto il film? | Have you seen the movie? |
| Loro hanno parlato con il capo. | They have spoken with the boss. |
| Hanno capito che era il momento di agire. | They understood it was time to act. |
Here, the auxiliary verb avere is used with regular verbs like mangiare (to eat), vedere (to see), and parlare (to speak).
Example 2: Using Essere
| Sono andato al parco. | I have gone to the park. |
| Maria è arrivata tardi. | Maria has arrived late. |
| Abbiamo camminato per ore. | We have walked for hours. |
With essere, notice how the past participle agrees with the subject.
In the first example, andato is masculine singular because the speaker is a man. In the second example, arrivata is feminine singular because Maria is female.
Example 3: Reflexive Verbs Using Essere
| Mi sono svegliato tardi. | I woke up late. |
| Ti sei preparato per la festa? | Did you prepare for the party? |
| Ci siamo divertiti molto. | We had a lot of fun. |
Here, the reflexive verb svegliarsi (to wake up) is used with essere. The past participle svegliato agrees with the subject (in this case, io, masculine singular).
PAST TENSE OF AVERE & PASSERE
Let’s take a look at the conjugation of essere and avere in the passato prossimo.
| Verb | Io | Tu | Lui/Lei | Noi | Voi | Loro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essere | sono | sei | è | siamo | siete | sono |
| Avere | ho | hai | ha | abbiamo | avete | hanno |
PAST TENSE OF REGULAR VERBS
Let’s now look at regular verbs in the passato prossimo, focusing on verbs that end in -are, -ere, and -ire.
These verbs follow a set pattern to form the past participle.
| VERB | Past tense |
|---|---|
| Mangiare (to eat) | mangiato (eaten) |
| Parlare (to talk) | parlato (talked) |
| Credere (to believe) | creduto (believed) |
| Temere (to fear) | temuto (feared) |
| Partire (to leave) | partito (left) |
| Capire (to understand) | capito (understood) |
IRREGULAR PAST TENSE
Just like in English, there are some irregular past participles that don’t follow the regular pattern. Here are some common ones to watch out for:
| Verb | Past TENSE |
|---|---|
| Fare (to do) | fatto (done) |
| Vedere (to see) | visto (seen) |
| Prendere (to take) | preso (taken) |
| Essere (to be) | stato (been) |
| Avere (to have) | avuto (had) |
| Vedere (to see) | visto (seen) |
| Scrivere (to write) | scritto (written) |
Let’s see some examples:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ho fatto un bel viaggio. | I have done a nice trip. |
| Abbiamo visto un bel film. | We have seen a good movie. |
| Lui ha preso il treno. | He has taken the train. |
TIPS TO USE THE ITALIAN PAST TENSE
➡️ Avere vs Essere: Most verbs use avere, but verbs that involve movement or change of state, as well as reflexive verbs, use essere. When using essere, the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number (e.g., andato vs. andata).
➡️ Regular and Irregular Past Participles: While regular verbs form their past participles by following a specific pattern, be mindful of irregular verbs, which don’t always follow the pattern (e.g., fatto, visto, preso).
➡️ Time Expressions: The passato prossimo is often used with specific time expressions like oggi (today), ieri (yesterday), questa mattina (this morning), or questa settimana (this week). This helps make it clear that the action happened in the recent past.
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FAQs
What are the main past tenses in Italian?
The main past tenses in Italian are Passato Prossimo (used for completed actions), Imperfetto (used for habitual or descriptive actions in the past), Trapassato Prossimo (used for actions that happened before another past action), and Passato Remoto (used mainly in written or historical contexts).
When should I use Passato Prossimo?
Use Passato Prossimo for specific, completed actions in the past (e.g., Ieri ho mangiato una pizza – “Yesterday I ate a pizza”).
Use Imperfetto for descriptions, repeated actions, or ongoing situations in the past (e.g., Da bambino mangiavo sempre la pizza – “As a child, I always used to eat pizza”).
How do I choose between essere and avere?
Use essere with verbs of movement, state, or change (e.g., sono andato – “I went”).
Use avere with transitive verbs that take a direct object (e.g., ho mangiato – “I ate”).
Is Passato Remoto still used in spoken Italian?
Passato Remoto is rarely used in everyday speech except in some southern Italian regions.
It is mainly found in literature, historical texts, and formal storytelling.
Trapassato Prossimo or Passato Prossimo?
Trapassato Prossimo is used to express an action that happened before another past action
Passato Prossimo is used for a completed past action.
Example: Quando sei arrivato, avevo già finito il lavoro (When you arrived, I had already finished the work).
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