Italian Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE PARTICIPLES IN ITALIAN
In this lesson we are going to teach you a very important concept of the Italian language: the present and past participles.
Let’s have a look together at what they are and how to use them.
INTRODUCTION
The participle is an indefinite verbal mode but which takes on this name because it shares (or rather, ‘participates in’) characteristics of both verbal voices and the noun and adjective, whose functions it performs.
The participle therefore expresses on the one hand an action, a state or a mode of being (as is typical of verbs), but on the other it agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers and of which it constitutes the attribute.
For example, in the sentence:
The present participle assordante in the first example has its own verbal function (che è assordante, “which is deafening”) and its own characteristic as an adjective in the concordance (masculine singular) with the noun boato (roar).
Similarly, in the sentence:
The past participle rotto refers to the action of the passive verb (i.e. essere rotto “to be broken, to have broken down”) but also agrees in gender and number with the term ‘computer’.
When it serves as an adjective, the participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to and it can also have the comparative and superlative.
| italian | english | notes |
|---|---|---|
| La professoressa di tedesco è più esigente di quella di inglese. | The German teacher is more demanding than the English teacher. | Comparative |
| Sul giornale ho letto alcuni articoli noiosissimi. | I read some very boring articles in the newspaper. | Superlative |
TENSES OF THE PARTICIPLE
PRESENT PARTICIPLE
The present participle has two forms:
• one for the masculine and feminine singular: brillante (brilliant), emozionante (exciting), cantante (singing).
• one for the masculine and feminine plural: brillanti, emozionanti, cantanti.
This tense of the participle is normally used as an adjective and as a noun, and always has an active meaning:
| Abbiamo visto un film divertente. | We saw a funny film. |
| Mi piacciono i colori brillanti. | I like bright colours. |
| Anna fa l’insegnante di italiano. | Anna is a teacher of Italian. |
| Andrea Bocelli è il cantante che preferisco. | Andrea Bocelli is my favourite singer. |
| Anche se le cose gli vanno male, Davide è sempre sorridente. | Even if things go wrong for him, David is always smiling. |
The verbal function of the present participle, on the other hand, is very rare and is mainly found in literary expressions, legal and bureaucratic language.
Let us see some examples:
| L’auto si è scontrata con un camion proveniente (= che proveniva) da sinistra. | The car collided with a lorry coming from (= coming from) the left. |
| È obbligatorio dichiarare i guadagni derivanti (= che derivano) dalla propria attività professionale. | It is compulsory to declare the earnings from (= which derive from) one’s professional activity. |
| Tale politica non è limitata ai toponimi e ai cartelli indicanti paesi e località, ma include perfino la segnaletica stradale. | This policy is not limited to place names and signs indicating countries and localities, but even includes road signs. |
PAST PARTICIPLE
The past participle, on the other hand, is widely used both as an adjective and as a verb.
For its function as a qualifying adjective, one can think of the following example:
| Radunarono tutti gli studenti laureati per la consegna ufficiale del diploma. | They gathered all the graduate students for the official graduation. |
| Aperta la bottiglia di vino rosso, brindarono tutti per la laurea di Giulia. | Once opened the bottle of red wine, they all toasted to Giulia’s graduation. |
| Mosso dal vento, il cappello cadde per terra nel corridoio. | Moved by the wind, the hat fell to the floor in the corridor. |
| Preso l’autobus, Giorgia tornò a casa. | Taking the bus, Giorgia returned home. |
| La metro di Milano, inaugurata nel 1964, si compone oggi di quattro linee. | The Milan metro, inaugurated in 1964, today consists of four lines. |
In its verbal function, the past participle is joined to the auxiliary to be to form the tenses of passive forms. Instead, it is joined with both the auxiliary essere and the auxiliary avere to form all compound tenses.
With the auxiliary essere, the past participle agrees with the subject, whereas with the auxiliary to avere, it remains unchanged.
| Il vestito di Chiara è stato ammirato da tutti. | Chiara’s dress was admired by everyone. |
| Ci è arrivata la notizia appena siamo partiti. | We got the news as soon as we left. |
| Per fortuna Carlo è stato assunto da quella grossa compagnia. | Luckily Carlo was hired by that big company. |
| Ti ho aspettato per due ore, potevi telefonarmi! | I waited for you for two hours, you could have phoned me! |
IMPLIED SUBORDINATES
The past participle is then used to create many types of implied subordinates, such as:
Relative subordinates
| Matteo ha completato con successo tutti i compiti assegnatigli (cioè, “che gli sono stati assegnati”) | Matteo successfully completed all the tasks assigned to him (i.e., ‘which were assigned to him’) |
Causal subordinates
| Colpito (“poiché era stato colpito”) dall’evento, Paolo prese una decisione inattesa. | Impressed (‘because he was affected’) by the event, Paul made an unexpected decision |
Hypothetical subordinates
| Non curata (“se non è curata”) a dovere, la polmonite può avere conseguenze molto gravi. | Not treated (‘if not treated’) properly, pneumonia can have very serious consequences |
Temporal subordinates
| Passata (“dopo che era passata”) la tempesta, tutti uscirono fuori al sole. | Once the storm had passed (‘after it had passed’), everyone went out into the sunshine. |
Concessive subordinates
| Rincuorato (“benché fosse stato rincuorato”) dagli amici, Matteo rimase comunque triste per tutto il giorno. | Heartened (‘although he had been heartened’) by his friends, Matthew nevertheless remained sad throughout the day. |
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FAQs
What differences between present & past participle?
The present participle (e.g., parlante – speaking) indicates an ongoing action or the one performing the action, whereas the past participle (e.g., parlato – spoken) indicates a completed action and is used in compound tenses or as an adjective.
When to use the present participle in Italian?
The present participle is mainly used in literary or formal contexts, and it describes ongoing actions.
It is less common in everyday speech, which tends to favor other forms like the gerund or present tense.
How to form the past participle in Italian?
The past participle is formed by adding -ato to -are verbs, -uto to -ere verbs, and -ito to -ire verbs. For example: mangiato (eaten), creduto (believed), finito (finished).
Can past participle be used as adjective?
Yes, the past participle can be used as an adjective, agreeing in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
For example: una lettera scritta (a written letter), i compiti finiti (the finished homework).
How is the past participle used in compound tenses?
The past participle is essential for forming compound tenses like the passato prossimo (present perfect), where it follows the auxiliary verb avere or essere. For example: Ho mangiato (I have eaten) or Sono andato (I went).
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