passato prossimo

Passato prossimo avanzato – Quiz

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Passato prossimo avanzato

Continuo a ricevere richieste per studiare il passato prossimo con un esercizio complesso

Ho pensato di mettere insieme un quiz per aiutarvi a fare un poco di esercizio.

Non ci limiteremo al solito quesito “essere o avere”, che presumo già sappiate, ma aggiungeremo i verbi riflessivi, gli irregolari, i verbi modali (dovere, potere, volere, sapere) e tutto quello che uno studente di livello intermedio dovrebbe sapere.

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Illustrazione: Leopoldo Metlicovitz – Sogno d’un valzer – 1907

Essere or Avere? 50 sentences to practice on. QUIZ

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Imperfetto VS Passato Prossimo – Quiz and Audio

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imperfetto-VS-passato-prossimo

This is a very basic introduction on the differences between the Italian passato prossimo and the imperfetto.

The passato prossimo describes an action (or a situation) in the past with a beginning and an end – it’s a perfect tense.

The imperfetto describes a situation (or an action) in the past, usual or ongoing, with no clear clear beginning or end. Plain and simple, this is pretty much it.

Roughly speaking, we can say that the past prossimo is “solid”, you can see the boundaries of the past action, while the imperfetto is “liquid”, when don’t clearly know when it begins or ends

We can combine the two tenses together and describe complex situations with simple verbs. Read the related posts for more precise information. Inside the quiz, you can find more sentences and check your pronunciation listening to the audio examples.

In bocca al lupo!

Imperfetto

Usual action

Da bambino, andavo sempre in vacanza al mare.

Passato Prossimo

One time action

Questa estate, sono andato in vacanza al mare.

Imperfetto + Imperfetto

Two situations happening simultaneously

Mentre io guardavo il film, Laura dormiva.

Passato Prossimo + Passato Prossimo

Two complete actions together

Quando sono uscito dall’ufficio, ho spento la luce.

Imperfetto + Passato Prossimo

An action inside a situation

Mentre guardavo un film, è suonato il telefono.

Enjoy the quiz!

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Trapassato Prossimo, the “past of the past” – Quiz

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trapassato prossimo

The Italian Trapassato Prossimo describes “the past of other past actions”

If we have two or more actions in the past, the Trapassato Prossimo describes the oldest. We usually need the Trapassato Prossimo when there’s a change, a discontinuity in the past. We’ll see all the details with some examples and a quiz.

This is a very basic post for beginners. If your level is intermediate to advanced, please read this other lesson in Italian.

The Trapassato (Pluperfect in English) is the combination of the Imperfetto of essere or avere and the past participle, the Italian Participio Passato. See the table.

essereavere
ioero andato/aavevo comprato
tueri andato/aavevi comprato
lui / leiera andato/aaveva comprato
noieravamo andati/eavevamo comprato
voieravate andati/eavevate comprato
loroerano andati/eavevano comprato

In most cases, the Trapassato Prossimo is used in combination with another past tense with or without a given time frame (e.g. ieri, la settimama scorsa, un’ora fa) with or without adverbs (mentre etc…). For example:

  • Passato Prossimo Avevo studiato ma non ho superato gli esami universitari
  • Imperfetto, Avevo studiato ma non superavo gli esami universitari
  • Passato Remoto. Avevo studiato (ebbi studiato) ma non superai gli esami universitari

First I (had) studied, then I didn’t pass the test. The Trapassato Prossimo works fine with other past tenses, including the Passato Prossimo, Imperfetto, Passato Remoto or even another Trapassato Prossimo if the actions are clearly in the right sequence. If time references are absent, the Trapassato helps to give us an idea of what happened (or did not happen) in the first place.

With the Passato Remoto, third example, we can use the Trapassato Remoto (ebbi studiato), but it’s very rare in spoken Italian.

Look at the following sentences.

  • Non sono mai stato a Sorrento.
  • Non ero mai stato a Sorrento.

The meaning of these two sentences is totally different. In the first sentence I’ve never been to Sorrento. In the second I am saying that it was the first time for me in Sorrento, I “had never been” there before. So I was there eventually.

In other words, the other past event or circumstance is implied in the sentence.

  • Non avevo mai incontrato Marco (but eventually I did).

Have a look at those examples. We clearly need the Trapassato Prossimo to emphasise the change.

  • Ho chiesto al professore di ripetere perché non avevo capito.
  • Ti avevo detto di non guidare la mia macchina.
  • Era rimasto a casa per più di un mese.
  • Luigi aveva paura perché non aveva mai preso l’aereo.
  • Non avevamo mai visto un tramonto così intenso.

So, for example, Luigi was scared because he “had never taken” a plane before. It means that eventually he did.

Sometimes however, the Trapassato Prossimo is just a way to give more depth to a past event. In theory, we could omit it and use the Passato Prossimo or Remoto instead. For example:

  • Ci eravamo divertiti tanto l’anno scorso in vacanza.
  • Mi ricordo di Laura. L’avevo conosciuta ai tempi dell’università.
  • Avevamo preso un taxi per tornare perché non c’erano più treni.
  • Ti ricordi dove avevi comprato il tuo telefono?
  • Ha preso una multa perché era passato con il rosso.

