When you start learning the past tense, that is il passato prossimo, you run into the unique situation (at least for native English speakers) of having to not only figure out what the equivalent is of the verb you want to use, but also a second verb that you combine it with.
Let me paint a clearer picture for you.
I want to say two sentences:
— Yesterday I talked to Marco.
— Then, we went to the club.
In Italian, here’s what would happen in my head:
Okay, so the word for yesterday is “ieri.” Great. Now, if I want to say “I talked,” I know that the past participle of “parlare” is “parlato.” Then I have to use the verb “avere” as the auxiliary verb, and since it’s me doing the action, it’s “ho,” so “ho parlato.” Then of course, the preposition is “con.”
Ieri ho parlato con Marco.
Avere = Auxiliary verb
Parlato = Past participle of “parlare”
However, in the next sentence, things change slightly.
So, the word I want to use for “then” is “poi.” Then I know that the past participle for “andare” is “andato” and that the auxiliary verb here to use is “essere,” Then the preposition is “in” and “club” is “discoteca”. However, since there are two of us, “essere” is conjugated as “siamo” and the ending of “andato” is replaced with an -i, making it “andati.”
Poi siamo andati in discoteca.
Essere = Auxiliary verb
Andato = Past participle
I break this down to the tiniest detail so you can all of the moving parts in front of your eyes that go into using auxiliary verbs, and knowing how to choose between “avere” and “essere” is incredibly important because you’re going to be using auxiliary verbs in more tenses than just the past.
So you have two choices here – avere and essere.
Which one do you choose?
How to Choose Between Avere and Essere
While there are a handful of exceptions, you choose “essere” with verbs that describe movement, a state of being, or a condition, like “andare – to go,” “uscire – to go out,” or “succedere – to happen.” Reflexive verbs, like “alzarsi – to get up” are always conjugated with “essere.”
“Avere” is typically used with all other verbs, like “parlare – to speak,” “mangiare – to eat,” or “imparare – to learn.”
What are some of the exceptions?
— Camminare – to walk: Even though this verb deals with motion, it takes “avere” as its auxiliary verb.
— Diventare – to become: This is one that you might not be sure about, but it does take the verb “essere” as an auxiliary.
— Rimanere – to stay: Even though nothing is technically changing when you’re staying in one place, this verb takes “essere” as an auxiliary verb as well.
Transitive or intransitive?
Another way that you could decide which verb to use is to recognize whether the meaning of the verb is transitive or intransitive. What does that mean?
Transitive verbs are ones that require a direct object, like “I finished my homework.” What did I finish? The homework — that’s the direct object. These types of verbs take “avere.” Intransitive verbs, on the other hand, don’t require an object and often represent a change of state or condition, like “The movie is over.” It was playing, but now it’s over. It’s changed its state. These types of verbs take “essere.”
Here’s a longer list of common verbs that take “avere”:
— Fare – to do/to make
— Portare – to bring
— Vedere – to see
— Sentire – to smell, hear, taste
— Aspettare – to wait
— Bere – to drink
— Capire – to understand
— Chiedere – to ask
— Credere – to believe, to think
— Cominciare – to begin
— Comprare – to buy
— Dare – to give
— Dire – to say
— Finire – to finish
— Imparare – to learn
— Pensare – to think
— Perdere – to lose, to miss
— Potere – to be able to, can
— Scrivere – to write
— Spiegare – to explain
— Vivere – to live
— Volere – to want
Here’s a longer list of common verbs that take “essere”:
— Abituarsi – to get used to
— Arrivare – to arrive
— Entrare – to enter
— Mettersi – to get dressed
— Morire – to die
— Nascere – to be born
— Partire – to leave
— Perdersi – to get lost
— Rimanere – to stay
— Riuscire – to be able to, to succeed (at)
— Salire – to go up
— Scendere – to descend, get off
— Stare – to be
— Tornare – to return
— Venire – to come
And then some verbs swing both ways (if you know what I mean).
There are a whole lot of verbs that can swing both ways, so I’ll just highlight five popular ones that you may hear or use in daily conversation.
— Cambiare – to change: When you’re talking about changing an object, like getting a new job (ho cambiato lavoro), you use “avere” as the auxiliary. But when you’re talking about someone changing (in quel periodo sono cambiato molto), you use “essere” as the auxiliary.
— Correre – to run, to be in a hurry: When you’re talking about running, you would use “avere” as the auxiliary, but when you’re talking about being in a hurry, you would use “essere”.
— Crescere – to grow, to raise: When you’re talking about how someone grew up, you use “essere” as the auxiliary (sono cresciuto/a in Michigan), but when you’re talking about someone raising children, you use “avere” (mia madre mi ha cresciuto/a da sola).
— Finire – to finish: When you’re talking about a person finishing something, like homework, you use “avere” (ho finito i compiti), but when you’re talking about something being finished, like a movie, you use “essere” (il film è finito).
— Piovere – to rain: Typically you can use both “essere” and “avere” as the auxiliary verb here, but when you’re using “piovere” to talk about something more metaphorical, like people pouring in from a different country (500.000 di persone sono piovuti sull’Italia), then you would use “essere.
— Scendere – to go down: When you’re talking about getting off of something, like a bus, you use “essere” (sono sceso/a dall’autobus). When you’re talking about going down something, like a set of stairs, you use “avere” (ho sceso le scale).
Transitive:
The word transitive comes from the Latin transire meaning ‘to pass’, ‘to cross’, ‘to go beyond’, therefore it describes actions that move from the subject or doer directly to the object, without making use of prepositions such as di, da, per, a etc.
Examples:
The classic example that we learn at school is: io mangio la mela (I eat the apple); in this sentence io is the subject of the verb, mangio is the transitive verb, and la mela is the direct object.
