A Guide to Using the Passato Prossimo in Italian

The passato prossimo (present perfect) is one of the most commonly used past tenses in Italian. It’s used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past but are connected to the present (similar to “I have eaten” or “I ate” in English). Here’s a beginner-friendly guide for English speakers!

1. How to Form the Passato Prossimo

The passato prossimo is made up of two parts:

A helping (auxiliary) verb: essere or avere in the present tense
The past participle of the main verb

Formula:

[Present tense of essere/avere] + [Past participle]

2. Step-by-Step Guide

A. Choose the correct auxiliary verb

Avere (to have) is used with most verbs.
- Ex: Io ho mangiato. (I ate.)
Essere (to be) is used with:
1. Verbs of motion or change (e.g., andare = to go, arrivare = to arrive)
2. Reflexive verbs (e.g., lavarsi = to wash oneself)
When using essere, the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number:
- Lui è andato. (He went.)
- Lei è andata. (She went.)

B. Form the past participle

For -are verbs, replace “-are” with -ato:
- Mangiare → mangiato (to eat → eaten)
For -ere verbs, replace “-ere” with -uto:
- Avere → avuto (to have → had)
For -ire verbs, replace “-ire” with -ito:
- Dormire → dormito (to sleep → slept)

3. Examples with Avere

Here are examples with the auxiliary verb avere:

Io ho parlato con Maria. (I spoke with Maria.)
Noi abbiamo finito il lavoro. (We finished the work.)
Tu hai letto il libro? (Did you read the book?)

4. Examples with Essere

Here are examples with the auxiliary verb essere:

Lui è andato al negozio. (He went to the store.)
Lei è arrivata tardi. (She arrived late.)
Noi siamo stati in Italia. (We were in Italy.)

5. When to Use Passato Prossimo

Use passato prossimo for actions that:

Happened once in the past:
- Ho visto un bel film. (I saw a good movie.)
Were completed in the past:
- Hanno comprato una casa. (They bought a house.)
Are still relevant to the present:
- Ho studiato molto oggi. (I studied a lot today.)