For example, in the last sentence the use of the trapassato prossimo is correct because he first ignored the red lights and then he got a ticket. However, the sequence of the events is so clear that a simple Passato Prossimo would be enough clear.

  • Ha preso una multa perché è passato con il rosso.

Please try the quiz.

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Introduction to the Passato Prossimo – Quiz & Audio Examples

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Introduction-to-the-Passato-Prossimo

The Italian Passato Prossimo describes actions and events set in the recent and far past

Theoretically, the Italian Passato Prossimo should describe actions and events with a beginning and an end set in the recent past (Passato Prossimo means “near” past), with a logical connection with the present.

In reality the Passato Prossimo, in modern Italian, can describe any complete event set in the past. Even when the action is not close to the present.

We should use the Italian Passato Remoto when an action has no connection with the present. However as described more properly in this post about the Passato Remoto, the limited use of the Italian Passato Remoto among Northern Italian speakers and the role of the Passato Prossimo in the media, makes the latter a preferred choice in the spoken language. That said, let’s see how the Passato Prossimo works.

  • Oggi sono andato al cinema.
  • L’anno scorso ho comprato un telefono.

The Italian Passato Prossimo is a compound tense. It looks like the English Present Perfect (I have eaten) but the concept is closer to the Simple Past (I ate).

Very briefly, we can notice a few important things about the Passato Prossimo.

  • It’s built with the present tense of essere or avere and the past participle of the main verb (–ato, –uto, –ito).
  • Most Italian verbs use avere in the Passato Prossimo (green chart). In this case, the past participle generally doesn’t change (–ato, –uto, —ito). There are  important exceptions, for example when we use direct object pronouns, but for simple Passato Prossimo the participle doesn’t change according to the subject.
  • In many important cases, we need to use essere (orange chart). If so, the past participle does change in accordance to the subject, singular, plural, masculine and feminine.
  • In some cases, verbs can use both essere or avere (il film è finito VS ho finito i soldi) with the Passato Prossimo, depending on the subject or the object of the sentence. We can talk about that in our Skype classes, but those are exceptions and you should treat them as such.

Avere

 compraresaperecapire
ioho compratoho saputoho capito
tuhai compratohai saputohai capito
luiha compratoha saputoha capito
leiha compratoha saputoha capito
noiabbiamo compratoabbiamo saputoabbiamo capito
voiavete compratoavete saputoavete capito
lorohanno compratohanno saputohanno capito

Essere

 tornarecrescerevestirsi
iosono tornato/asono cresciuto/ami sono vestito/a
tusei tornato/asei cresciuto/ati sei vestito/a
luiè tornatoè cresciutosi è vestito
leiè tornataè cresciutasi è vestita
noisiamo tornati/esiamo cresciuti/eci siamo vestiti/e
voisiete tornati/esiete cresciuti/evi siete vestiti/e
lorosono tornati/esono cresciuti/esi sono vestiti/e

When we use Essere

In some books you will read that essere is used with intransitive verbs, that cannot have an object. For example andare —> Sono andato al cinema.

True, andare is intransitive, it doesn’t answer the question “what?” or “who?”, but rather “dove?” etc.

I find it rather misleading. Many intransitive verbs combine with avere (e.g. Ho dormito), so we have to narrow down the cases where essere is our auxiliary verb.

  • With verbs of movement, usually from and to a place, such as andare, venire, entrare, uscire, tornare, salire, scendere, cadere etc.
  • With verbs of position: stare, restare, rimanere…
  • With verbs representing a change: ingrassare, dimagrire, crescere, nascere, morire, diventare…
  • All reflexive verbs: vestirsi, prepararsi, divertirsi sposarsi…
  • Verbs like piacere, mancare, servire…
  • Passive and impersonal: il libro è stato scritto, ieri ci si è divertiti …

When we use Avere

When a verb supports an object. In other words, if you ask the question Who? or What? and get an answer. They are called “transitive” verbs. It’s an oversimplification but it works.

  • Ho comprato (cosa?) un paio di scarpe.
  • Ho visto (chi?) Luigi.
  • Ho andato (cosa?) Sono andato (dove?) al cinema.

The third verb (andare) is clearly supported by essere.

As mentioned, some verbs don’t support an object (they are “intransitive”), but they need avere nonetheless. I suggest you to learn them by heart. Here’s a list of 30 important Italian intransitive verbs that need avere with the Passato Prossimo.

This list is incomplete, but it’s good enough for beginners.

Some examples.

Essere

  • Sono andato al cinema
  • Sei tornato presto
  • È finito il film
  • Siamo venuti a trovarti
  • Siete tornati tardi ieri sera
  • I bambini sono cresciuti

Avere

  • Ho visto un film interessante
  • Hai comprato delle scarpe nuove?
  • David ha capito il passato prossimo
  • Non abbiamo pulito la casa
  • Avete salutato la nonna?
  • I ragazzi hanno giocato bene.