It’s not always necessary to express the direct object, for example: la sera mangio presto (in the evening I eat early). Here, the direct object would be ‘dinner’, ‘meal’, or ‘food’, but it is implicit rather than expressed.
Another example would be: Giovanni guida la macchina per andare a lavorare (Giovanni drives his car to go to work). Here, guidare is a transitive verb because it is followed by the direct object, la macchina. However I could also omit ‘la macchina’ and simply say Giovanni guida per andare a lavorare.
Intransitive:
When using intransitive verbs, the action does not move directly from the subject to the object but makes use of a preposition such as di, da, in, a etc.
Some important intransitive verbs are those which don’t express an action but rather a state or a condition, such as essere (to be), stare (to stay), divenire (to become), or movement such as andare (to go), venire (to come), arrivare (to arrive), etc. When using these verbs we frequently add information, such as ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘how’, ‘for how long’, and so on.
Examples:
il treno è arrivato in stazione (the train arrived at the station). Here, il treno is the subject, è arrivato is the intransitive verb, in stazione is the indirect object introduced by the preposition in
sto in ufficio tutto il pomeriggio (I’ll be in the office all afternoon)
Giovanni va al lavoro in macchina (Giovanni goes to work by car)
The past perfect, in Italian as in English, is used to show that a past event or state happened prior to a past reference point.
It’s formed using the auxiliary verb ‘avere’ or ‘essere’ in the imperfect tense, and the past participle of the main verb.
Below are the conjunctions of ‘essere’, ‘avere’, and an example verb from each of the three main groups.
Remember that when you use the auxiliary verb ‘essere, the past participle needs to ‘agree’ with the gender and singular or plural nature of the subject.
essere [to be]
io ero stato/a
tu eri stato/a
lui/lei era stato/a
noi eravamo stati/e
voi eravate stati/e
loro erano stati/e
avere [to have]
io avevo avuto
tu avevi avuto
lui/lei aveva avuto
noi avevamo avuto
voi avevate avuto
loro avevano avuto
First group, -are
magiare [to eat]
io avevo mangiato
tu avevi mangiato
lui/lei aveva mangiato
noi avevamo mangiato
voi avevate mangiato
loro avevano mangiato
Second group, -ere
bere [to drink]
io avevo bevuto
tu avevi bevuto
lui/lei aveva bevuto
noi avevamo bevuto
voi avevate bevuto
loro avevano bevuto
Third group, -ire
venire [to come]
io ero venuto/a
tu eri venuto/a
lui/lei era venuto/a
noi eravamo venuti/e
voi eravate venuti/e
loro erano venuti/e
On this page, you will see several different types of object pronouns: 1) direct objects, 2) indirect objects, 3) objects of preposition, 4) reflexive pronouns, 5) the passive “si,” and 5) ci and ne.
1) Direct objects
A direct object receives the action of the verb and answers the question, “What?” For example:
- Vedo la ragazza. I see the girl.
We can ask, “What do I see?” and answer “The girl.” So “la ragazza” is our direct object.
Just like how in English we can replace “the girl” with the pronoun “her,” in Italian we can replace direct objects with pronouns. The direct object pronouns are the following:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (me) |
mi |
1st person plural (us) |
ci |
| 2nd person singular (you) |
ti |
2nd person plural (you) |
vi |
| 3rd person singular (him, her, formal you) |
lo, la, La |
3rd person plural (them) |
li, le |
Usually these pronouns come before your verb. So the sentence “Vedo la ragazza” becomes “La vedo” (I see her).
Sometimes pronouns are put after the verb for emphasis, and then use a different set of pronouns, called tonic pronouns:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (me) |
me |
1st person plural (us) |
noi |
| 2nd person singular (you) |
te |
2nd person plural (you) |
voi |
| 3rd person singular (him, her, formal you) |
lui, lei, Lei |
3rd person plural (them) |
loro |
Except for “me” and “te,” these are the same forms as the subject pronouns. Going back to “Vedo la ragazza,” we can say “Vedo lei,” if we want to emphasize that it is her (not someone else).
2) Indirect objects
Like direct objects answer the question “What?” indirect objects usually answer the question “To whom?” or “For whom?” For example:
- Scrivo a mia sorella. I write to my sister.
“My sister” answers the question, “To whom do I write?” so “mia sorella” is the indirect object.
The indirect object pronouns look like the direct object pronouns, except the third person:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (to me) |
mi |
1st person plural (to us) |
ci |
| 2nd person singular (to you) |
ti |
2nd person plural (to you) |
vi |
| 3rd person singular (to him, her, formal you) |
gli, le, Le |
3rd person plural (to them) |
gli |
Like the direct object pronouns, these typically come before the verb:
- Scrivo a mia sorella. Le scrivo. I write to my sister. I write to her.
You can also use the tonic pronouns (see above) after the verb for emphasis or clarification, but with the indirect object, “a” is required:
The only exception is “loro,” which does not require “a”:
- Scrivo ai miei amici. Gli scrivo. / Scrivo loro. I write to my friends. I write to them.
3) Objects of preposition
After a preposition (for example, “con,” “di,” “per”), you should use a tonic pronoun (see above):
- Non so niente di te. I don’t know anything about you.
4) Reflexive pronouns
In Italian, some verbs are reflexive, meaning that the person doing the action does it to him or herself. Examples of this would be “mettersi” (to put a piece of clothing on), “chiamarsi” (literally “to call oneself”), and “sentirsi” (to feel). In the dictionary, you may notice that the infinitive has “si” on the end to show the verb is reflexive.
