Essere vs Avere in Italian: When and How to Use Them

Italian Auxiliary Verbs

In linguistics, an auxiliary verb is a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears. It is also commonly called “helping verb” because it accompanies the main verb to help form various tenses and moods of the main verb.

The most common English auxiliary verbs are “to be”, “to have”, and “to do”, used to create forms like progressive tenses (is running), perfect tenses (has eaten), and negative or interrogative forms (do not go).

Italian auxiliary verbs are essere(to be) and avere(to have), and are used to create all Italian compound verbs.

They are not classified among the standard three conjugations, but they are said to belong to coniugazione propria, literally translatable with “their own’s conjugation”, showcasing their unique behavior.

In both English and Italian – as well as many other languages – modal verbs behave as auxiliaries, indicating a modality such as possibility, necessity, obligation, likelihood… Italian modal verbs are dovere, potere, sapere, and volere, but I will not discuss them in this article.

Here, I will focus on Italian auxiliaries essere and avere, a fundamental part of the Italian syntax, required for proper sentence structure and for expressing detailed meanings and nuances in communication.

When to use “Essere” vs “Avere”

Essere

In Italian, the verb essere (to be) is used in several contexts and functions. Here I will list the primary cases when essere is employed:

• Identity and existence: used to express identity, characteristics, or the existence of someone or something.

• Location: to indicate the location of someone or something.

• Conditions and states: to describe temporary or permanent states or conditions.

• Auxiliary in compound tenses: used as an auxiliary verb in compound tenses, especially with intransitive verbs that take a indirect object and, therefore, require a preposition to link verb and object. These intransitive verbs usually indicate motion or a change of state.

Make sure you read the entire article to get to learn more about this topic in the last section!

• Passive voice: used to form the passive voice, indicating that the subject of the sentence is the recipient of an action.

• Impersonal constructions: used in impersonal constructions to express general ideas or weather conditions.

Avere

Let me now show you the key situations in which avere is used:

• Possession: commonly used to indicate possession or ownership.

• Age: unlike English, it is used to express age.

• Physical sensations: to describe physical feelings or needs.

• Auxiliary in compound tenses: is used as an auxiliary verb with transitive verbs in compound tenses, that is, verbs that select a direct object which requires no preposition to be introduced.

In the context of auxiliary choice, there are plenty of rules that should be considered. If you are passionate about linguistics as I am, you can dive deeper into the explanations about unergative verbs and unaccusative verbs.

Meanwhile, I will dedicate a short paragraph at the end of this article with a brief overview.

• Descriptive conditions: when describing certain conditions or states that are considered properties rather than inherent states.

• Obligations (in some contexts): although less common than the modal verb dovere, avere can be used to express need or obligation.

“Essere” vs “Avere”: Passato Prossimo

One of the hardest parts of the Italian passato prossimo regards the choice of the auxiliary verbs essere andavere. Passato prossimo is a compound tense that is equivalent to the English present perfect tense, used to describe actions that happened in the recent past.

As I already mentioned before, we use one or the other depending on whether the main verb is transitive or intransitive:

Avere is used with transitive verbs, that is, verbs that are linked to the direct object without the use of any preposition. The few intransitive verbs it is used with, do not imply movement or change of state.

• Transitive verbs: such as mangiare (to eat), vedere (to see), sapere (to know).

• Intransitive verbs: they do not suggest movement or change, such as dormire (to sleep) or lavorare (to work).

Essere is used with intransitive verbs, that is, verbs that need a preposition to be linked to the indirect object. Intransitive verbs generally describe movement or change of state, or they are reflexive verbs. Have a look at the sentences below:

• Verbs of movement: Such as andare (to go), venire (to come), arrivare (to arrive), partire (to leave).

• Change of state: like crescere (to grow), nascere (to be born), morire (to die).

• Reflexive verbs: always use essere.

