Irregular Past Tense (Passato Prossimo) [Italian Grammar Lesson 32]

Q: What is irregular 'passato prossimo' in Italian?

The Italian 'passato prossimo' is composed of two verbs: the auxiliary verb and the verb's past participle. Some verbs have an irregular 'passato prossimo' because they have an irregular past participle.

Key Takeaways

The passato prossimo is a compound tense formed with an auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb.
Regular past participles follow specific patterns: -are verbs become -ato, -ere verbs become -uto, and -ire verbs become -ito.
Many common verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorized, as they do not follow regular conjugation rules.
Use avere with transitive verbs and essere with intransitive verbs to form the passato prossimo.
The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject when using essere as the auxiliary verb.

Stefano's Insights

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Ah, il passato prossimo, il nostro amato compagno di viaggi nel tempo! È il tempo passato più usato in italiano, e si compone di un verbo ausiliare (avere o essere) e il participio passato del verbo principale. Ora, non fatevi ingannare: i verbi regolari sono semplici, ma quelli irregolari sono come il caffè senza zucchero, un po' amari. Ricordo quando ho imparato che 'leggere' diventa 'letto' e non 'leggiuto' – una vera sorpresa! E poi c'è la grande battaglia tra 'avere' e 'essere' come ausiliari, che dipende se il verbo è transitivo o intransitivo. Un vero rompicapo! Ma niente paura, con un po' di pratica diventerà tutto naturale. Come si dice, practice makes perfect, o in italiano, 'la pratica rende perfetti'!

Ah, the passato prossimo, our beloved time-travel companion! It's the most used past tense in Italian, made up of an auxiliary verb (avere or essere) and the past participle of the main verb. Now, don't be fooled: regular verbs are simple, but irregular ones are like coffee without sugar, a bit bitter. I remember learning that 'leggere' becomes 'letto' and not 'leggiuto' – quite the surprise! Then there's the great battle between 'avere' and 'essere' as auxiliaries, depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive. A real puzzle! But don't worry, with some practice it all becomes natural. As they say, practice makes perfect, or in Italian, 'la pratica rende perfetti'!

Quick facts

What verbs use "essere" in the passato prossimo?

Intransitive verbs use "essere," requiring a preposition to link to the indirect object.

How does the past participle change when using "essere"?

It changes according to the subject's gender and number, e.g., stato, stata, stati, state.

Which auxiliary verb is used with transitive verbs?

"Avere" is used with transitive verbs, linking directly to the direct object.

How are regular -are verbs conjugated in the past participle?

Regular -are verbs take the ending -ato, like "mangiare" (to eat) becoming "mangiato."

How do you form the passato prossimo with "avere"?

Use the present tense of "avere" followed by the past participle, e.g., "ho mangiato."

Can you give an example of an irregular past participle?

"Vedere" (to see) has the irregular past participle "visto."

Why is procedural memory important in language learning?

It allows for automatic, fluent use of grammar and pronunciation without conscious thought.

What role does declarative memory play in mastering irregular verbs?

It helps memorize specific irregular forms and their meanings for accurate usage.

Are there patterns in how irregular past participles are formed?

No, irregular past participles must be memorized individually as they don't follow regular conjugation patterns.

What is a common mistake when choosing between "essere" and "avere"?

Confusing transitive and intransitive verbs, leading to incorrect use of auxiliary verbs in the passato prossimo.

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Main Article

Italian Passato Prossimo

You already know what passato prossimo is and how it is used: it is the most commonly used past tense in Italian, and it is a compound tense composed of:

The auxiliary verb (either avere or essere) conjugated in the present tense
The past participle of the main verb

Let me show you some examples in case you need to refresh your memory:

Ieri sono andata al cinema.

Yesterday I went to the cinema.

Hai finito i compiti?

Have you finished your homework?

How to Conjugate the Past Participle?