Reflexive verbs have their own pronouns:
| |
|
|
|
| io |
mi |
noi |
ci |
| tu |
ti |
voi |
vi |
| lui, lei, Lei |
si |
loro |
si |
These pronouns match the verb (“mi” with the “io” form, “ti” with “tu,” etc.) and are usually placed before the verb:
- Mi metto la giacca. I put on my coat.
5) The passive “si” (si passivante)
We use the passive or impersonal “si” when we don't want to state who exactly did the action. This can be translated in different ways in English. For example:
- In Italia si mangia la pizza.
This could be translated as: In Italy, pizza is eaten, In Italy, you (in general) eat pizza, In Italy, one eats pizza, In Italy, they (in general) eat pizza, among other things. The important thing to remember is that this action is not being done by any specific person.
To form this, use “si” and a verb in the third person (the form for lui/lei or loro). If there is an object after the verb, the verb agrees with the object. So we say:
but
If there is no object, the verb is singular:
For reflexive verbs, you add “ci” before “si”:
- Ci si alza presto. One gets up early.
6) Ci and ne
“Ci” and “ne” replace prepositional phrases. “Ci” replaces “in” or “a” and their object:
- Vai a Roma? No, non ci vado. Are you going to Rome? No, I’m not going there.
“Ne” replaces “di” and its object:
- Vuoi una di queste caramelle? Ne vuoi una? Do you want one of these candies? Do you want one of them?
Proposition - By Michael San Filippo
Italian Verbs That Demand A
The proposition a can link a verb to an object such as a noun or a pronoun, or a verb in the infinitive. For example: to get used to the weather; to get used to doing something.
Connecting to a Noun or Pronoun With A
These verbs connect through a to someone or something.
| Abituarsi a |
to get used to |
Ci si abitua a tutto. |
One gets used to anything. |
| Assistere a |
to sit in/watch |
Ho assistito alla sua prova. |
I sat in on his exam. |
| Assomigliare a |
to resemble |
Assomiglia a sua sorella. |
He resembles his sister. |
| Credere a |
to believe |
Non credo alle tue bugie. |
I don't believe your lies. |
| Dare fastidio a |
to bother |
Non dare fastidio al cane. |
Don't bother the dog. |
| Fare un regalo a |
to give a gift to |
Ho fatto un regalo alla maestra. |
I gave a gift to the teacher. |
| Fermarsi a |
to stop at |
Luca non si ferma a nulla. |
Luca will stop at nothing. |
| Giocare a |
to play |
Giochiamo a tennis. |
Let's play tennis. |
| Insegnare a |
to teach |
Lucia ha insegnato a mia figlia. |
Lucia taught my daughter. |
| Interessarsi a |
to take an interest in |
Mi sono interessato alla tua famiglia. |
I took an interest in your family. |
| Partecipare a |
to participate in |
Orazio non partecipa alla gara. |
Orazio is not participating in the race. |
| Pensare a |
to think about |
Franco non pensa mai a nessuno. |
Franco never thinks about anyone. |
| Ricordare a |
to remind |
Ti ricordo che domani andiamo al mare. |
I remind you that tomorrow we are going to the sea. |
| Rinunciare a |
to renounce/give up |
Devo rinunciare a questa casa. |
I must give up this house. |
| Servire a |
to serve a purpose |
Non serve a nulla piangere. |
It serves no purpose to cry. |
| Spedire a |
to send to |
Spedisco il pacco a Carola domani. |
I will send the package to Carola tomorrow. |
| Tenere a |
to care about |
Tengo molto alle mie fotografie. |
I care very much about my pictures. |
Connecting to an Infinitive With A
These are verbs that use a to connect to another verb: to begin to do something.
| Abituarsi a |
to get used to |
Mi sono abituata a fare da sola. |
I have gotten used to doing things on my own. |
| Affrettarsi a |
to hurry to |
Affrettati a portare il cane fuori. |
Hurry to take the dog out. |
| Aiutare a |
to help to |
Ti aiuto a portare la torta alla nonna. |
I'll help you take the cake to Grandma's. |
| Cominciare a |
to begin to |
Oggi comincio a leggere il libro. |
Today I'll begin reading the book. |
| Continuare a |
to continue to |
Marco continua a fare errori nei compiti. |
Marco continues to make mistakes in his homework. |
| Convincersi a |
to convince oneself to |
Mi sono convinta ad andare. |
I have convinced myself to go. |
| Costringere a |
to force someone to |
Non puoi costringermi a stare in casa. |
You cannot force me to stay home. |
| Decidersi a |
to make up one's mind to |
Luca si è deciso a studiare di più. |
Luca has made up his mind to study more. |
| Divertirsi a |
to have fun doing sth |
I bambini si divertono a tirare la coda al gatto. |
The children have fun pulling the cat's tail. |
| Fermarsi a |
to stop to |
Mi sono fermata a fare benzina. |
I stopped to get gas. |
| Insegnare a |
to teach to |
La nonna ci ha insegnato a fare i biscotti. |
Grandma taught us to make cookies. |
| Invitare a |
to invite to |
Ti voglio invitare a leggere un brano del tuo libro. |
I want to invite you to read an excerpt of your book. |
| Mandare a |
to send to |
Ho mandato Paolo a prendere il pane. |
I sent Paolo to get the bread. |
| Mettersi a |
to set out/begin to |
Ci siamo messi a guardare un film. |
We began watching a film. |
| Passare a |
to stop by to |
Passo a prendere i bambini tra un ora. |
I'll stop by to get the children in an hour. |
| Pensare a |
to take care of |
Ci penso io ad aggiustare tutto. |
I'll take care of fixing everything. |
| Prepararsi a |
to prepare to |
Ci prepariamo a partire. |
We are preparing to leave. |
| Provare a |
to try to |
Proviamo a parlare con la mamma. |
Let's try to talk to mom. |
| Rimanere a |
to remain/
stay to |
Rimani a mangiare? |
Are you staying to eat? |
| Rinunciare a |
to give up |
Dopo la guerra tutti i bambini dovettero rinunciare ad andare a scuola. |
After the war all the children had to give up going to school. |
| Riprendere a |
to get back to |
Luca vuole riprendere a studiare il francese. |
Luca wants to get back to studying French. |
| Riuscire a |
to succeed at |
Voglio riuscire a fare questa torta complicata. |
I want to succeed at making this complicated cake. |
| Sbrigarsi a |
to hurry to |
Sbrigati a lavare i piatti. |
Hurry up to wash the dishes. |
| Servire a |
to serve to |
Questo carrello serve a portare i libri di sotto. |
This cart serves to take the books downstairs. |
| Tenere a |
to care to/about |
Tengo a precisare che la mia posizione non è cambiata. |
I care to point out that my position has not changed. |
Verbs of Movement That Want by ABeforeObject or Infinitive
Verbs of movement use a to connect with a noun or a verb, except for a few that want da: partire da (to leave from), venire/provenire da (to come from), allontanarsi da (to distance oneself from).
