Published on December 12, 2024
Passato prossimo: A complete guide to the Italian past tense
The passato prossimo is one of the most essential verb tenses in Italian. It describes actions and events that happened and were completed in the past. The passato prossimo is a compound tense, which means it’s built by combining an auxiliary verb (essere or avere) with the past participle of the main verb.
In this article, you’ll learn how and when to use the passato prossimo, how it differs from the imperfetto, and how to avoid common mistakes.
The passato prossimo is the most commonly used past tense in Italian, and it’s essential for talking about actions that happened and were completed in the past. In everyday Italian, this is the go-to tense for sharing stories, talking about what you did yesterday or describing life experiences.
This compound verb tense consists of two parts: an auxiliary verb (avere or essere) and the past participle of the main verb.
In terms of how it’s constructed, the passato prossimo corresponds to the English present perfect (e.g. I have eaten). But in terms of its use and meaning, it’s closer to the simple past (e.g. I ate).
Note: the Italian simple past is usually reserved for historical and literary writing, whereas everyday Italian uses the passato prossimo in most situations.
To form the passato prossimo, you need an auxiliary verb — either essere (to be) or avere (to have) — followed by the past participle of the main verb. Choosing the correct auxiliary verb is crucial, as it affects the meaning of the sentence and, in the case of essere, even the form of the past participle.
Avere is the auxiliary verb used for most verbs in the passato prossimo, whereas essere is reserved for three specific verb groups:
When using any form of essere as your auxiliary verb, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example:
With avere, the past participle stays the same:
Here’s a table of some common verbs that take essere in the passato prossimo:
| Italian | English | Example |
| andare | to go | lui/lei è andato/a |
| venire | to come | lui/lei è venuto/a |
| arrivare | to arrive | lui/lei è arrivato/a |
| partire | to leave | lui/lei è partito/a |
| nascere | to be born | lui/lei è nato/a |
| morire | to die | lui/lei è morto/a |
| rimanere | to remain/to stay | lui/lei è rimasto/a |
| tornare | to return | lui/lei è tornato/a |
| diventare | to become | lui/lei è diventato/a |
| salire | to go out/to go up | lui/lei è salito/a |
| scendere | to go down | lui/lei è sceso/a |
For regular verbs, forming the past participle is straightforward:
Irregular verbs must be memorized because their forms vary. Here are some examples:
| Italian | English | Participle |
| fare | to do/to make | fatto |
| essere | to be | stato |
| avere | to have | avuto |
| dire | to say/to tell | detto |
| scrivere | to write | scritto |
| leggere | to read | letto |
| vedere | to see | visto |
| prendere | to take | preso |
| mettere | to put | messo |
| venire | to come | venuto |
The passato prossimo is used to describe actions completed in the past. Typically, these actions are confined to a specific moment or time frame. This verb tense is ideal for recounting events, actions or facts that have a clear beginning and end.
Although the uses of the passato prossimo and the imperfetto might seem similar, these tenses serve different purposes. Unlike the passato prossimo, the imperfetto is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions that happened in an undefined duration of time. The following sentence uses both tenses, and it’s a good example to help clarify the distinction:
In the example, mangiavo is the imperfetto verb and è arrivato is the passato prossimo verb. Notice how one verb represents continuous action, while the other represents a specific event with a defined beginning and end.
When using the passato prossimo, a few common errors can trip learners up.
To master the passato prossimo, consistency and practice are key! You can start by forming sentences about your daily activities in the past, so you can get comfortable with using auxiliary verbs and past participles.
Engaging with Italian conversation is simpler with Lingoda Italian courses or language exchange apps. And why not keep a daily journal in Italian? You can describe what you did during the day, or practice storytelling by writing about past events. Flashcards with irregular past participles and exercises focusing on essere vs. avere can also reinforce your understanding.
The more you incorporate the tense into your routine, the more fluent you’ll become!
Yes, sometimes. When using essere as the auxiliary verb, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
The Italian passato prossimo corresponds to both the present perfect (I have eaten) and the simple past (I ate) in English, depending on the context.
Regular verbs end in -ato (for -are), -uto (for -ere) and -ito (for -ire). Irregular verbs have unique endings.
The passato prossimo is a fundamental tense in Italian, essential for describing completed actions and events in the past. If you manage to use auxiliary verbs correctly, remember to match gender and number where necessary, and learn both regular and irregular past participles, you can be sure you’re on the right path!
Remember to practice regularly, whether that means forming sentences about daily activities, journaling or engaging in conversations. And consider joining Lingoda to expand your knowledge. We offer small group classes that enable you to speak confidently from Day One, with flexible scheduling to fit your routine. With consistent effort, you’ll be using the passato prossimo like a native speaker in no time!