Regular Past Participle

The participio passato of regular verbs is conjugated as follows:

Verbs ending in -are take -ato (mangiare -> mangiato)
Verbs ending in -ere take -uto (cadere -> caduto)
Verbs ending in -ire take -ito (capire -> capito)

	First conjugation (-are verbs)	Second conjugation (-ere verbs)	Third conjugation (-ire verbs)
Infinitive form:	(-are) mangiare (= to eat)	(-ere) cadere (= to fall)	(-ire) capire (= to understand)
Past participle:	(-ato) mangiato	(-uto) caduto	(-ito) capito
io	ho mangiato	sono caduto	ho capito
tu	hai mangiato	sei caduto	hai capito
lui	ha mangiato	è caduto	ha capito
noi	abbiamo mangiato	siamo caduti	abbiamo capito
voi	avete mangiato	siete caduti	avete capito
loro	hanno mangiato	sono caduti	hanno capito

Irregular Past Participle

Many frequently used verbs in Italian, especially those ending in -ere, have an irregular past participle. This means that they do not follow the patterns of the table we saw above.

The only way for you to learn irregular forms correctly it’s to memorize them through constant use, but below, you can find a list you the 50 most common ones. Before you dive into this exhaustive list, let me explain you something that I find relevant as a linguist.

There are two main types of long-term memory that comes into play when learning a language: procedural memory and declarative memory.

Procedural memory allows to automatically use language without having to think about every step. It makes using grammar correctly, pronouncing words right, and using phrases naturally much smoother.

Declarative memory allows you to remember specific information about the language, such as remembering words and what they mean, that is, the language vocabulary.

When it comes to learning irregular words, you will be using the declarative part of your memory, because you have to learn that a certain word has a certain form no matter what.

Learn more about Italian verb conjugation.

Irregular Past Participle of Common Verbs

As promised, here I will show you the 50 most common Italian irregular past participles.

Italian Infinitive	English Translation	Italian Past Participle
aprire	to open	aperto
bere	to drink	bevuto
chiedere	to ask	chiesto
chiudere	to close	chiuso
correre	to run	corso
coprire	to cover	coperto
decidere	to decide	deciso
dire	to say	detto
dividere	to divide	diviso
essere	to be	stato
fare	to do, to make	fatto
leggere	to read	letto
mettere	to put	messo
morire	to die	morto
nascere	to be born	nato
offrire	to offer	offerto
perdere	to lose	perso
prendere	to take	preso
produrre	to produce	prodotto
ridere	to laugh	riso
rompere	to break	rotto
scegliere	to choose	scelto
scrivere	to write	scritto
scendere	to descend	sceso
spegnere	to turn off	spento
spendere	to spend	speso
succedere	to happen	successo
tenere	to hold	tenuto
togliere	to remove	tolto
tradurre	to translate	tradotto
uccidere	to kill	ucciso
vedere	to see	visto
venire	to come	venuto
vincere	to win	vinto
vivere	to live	vissuto
accendere	to turn on	acceso
arrostire	to roast	arrostito
assumere	to hire, to assume	assunto
cogliere	to pick	colto
concludere	to conclude	concluso
crescere	to grow	cresciuto
cuocere	to cook	cotto
dipingere	to paint	dipinto
esprimere	to express	espresso
fondere	to melt	fuso
friggere	to fry	fritto
nascondere	to hide	nascosto
piangere	to cry	pianto
rispondere	to respond	risposto
soffrire	to suffer	sofferto
spingere	to push	spinto

Avere vs Essere: Participio Passato

Avere

Let’s have look at a sentence containing the passato prossimo of the verb avere.

Hai avuto una bella idea!

You had a good idea!

As you might have guessed, the structure of the passato prossimo of the verb avere is:

Present of the verb avere+ past participle avuto.

Have a look at the conjugation:

Io ho avuto
Tu hai avuto
Lui/Lei ha avuto
Noi abbiamo avuto
Voi avete avuto
Loro hanno avuto

Essere

Let’s now have a look at a sentence with the passato prossimo of the verb essere.