Please try the quiz and let me know if you have questions.

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Carlo Carrà – Le figlie di Loth – 1919

MART, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto

Passato Remoto – Quiz & Audio

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passato remoto

The Passato Remoto is an Italian past tense of the Indicativo

We use the Passato Remoto for describing actions in the past. Remoto means far in the past, not connected to the present.

The Passato Remoto is a perfect tense, meaning that it only describes complete, finished actions or situations. Similarly to the Passato Prossimo, the Passato Remoto can work together with the imperfetto and describe a complete action in the past over a situation (imperfetto).

  • Quando ero bambino, una volta andai in vacanza in Grecia.

There is a lively discussion about the Passato Remoto and its position of “endangered species” of the Italian language. As a matter of fact, compared to just a few decades ago, the passato remoto is rapidly declining in both spoken and written Italian. It is perceived as too formal and overly complex, especially in Northern Italy.

The Passato Prossimo on the other hand is more immediate, easier than the Passato Remoto. It’s perfect for television and other media. The news, movies, radio and mass media relying on the spoken language prefer the Passato Prossimo. Newspapers usually describe recent events, so they often see the Passato Remoto as an old tool.

Still, many novels are written with the Passato Remoto, which is perfect for an articulate narration.

The Passato Remoto is very elegant and personally I like it. Being a Northern Italian though, I have to admit that I lived comfortably without using the Passato Remoto  for most of my adult life.

In northern Italian dialects, the substrate on which the local Italian language was built, there is no Passato Remoto. That’s why Northern Italians don’t use it. In many dialects of Southern Italy, the Passato Remoto is the preferred past tense and people use it daily.

When we (people from Milan) use the Passato Prossimo for actions far in the past, sometimes we pick the wrong tense:

  • Mio nonno ha combattuto la guerra. —> Mio nonno combatté la guerra.

Conversely, Sicilians and other Southern Italians use the Passato Remoto to say something like:

  • Ieri andai al mercato. —> Ieri sono andato al mercato.

That’s wrong too.

I believe that Tuscans, and generally people living in Central Italy, use the Passato Prossimo and Remoto in a very balanced fashion. I heard from friends in Napoli that the use of the Passato Remoto in town is not as heavy as in Sicily or Calabria.

This is all to say that, although in steep decline, the Passato Remoto isn’t dead. It is still spoken in large parts of Central and Southern Italy and it’s very common in books. Do you have to learn it? The short answer is yes, simply because you will come across the Passato Remoto along the way and because it’s a beautiful, rich way to express past events in Italian.

Let’s start from the basics.

Passato Remoto dei Verbi Regolari

 ballarevenderedormire
ioballaivendei (vendetti)dormii
tuballastivendestidormisti
lui / leiballòvendé (vendette)dormì
noiballammovendemmodormimmo
voiballastevendestedormiste
loroballaronovenderono ( vendettero)dormirono

Please notice how –ere verbs have two possible conjugations with the Passato Remoto. Both are correct.

 

Passato Remoto di Essere & Avere

ESSERE

  • io fui
  • tu fosti
  • lui / lei fu
  • noi fummo
  • voi foste
  • loro furono

AVERE

  • io ebbi
  • tu avesti
  • lui / lei ebbe
  • noi avemmo
  • voi aveste 
  • loro ebbero

The Passato Remoto is the most irregular tense in Italian. Irregular verbs are mostly of the -ere conjugation. This is possibly one of the most valid reasons why people prefer to use the Passato Prossimo.

The following, is a very basic list of irregular verbs. You can start here and build up some vocabulary.

Passato Remoto dei Verbi Irregolari

 iotului / leinoivoiloro
BEREbevvibevestibevvebevemmobevestebevvero
CORREREcorsicorresticorsecorremmocorrestecorsero
DARE 1diedidestidiededemmodestediedero
DARE 2dettidestidettedemmodestedettero
DIREdissidicestidissedicemmodicestedissero
FAREfecifacestifecefacemmofacestefecero
METTEREmisimettestimisemettemmomettestemisero
NASCEREnacquinascestinacquenascemmonascestenacquero
PERDEREpersiperdestiperseperdemmoperdestepersero
RIMANERErimasirimanestirimaserimanemmorimanesterimasero
RISPONDERErisposirispondestirisposerispondemmorispondesterisposero
ROMPEREruppirompestirupperompemmorompesteruppero
SAPEREseppisapestiseppesapemmosapesteseppero
SPEGNEREspensispegnestispensespegnemmospegnestespensero
STAREstettistestistettestemmostestestettero
TOGLIEREtolsitogliestitolsetogliemmotogliestetolsero
VEDEREvidivedestividevedemmovedestevidero
VENIREvennivenistivennevenimmovenistevennero
VIVEREvissivivestivissevivemmovivestevissero
VOLEREvollivolestivollevolemmovolestevollero

Thanks for reading. Please solve the quiz and listen to the correct pronunciation in the answer. If you want to try a class on Skype or Zoom, complete the quiz.

Alla prossima.

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Andrea del Sarto  – Ritratto maschile – 1528

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