| Andare a |
to go to |
1. Vado a casa. 2. Vado a visitare il museo. |
1. I'm going home. 2. I'm going to visit the museum. |
| Correre a |
to run to |
1. Corriamo a cena. 2. Corriamo a vedere il film. |
1. We are running to dinner. 2. We are running to see a movie. |
| Fermarsi a |
to stop to |
1. Ci fermiamo al mercato. 2. Ci fermiamo a mangiare. |
1. We are stopping at the market. 2. We are stopping to eat. |
| Passare a |
to stop by to |
Passo a prendere il cane. |
I'll stop by to get the dog. |
| Restare a |
to stay to |
1. Restiamo a casa. 2. Restiamo a mangiare. |
1. We are staying home. 2. We are staying to eat. |
| Tornare a |
to return to |
1. Torniamo a scuola. 2. Torniamo a prenderti alle due. |
1. We are returning to school. 2. We are returning to get you at two. |
| Venire a |
to come to |
1. Venite alla festa? 2. Venite a mangiare all'una. |
1. Are you coming to the party? 2. You are coming to eat at one. |
Italian Verbs That Demand Di
The preposition di can link a verb to an object such as a noun or a pronoun, or to another verb in the infinitive (or both, depending on the meaning).
Connecting to a Noun or Pronoun With Di
| Accontentarsi di |
to make do/
be happy with |
Mi accontento della mia vita. |
I am happy with my life. |
| Approfittarsi di |
to take advantage of |
Voglio approfittare dell'occasione. |
I want to take advantage of the occasion. |
| Avere bisogno di |
to need |
Ho bisogno di acqua. |
I need water. |
| Avere paura di |
to be afraid of |
Ho paura di te. |
I am scared of you. |
| Dimenticarsi di |
to forget |
Dimenticati di lui. |
Forget him. |
| Fidarsi di |
to trust |
Fidati di lui. |
Trust him. |
| Innamorarsi di |
to fall in love with |
Mi sono innamorata di lui. |
I fell in love with him. |
| Interessarsi di |
to take an interest in |
Il prof si interessa dei miei studi. |
The teacher takes an interest in my studies. |
| Lamentarsi di |
to complain about |
Non mi lamento di niente. |
I am not complaining about anything. |
| Meravigliarsi di |
to be amazed by |
Mi meraviglio della bellezza dei colori. |
I am amazed by the beauty of the colors. |
| Occuparsi di |
to take care of |
Giulia si occupa della casa. |
Giulia takes care of the house. |
| Ricordarsi di |
to remember |
Non mi sono ricordata della festa. |
I did not remember the party. |
| Ringraziare di |
to thank for |
Ti ringrazio del regalo. |
I thank you for the gift. |
| Scusarsi di |
to apologize for |
Mi scuso del disturbo. |
I apologize for my tardiness. |
| Vivere di |
to live of |
Vivo di poco. |
I live of little. |
Connecting toan Infinitive With Di
| Accettare di |
to accept |
Accetto di dover partire. |
I accept having to leave. |
| Accontentarsi di |
to make do/be happy with |
Ci accontentiamo di avere questa casa. |
We make do with this house. |
| Accorgersi di |
to notice |
Ci siamo accorti di essere in ritardo. |
We noticed we were late. |
| Ammettere di |
to admit to |
Il ladro ha ammesso di avere rubato la macchina. |
The thief admitted having stolen the car. |
| Aspettare di |
to wait for |
Aspetto di vedere cosa succede. |
I'll wait to see what happens. |
| Augurarsi di |
to wish for |
Ti auguro di guarire presto. |
I wish/hope you get better soon. |
| Avere bisogno di |
to need |
Ho bisogno di vedere un dottore. |
I need to see a doctor. |
| Cercare di |
to try to |
Cerco di capirti. |
I try to understand you. |
| Chiedere di |
to ask |
Ho chiesto di poter uscire. |
I asked to be allowed out. |
| Confessare di |
to confess |
Il ladro ha confessato di avere rubato la macchina. |
The thief confessed to stealing the car. |
| Consigliare di |
to advise |
Ti consiglio di aspettare. |
I advise you to wait. |
| Contare di |
to count on |
Contiamo di poter venire. |
We are counting on coming. |
| Credere di |
to believe that |
Credo di avere capito. |
I think I have understood. |
| Dispiacere di |
to be sorry for |
Mi dispiace di averti ferito. |
I am sorry to have hurt you. |
| Dimenticarsi di |
to forget to |
Vi siete dimenticati di portare il pane. |
You forgot to bring the bread. |
| Decidere di |
to decide to |
Ho deciso di andare a Berlino. |
I decided to go to Berlin. |
| Dire di |
to tell/say |
Ho detto a Carlo di venire. |
I told Carlo to come. |
| Evitare di |
to avoid |
Ho evitato di andare addosso al muro. |
I avoided hitting the wall. |
| Fingere di |
to pretend that |
Andrea ha finto di sentirsi male. |
Andrea pretended to be sick. |
| Finire di |
to finish |
Abbiamo finito di studiare. |
We finished studying. |
| Lamentarsi di |
to complain about |
Non mi lamento di essere qui. |
I don't complain for being here. |
| Occuparsi di |
to take care of |