Stamattina sono stato dal dentista.

This morning I was at the dentist’s.

And here’s the structure:

Conjugated form of the present of the verb essere + past participle (stato, stato, state, stati).

Have a look at the conjugation:

Io sono stato/stata
Tu sei stato/stata
Lui/Lei è stato/stata
Noi siamo stati/state
Voi siete stati/state
Loro sono stati/state

Remember that the past participle of verbs with essere as auxiliary verb changes depending on the subject of the sentence.

How to Know Which Auxiliary Verb to use?

When it comes to conjugating the Italian passato prossimo, one of the hardest topic is the choice of the auxiliary verbs essere andavere.

Whether you are dealing with an irregular or regular passato prossimo nothing changes. The important thing is that you know 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
Essere is used with intransitive verbs, that is, verbs that need a preposition to be linked to the indirect object

Laura ha mangiato tutto.

Laura ate everything.

Loro hanno finito l’esame.

They finished the exam.

Marco è uscito.

Marco went out.

Giulia è andata a casa.

Giulia went home.

Key Terms and Concepts

Passato Prossimo

A compound tense used to describe actions completed in the past. It combines an auxiliary verb (avere or essere) with the past participle of the main verb.

Irregular Past Participle

Certain Italian verbs, especially those ending in -ere, have past participles that do not follow regular conjugation patterns, requiring memorization.

Auxiliary Avere

Used with transitive verbs in the passato prossimo. The structure is: present tense of avere + past participle of the main verb.

Auxiliary Essere

Used with intransitive verbs in the passato prossimo. The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Regular Past Participle

Formed by replacing the infinitive endings of regular verbs: -are becomes -ato, -ere becomes -uto, and -ire becomes -ito.

Transitive Verbs

Verbs that are directly tied to a direct object without needing a preposition, often using avere as the auxiliary verb.

Intransitive Verbs

Verbs that need a preposition to connect to an indirect object, typically using essere in compound tenses.

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Words

avereto have

essereto be

andareto go

fareto do/make

prendereto take

vedereto see

scrivereto write

leggereto read

direto say/tell

venireto come

Phrases

passato prossimopresent perfect

verbi ausiliariauxiliary verbs

avereto have

essereto be

participi passatipast participles

verbi transitivitransitive verbs

verbi intransitiviintransitive verbs

irregolariirregular

memorizzareto memorize

genere e numerogender and number

Sentences

Ho visto un film ieri sera.

I watched a movie last night.

Siamo andati al mare il mese scorso.

We went to the beach last month.

Lei ha scritto una lettera al suo amico.

She wrote a letter to her friend.

Hanno bevuto del vino durante la cena.

They drank some wine during dinner.

Maria è partita per Roma stamattina.

Maria left for Rome this morning.

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Answers

FAQs

What is irregular "passato prossimo" in Italian?

The Italian "passato prossimo" is composed of two verbs: the auxiliary verb and the verb's past participle. Some verbs have an irregular "passato prossimo" because they have an irregular past participle.

What are some irregular past participle forms in Italian?

Many frequently used Italian verbs have an irregular past participle. Some of them are "avere" ("avuto"), "essere" ("stato"), fare ("fatto"), dire ("detto"), "chiedere" ("chiesto"), "scrivere" ("scritto"), "vivere" ("vissuto"), "morire" ("morto"), and "mettere" ("messo").

What is the "passato prossimo" of the Italian verb "avere"?

Io ho avuto, tu hai avuto, lui/lei ha avuto, noi abbiamo avuto, voi avete avuto, loro hanno avuto.

What is the "passato prossimo" of the Italian verb "essere"?

Io sono stato/a, tu sei stato/a, lui/lei è stato/a, noi siamo stati/e, voi siete stati/e, loro sono stati/e. The past participle changes depending on the person to whom it is referring.