An important aspect of the auxiliary essere in compound verbs is that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject as in the sentences:

“Essere” vs “Avere”: Conjugations

Conjugating essere and avere correctly is essential for proper communication in Italian, as these verbs are not only used frequently on their own but also serve as auxiliary verbs in various compound tenses.

Here I will show you how each verb is conjugated in the presente, imperfetto, and futuro semplice, so that you can conjugate the main compound tenses:

Essere (to be)	Avere (to have)
Present Tense	Present Tense
Io sono	Io ho
Tu sei	Tu hai
Lui/Lei è	Lui/Lei ha
Noi siamo	Noi abbiamo
Voi siete	Voi avete
Loro sono	Loro hanno
Imperfetto	Imperfetto
Io ero	Io avevo
Tu eri	Tu avevi
Lui/Lei era	Lui/Lei aveva
Noi eravamo	Noi avevamo
Voi eravate	Voi avevate
Loro erano	Loro avevano
Futuro Semplice	Futuro Semplice
Io sarò	Io avrò
Tu sarai	Tu avrai
Lui/Lei sarà	Lui/Lei avrà
Noi saremo	Noi avremo
Voi sarete	Voi avrete
Loro saranno	Loro avranno

“Fare” vs “Avere”

Fare

Fare is one of the most frequently used verbs in Italian, which can be translated with the English “to do” or “to make”. It appears in countless everyday phrases, idioms, and expressions, making it indispensable for any Italian learner.

• Doing an action:

• Making something:

• Idiomatic expressions:

Avere

Avere translates to “to have” in English, and is another core verb in the Italian language. As we saw already, it is critical for expressing possession, age, various states of being as well as feelings or needs, such as in:

The main linguistic situation where the use of these two verbs might overlap is in expressions describing conditions or states, such as fare caldo/freddo and avere caldo/freddo.

On the one hand, avere caldo/freddo describes personal sensations of heat or cold, on the other hand fare caldo/freddo is used to describe the general weather condition or the environment.

This distinction is important to understand the nuanced use of these verbs in Italian, where avere focuses on personal sensation and fare on creating or describing conditions or actions, even in seemingly overlapping contexts.

“Essere” vs “Avere” as Auxiliary Verbs

Most intransitive verbs in Italian take essere as their auxiliary because they describe actions where the subject is either moving from one place to another or changing in some way.

Think of it like this: if the verb tells us that something or someone ends up in a different place or becomes different (such as arriving, leaving, growing, or transforming), then essere is used.

For example:

• Andare (to go) takes essere because the person is moving from one place to another.
• Diventare (to become) takes essere because the person or thing is changing into something different.

These verbs focus on the state or condition of the subject changing, rather than just the action they are doing.

In linguistics they are called unaccusative intransitive verbs, meaning that the subject is experiencing or undergoing a change, rather than actively doing something.

Instead, verbs like camminare (to walk), sciare (to ski), and correre (to run) take avere as their auxiliary because they focus on the action itself, rather than on the subject moving to a different place or changing in some way.

These verbs describe activities that the subject is actively doing but there’s no emphasis on arriving somewhere or becoming something different.

For example:

The focus is on the act of walking, not on where you end up.

It’s about the running, not reaching a destination.

In linguistics, they are called unergative intransitive verbs. Unlike verbs that use essere, the subject here is performing an action without necessarily undergoing any change or reaching a different state.

Therefore, avere is used to emphasize the activity the subject is doing, without implying that they end up somewhere different as a result.

Embrace the Complexity

In my experience of language teacher, I’ve seen learners struggle with essere and avere. My advice? Embrace these complexities.

Understanding them enriches not only your grasp of the Italian language, but also your knowledge of the Italian culture.

Essere and avere are more than grammar; they’re a journey through language and thought, which teaches you more about how Italians think and express themselves.

Yes, it’s a challenge, but it’s also a doorway to truly mastering Italian. So, get ready, and improve your Italian language skills.