Ci siamo occupati di aggiustare tutto. |
We took care of fixing everything. |
| Parere di |
to seem to |
Mi pare di aver fatto il possibile. |
It seems to me to have done what was possible. |
| Pensare di |
to think |
Penso di venire oggi. |
I think I'll come today. |
| Pregare di |
to pray |
Prego di avere la pazienza per aspettare. |
I pray to have the patience to wait. |
| Proibire di |
to forbid |
Ti proibisco di uscire! |
I forbid you to go out! |
| Promettere di |
to promise |
Ti prometto di aspettare. |
I promise to wait. |
| Ricordarsi di |
to remember |
Ti ricordi di prendere il vino? |
Will you remember to get the wine? |
| Ringraziare di |
to thank for |
Ti ringrazio di averci aiutati. |
I thank you for having helped us. |
| Scusarsi di |
to apologize for |
Mi scuso di averti offeso. |
I apologize for having offended you. |
| Sembrare di |
to seem to |
Il cane sembra voler uscire. |
The dog seems to want to go out. |
| Smettere di |
to quit |
Ho smesso di fumare. |
I quit smoking. |
| Sperare di |
to hope |
Spero di vederti. |
I hope to see you. |
| Suggerire di |
to suggest |
Ti suggerisco di aspettare. |
I advise you to wait. |
| Tentare di |
to attempt to |
Tentiamo di parlare con Vanessa. |
We'll attempt to speak to Vanessa. |
Italian Verbs That Demand Su
These verbs use su to connect to a noun or pronoun:
| Contare su |
to count on |
Conto su di te. |
I am counting on you. |
| Giurare su |
to swear on |
Giuro sulla mia vita. |
I swear on my life. |
| Leggere su |
to read in |
L'ho letto sul giornale. |
I read it in the paper. |
| Riflettere su |
to reflect on |
Ho riflettutto sul problema. |
I have reflected upon the problem. |
| Soffermarsi su |
to linger on |
Il professore si è soffermato sulla sua teoria. |
The teacher lingered on his theory. |
Italian Verbs That Want Per
These verbs use per to connect to a noun or pronoun or another verb.
| Dispiacere per |
to be sorry for |
1. Mi dispiace per la tua sofferenza. 2. Mi dispiace per averti ferito. |
1. I am sorry for your suffering. 2. I am sorry for having hurt you. |
| Finire per |
to end up |
Luca è finito per andare a scuola. |
Luca ended up going to school. |
| Prepararsi per |
to prepare for |
Mi sono preparato per il tuo arrivo. |
I prepared for your arrival. |
| Ringraziare per |
to thank for |
1. Ti ringrazio per la tua comprensione. 2. Ti ringrazio per avermi capita. |
1. I thank you for your understanding. 2. I thank you for having understood me. |
| Scusarsi per |
to apologize for |
1. Mi scuso per il disturbo. 2. Mi scuso per averti disturbato. |
1. I am sorry for the bother. 2. I am sorry for having bothered you. |
| Servire per |
to need for |
Non mi serve il tavolo per insegnare. |
I don't need the table to teach. |
Verbs Without Preposition Before Another Verb
Of course, you know that helping verbs dovere, potere, and volere do not need any preposition to connect to another verb: Devo andare (I must go); non posso parlare (I cannot speak). There are others:
| amare |
to love |
Amo parlare di te. |
I love to talk about you. |
| desiderare |
to desire |
Desidero vedere Roma. |
I desire to see Rome. |
| fare (fare) |
to make someone do sth |
Oggi ti faccio lavorare. |
Today I am going to make you work. |
| lasciare |
to work |
Domani ti lascio dormire. |
Tomorrow I will let you sleep. |
| odiare |
to hate |
Odio lasciarti. |
I hate to leave you. |
| piacere |
to like |
Mi piace guardare il paesaggio. |
I like to look at the countryside. |
| preferire |
to prefer |
Preferisco ballare che studiare. |
I prefer to dance than to study. |
| sapere |
to know |
Maria sa parlare il francese. |
Maria knows how to speak French. |
Have you ever studied the “Si spersonalizzante“?
The so called “Si spersonalizzante” is used in Italian to make the verb impersonal.
When there is not a specific subject, we use the particle “si” as an indefinite subject which refers to people in general.
We have to distinguish a number of different situations though.
Let’s go through some examples to better understand it!
| |
Italian |
English |
| 1 |
Ad agosto in Italia si va al mare. |
In August in Italy people go to the seaside. |
| 2 |
Si sente un buon profumo di fiori. |
You can smell a nice scent of flowers. |
| 3 |
Dalle montagne si vedono panorami meravigliosi. |
From the mountains it is possible to see marvelous landscapes. |
| 4 |
Alle terme ci si rilassa molto. |
At the thermal baths you can relax a lot. |
| 5 |
Quando finiscono le vacanze si è sempre tristi. |
When holidays finish people are always sad. |
In example n.1, we have an impersonal construction with an intransitive verb: in this case we use si + third person singular of the verb.
