The Passato Prossimo: Avere or Essere?
How to form the most common Italian past tense, which verbs take essere, how the participle agrees, and the irregular participles to learn.
The passato prossimo is the everyday past tense in Italian, used for completed actions. It is formed with an auxiliary verb plus a past participle.
The formula
avere or essere (present tense) + past participle
Making the participle
| Verb type | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -are | -ato | parlare → parlato |
| -ere | -uto | credere → creduto |
| -ire | -ito | dormire → dormito |
With avere
Most verbs take avere, and the participle does not change:
- Ho mangiato una pizza. — I ate a pizza.
- Abbiamo parlato con lui. — We spoke with him.
- Hai capito? — Did you understand?
With essere
Verbs of motion, change of state and all reflexive verbs take essere, and the participle agrees with the subject:
- Marco è andato a casa. — Marco went home.
- Maria è andata a casa.
- Siamo arrivati tardi. — We arrived late. (m. plural)
- Sono nata a Roma. — I was born in Rome. (f.)
- Mi sono alzato presto. — I got up early. (reflexive)
Common verbs with essere: andare, venire, arrivare, partire, entrare, uscire, nascere, morire, restare, diventare, essere.
Irregular participles
| Verb | Participle |
|---|---|
| fare | fatto |
| dire | detto |
| vedere | visto |
| scrivere | scritto |
| leggere | letto |
| prendere | preso |
| mettere | messo |
| aprire | aperto |
| chiudere | chiuso |
| essere | stato |
| avere | avuto |
Direct object pronouns
With avere, the participle agrees with a direct-object pronoun that comes before the verb:
- Ho visto Maria. → L'ho vista. — I saw her.
- Ho comprato i libri. → Li ho comprati. — I bought them.
Negative
Non goes before the auxiliary: Non ho mangiato. — I didn't eat.
Tips
- Learn the list of essere verbs.
- Learn the irregular participles.
- Use the dictionary to check participles.
English Italian Dictionary
Offline English–Italian dictionary with noun gender and accents handled properly
More about English Italian Dictionary
Essere and Avere: The Two Verbs You Need First
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