In n.2 we have an impersonal construction with a transitive verb agreed with a singular object (un buon profumo): so we use si + third person singular of the verb + singular object.
Example n.3 is an impersonal construction with a transitive verb agreed with a plural object (panorami meravigliosi): in this case we use si + third person plural of the verb + plural object.
N.4 refers to Reflexive Verbs: if we want to make them impersonal, we use ci + si + third person singular of the verb.
The last example shows the impersonal construction si + è + adjective: careful, in this case the adjective is always masculine plural!
Try to make some sentences using the “si spersonalizzante” now!
It will be easier than you thought!
You will see several different types of object pronouns:
- ) direct objects
- ) indirect objects,
- ) objects of preposition,
- ) reflexive pronouns,
- ) the passive “si,”
- )and ci and ne.
1) Direct objects
A direct object receives the action of the verb and answers the question, “What?” For example:
- Vedo la ragazza. I see the girl.
We can ask, “What do I see?” and answer “The girl.” So “la ragazza” is our direct object.
Just like how in English we can replace “the girl” with the pronoun “her,” in Italian we can replace direct objects with pronouns. The direct object pronouns are the following:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (me) |
mi |
1st person plural (us) |
ci |
| 2nd person singular (you) |
ti |
2nd person plural (you) |
vi |
| 3rd person singular (him, her, formal you) |
lo, la, La |
3rd person plural (them) |
li, le |
Usually these pronouns come before your verb. So the sentence “Vedo la ragazza” becomes “La vedo” (I see her).
Sometimes pronouns are put after the verb for emphasis, and then use a different set of pronouns, called tonic pronouns:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (me) |
me |
1st person plural (us) |
noi |
| 2nd person singular (you) |
te |
2nd person plural (you) |
voi |
| 3rd person singular (him, her, formal you) |
lui, lei, Lei |
3rd person plural (them) |
loro |
Except for “me” and “te,” these are the same forms as the subject pronouns. Going back to “Vedo la ragazza,” we can say “Vedo lei,” if we want to emphasize that it is her (not someone else).
2) Indirect objects
Like direct objects answer the question “What?” indirect objects usually answer the question “To whom?” or “For whom?” For example:
- Scrivo a mia sorella. I write to my sister.
“My sister” answers the question, “To whom do I write?” so “mia sorella” is the indirect object.
The indirect object pronouns look like the direct object pronouns, except the third person:
| |
|
|
|
| 1st person singular (to me) |
mi |
1st person plural (to us) |
ci |
| 2nd person singular (to you) |
ti |
2nd person plural (to you) |
vi |
| 3rd person singular (to him, her, formal you) |
gli, le, Le |
3rd person plural (to them) |
gli |
Like the direct object pronouns, these typically come before the verb:
- Scrivo a mia sorella. Le scrivo. I write to my sister. I write to her.
You can also use the tonic pronouns (see above) after the verb for emphasis or clarification, but with the indirect object, “a” is required:
The only exception is “loro,” which does not require “a”:
- Scrivo ai miei amici. Gli scrivo. / Scrivo loro. I write to my friends. I write to them.
3) Objects of preposition
After a preposition (for example, “con,” “di,” “per”), you should use a tonic pronoun (see above):
- Non so niente di te. I don’t know anything about you.
4) Reflexive pronouns
In Italian, some verbs are reflexive, meaning that the person doing the action does it to him or herself. Examples of this would be “mettersi” (to put a piece of clothing on), “chiamarsi” (literally “to call oneself”), and “sentirsi” (to feel). In the dictionary, you may notice that the infinitive has “si” on the end to show the verb is reflexive.
Reflexive verbs have their own pronouns:
| |
|
|
|
| io |
mi |
noi |
ci |
| tu |
ti |
voi |
vi |
| lui, lei, Lei |
si |
loro |
si |
These pronouns match the verb (“mi” with the “io” form, “ti” with “tu,” etc.) and are usually placed before the verb:
- Mi metto la giacca. I put on my coat.
5) The passive “si” (si passivante)
We use the passive or impersonal “si” when we don't want to state who exactly did the action. This can be translated in different ways in English. For example:
- In Italia si mangia la pizza.
This could be translated as: In Italy, pizza is eaten, In Italy, you (in general) eat pizza, In Italy, one eats pizza, In Italy, they (in general) eat pizza, among other things. The important thing to remember is that this action is not being done by any specific person.
To form this, use “si” and a verb in the third person (the form for lui/lei or loro). If there is an object after the verb, the verb agrees with the object. So we say:
but
If there is no object, the verb is singular:
For reflexive verbs, you add “ci” before “si”:
- Ci si alza presto. One gets up early.
6) Ci and ne
“Ci” and “ne” replace prepositional phrases. “Ci” replaces “in” or “a” and their object:
- Vai a Roma? No, non ci vado. Are you going to Rome? No, I’m not going there.
“Ne” replaces “di” and its object:
- Vuoi una di queste caramelle? Ne vuoi una? Do you want one of these candies? Do you want one of them?
More Clitics - Explaining Non se ne va mai.
Andarsene is a pronomial verb. This means it is a mixture of a verb and pronouns. In this case it is the verb andare (to go) and two pronouns si and ne. If you remember when si precedes another clitic it changes to se. Ne in this case is known as a pronomial particle and means somewhere and Si is the reflexive pronoun. Andarsene is the verb to go away somewhere. It is conjugated by putting the reflexive pronoun first then the pronomial particle next and then the conjugated verb. Me ne vado (Me in place of Mi), Te ne vai, Se ne va, Ce ne andiamo, Ve ne andate, Se ne vanno. Pronomial verbs are easy to spot because of the pronouns attached at the end of the verb. Guardarsene (to avoid something) Pentirsene (to regret) Volerci (to take, as in time or effort), Avercela (to be angry) Dormirsela ( to sleep soundly). The pattern of conjugation remains the same. Using the verb avercela above...Ce l'ho con lei. I am angry with her.
Stare Conjugation in the Indicative Present Tense
Stare is an intransitive verb, meaning that it does not take a direct object. It’s also an irregular verb and it does not follow the pattern of the verbs ending in “-are”. Here is how to form the present tense of stare.
| Presente |
Present tense |
| io sto |
I stay |
| tu stai |
you stay |
| lui/lei sta |
he/she stay |
| noi stiamo |
we stay |
| voi state |
you stay |
| loro stanno |
they stay |
- In questi giorni sto a Roma.
These days I’m staying in Rome.
- Sto per uscire.
I’m about to leave.
Stare is often used to form the Present Progressive tense, in order to talk about an action that is happening at the same time we are speaking. This construction is formed by stare + the gerund of the verb.
- Sto mangiando.
I’m eating.
- Sto andando a lavoro.
I’m going to work.
Stare Conjugation in the Indicative Past Tense
The indicative mood has two simple past tenses: imperfetto and passato remoto.
| Imperfetto |
Imperfect |
| io stavo |
I stayed |
| tu stavi |
you stayed |
| lui/lei stava |
he/she stayed |
| noi stavamo |
we stayed |
| voi stavate |
you stayed |
| loro stavano |
they stayed |
- Stavo per uscire quando il telefono ha squillato.
I was about to leave, when the phone rang.
- Quando ho visto Paola, non stava facendo niente.
When I saw Paola, she wasn’t doing anything.
While the imperfetto is used for recurring actions in the past or for events that happened not too long ago, the passato remoto is used to talk about something that took place months, or years ago. However, it’s rarely used in real life (with the exception of some regional uses, especially in Southern Italy).
| Passato remoto |
Remote Past tense |
| io stetti |
I stayed |
| tu stesti |
you stayed |
| lui/lei stette |
he/she stayed |
| noi stemmo |
we stayed |
| voi steste |
you stayed |
| loro stettero |
they stayed |
- Ero così arrabbiato che non stetti nemmeno a sentirlo.
I was so angry that I didn’t even stay to listen to him.
The fastest way to level up your language skills.
Stare Conjugation to Talk about the Future
There are two tenses to express the future in Italian. We’ll see first the Future Simple of stare.
| Futuro Semplice |
Future Simple |
| io starò |
I will stay |
| tu starai |
you will stay |
| lui/lei starà |
he/she will stay |
| noi staremo |
we will stay |
| voi starete |
you will stay |
| loro staranno |
they will stay |
- Ho sbagliato, ma in futuro starò più attento.
I made a mistake; in the future, I’ll be more careful.
- Starò a Parigi per due settimane.
I’ll stay in Paris for two weeks.
Compound Tenses of Stare Conjugation
The indicative mood also has a few compound tenses. Since stare is an intransitive verb, its compound tenses are formed by adding the auxiliary essere (to be).
Stare Conjugation: Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect is the most used tense to talk about past actions. Here is how you form it.
| Passato prossimo |
Present Perfect tense |
| io sono stato/a |
I have stayed |
| tu sei stato/a |
you have stayed |
| lui/lei è stato/a |
he/she has stayed |
| noi siamo stati/e |
we have stayed |
| voi siete stati/e |
you have stayed |
| loro sono stati/e |
they have stayed |
- Sono stato a Milano per una settimana.
I’ve stayed in Milan for a week.
- La spiegazione non è stata molto chiara.
The explanation wasn’t very clear.
Remember that when essere is used as an auxiliary, you need to modify the acting verb according to the gender and number of the subject.
Stare Conjugation: Pluperfect and Preterite Perfect tense
The trapassato prossimo is normally used to talk about an action that happened in the past, before another action.
| Trapassato prossimo |
Pluperfect |
| io ero stato/a |
I had stayed |
| tu eri stato/a |
you had stayed |
| lui/lei era stato/a |
he/she had stayed |
| noi eravamo stati/e |
we had stayed |
| voi eravate stati/e |
you had stayed |
| loro erano stati/e |
they had stayed |
- A quanto pare non ero stato chiaro, così gliel’ho rispiegato.
Apparently, it wasn’t clear enough, so I explained it again.
The Trapassato remoto is formed with the Remote Past tense of essere + the past participle of stare.
| Trapassato remoto |
Preterite Perfect tense |
| io fui stato/a |
I had stayed |
| tu fosti stato/a |
you had stayed |
| lui/lei fu stato/a |
he/she had stayed |
| noi fummo stati/e |
we had stayed |
| voi foste stati/e |
you had stayed |
| loro furono stati/e |
they had stayed |
You will hardly encounter the trapassato remoto of stare, so don’t worry too much: it’s only used in complex structures in literature, hence, it’ll be quite weird to use it in spoken language.
Stare Conjugation: Future Perfect Tense
The futuro anteriore has no equivalent in English, and is mostly used for two purposes:
- To indicate an action that will be finished before another one will take place.
- To express an hypothesis or uncertainty, or when you’re not sure about whether something will take place.
| Futuro anteriore |
Future Perfect tense |
| io sarò stato/a |
I will have stayed |
| tu sarai stato/a |
you will have stayed |
| lui/lei sarà stato/a |
he/she will have stayed |
| noi saremo stati/e |
we will have stayed |
| voi sarete stati/e |
you will have stayed |
| loro saranno stati/e |
they will have stayed |
- Se sarai stato promosso con buoni voti, ti farò un bel regalo.
If you’ll pass this year with good marks, I’ll give you a nice present.
- Perchè Marco non c’è? Sarà stato trattenuto a lavoro.
Why is Marco not here? He must be stuck at work.
Grammar? Get all the practice you can handle.
Subjunctive Tense of Stare
The subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty and is often introduced in Italian by the conjunction “che” (that). It is often used to express opinions, hope, wishes, assumptions, feelings, doubts or hypotheses.
Present Subjunctive
The present subjunctive of stare conjugation has the same three endings for all singular persons. Therefore, it’s advisable to add a pronoun before the verb, to help distinguish among them.
| Congiuntivo presente |
| (che) io stia |
| (che) tu stia |
| (che) lui/lei stia |
| (che) noi stiamo |
| (che) voi stiate |
| (che) loro stiano |
- Non credo che tu mi stia ascoltando.
I believe you’re not listening to me.
- Penso che Luca stia dicendo una bugia.
I think that Luca is telling a lie.
Perfect Subjunctive
The Past Subjunctive is formed with the Present Subjunctive of essere + the Past Participle of stare.
| Congiuntivo passato (essere auxiliary) |
| (che) io sia stato/a |
| (che) tu sia stato/a |
| (che) lui/lei sia stato/a |
| (che) noi siamo stati/e |
| (che) voi siate stati/e |
| (che) loro siano stati/e |
It is used to express past actions and express hypothesis or doubts, as well as to formulate rhetorical questions.
- Che sia stato lui a scrivere quella lettera?
Perhaps it was him who wrote that letter?
Subjunctive Imperfect
The subjunctive imperfect of stare is another irregular tense and is formed by removing the verb ending -are and by adding the following endings: -essi, -essi, -esse, -essimo, -este, -essero.
| Congiuntivo imperfetto |
| (che) io stessi |
| (che) tu stessi |
| (che) lui/lei stesse |
| (che) noi stessimo |
| (che) voi steste |
| (che) loro stessero |
- Non sapevo che Lucia stesse per partire, altrimenti l’avrei salutata.
I didn’t know that Lucia was about to leave, otherwise I would say goodbye to her.
- Se tu non stessi a casa così spesso, conosceresti più persone.
If you didn’t stay home so often, you’ll get to know more people.
Pluperfect Subjunctive
The Pluperfect Subjunctive of stare is formed by the Present Subjunctive of essere + the past participle of stare. It is mostly used in hypothetical clauses, often introduced by “se” (if).
| Congiuntivo trapassato |
Pluperfect Subjunctive (essere auxiliary) |
| io fossi stato/a |
I would have stayed |
| tu fossi stato/a |
you would have stayed |
| lui/lei fosse stato/a |
he/she would have stayed |
| noi fossimo stati/e |
we would have stayed |
| voi foste stati/e |
you would have stayed |
| loro fossero stati/e |
they would have stayed |
- Se fossi stato onesto, non avremmo litigato.
If you were sincere, we wouldn’t have fought.
- E se fosse stato lui a tradire la tua fiducia, che farai?
What if it was him who betrayed you, what would you do?
Conditional Mood of Stare
The Conditional mood only has two tenses: present and past. This verbal mode is used to talk about actions or situations that are conditioned by other actions, or to express impossible situations, or an information that the speaker is unsure about. It is the equivalent of the English would + verb.
| Condizionale presente |
Conditional present |
| io starei |
I would stay |
| tu staresti |
you would stay |
| lui/lei starebbe |
he/she would stay |
| noi staremmo |
we would stay |
| voi stareste |
you would stay |
| loro starebbero |
they would stay |
- Non starei mai con uno come te.
I would never stay with someone like you.
- Se foste arrivati prima ad aiutarci, non staremmo in questa situazione.
If you came earlier to help us, we wouldn’t be in this situation.
The conditional past is used for the same purpose, but of course it is used to talk about past actions/information. It is formed by using the Conditional Present of essere + the past participle of stare.
| Condizionale passato |
Conditional past |
| io sarei stato/a |
I would have stayed |
| tu saresti stato/a |
you would have stayed |
| lui/lei sarebbe stato/a |
he/she would have stayed |
| noi saremmo stati/e |
we would have stayed |
| voi sareste stati/e |
you would have stayed |
| loro sarebbero stati/e |
they would have stayed |
- Non sarei mai stato in grado di superare l’esame, senza il tuo aiuto.
I would never be able to pass the exam without your help.
- Non sarei stato così tanto a Roma, se non avessi amato la città.
I would never have stayed so long in Rome if I hadn’t loved the city.
No owls. No hearts. Just good ole fashioned language learning fun.
Imperative Mood and Indefinite Moods of Stare
Finally, let’s end this overview of the stare conjugation by looking at the imperative mood (used to express orders or requests) and the indefinite moods.
| Imperative Present |
| tu sta’/stai |
| lui/lei stia |
| noi stiamo |
| voi stiate |
| loro stiano |
- Stai qui, mentre vado a fare la spesa.
Stay here, while I go shopping.
Lastly, the indefinite moods of stare:
| Infinito – Infinitive |
| Present tense |
Past tense |
| Stare (to stay) |
Esser stato (to have stayed) |
| Participio – Participle |
| Present tense |
Past tense |
| stante |
stato (stayed) |
| Gerundio – Gerundive |
| Present tense |
Past tense |
| Stando (Staying) |
Essendo stato (having stayed) |
For first and second person, direct and indirect are the same, so you only have to learn one set. Me is mi, you is ti, us is ci, you-plural is vi.
For the third-person ones is that direct objects are just as you'd want them to be lo is him, la is her, li is them, le is them-female. Indirect objects are all gli except single women, who're le.