What is the Gerund Mood?
The gerund is a non-finite verbal mood that is extensively used both in English and Italian.
In linguistic, non-finite verbs have no subjects, therefore they have no conjugation. Other examples of non-finite Italian verbs are the infinitive and participle.
On the contrary, finite verbs have a conjugation paradigm, that is, a conjugation for each person, like the present tense, past tenses, future tenses etc.
In English, gerunds are easily recognizable because they end in “-ing”, such as “running”, “swimming”, or “thinking”, and can act as nouns, be it subjects or objects of the sentence. For example:
- As a subject: Running is fun.
- As an object: Her favorite hobby is reading.
In Italian, gerunds end in -ando or in -endo but they are used differently compared to English. I will explain in detail how we use them, but first, let me give you an overview of this verb mood.
As most verb moods, the gerund has a present tense and a past tense. In this article, I will explain the Italian past gerund, but if you didn’t read it yet, check the article dedicated to the Italian present gerund as well.
Italian Past Gerund
How to Form the Past Gerund in Italian
The Italian past gerund is formed using the gerund of the auxiliary verb, either essere or avere depending on the main verb, followed by the past participle of the main verb, as follows:
avendo/essendo + participio passato
And here are some examples:
Essendo andata in vacanza, ora mi sento molto meglio.
Since I went on holiday, now I feel much better.
Avendo vissuto a Roma, parla italiano perfettamente.
Having lived in Rome, he speaks Italian perfectly.
Remember that when you use the auxiliary verb essere in compound verbs, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Also, remember that the choice between essere or avere depends on the main verb: essere is used with verbs that involve movement or change of state, while avere is used with all the other transitive verbs.
Another important thing to keep in mind when conjugating the Italian past gerund is how to form the past participle. Regular past participles are formed as follows:
- First conjugation verbs (ending in -are) -> -ato (mangiare->mangiato, ballare->ballato)
- Second conjugation verbs (ending in -ere) -> -uto (cadere->caduto, avere->avuto)
- Third conjugation verbs (ending in -ire) -> -ito (capire->capito, dormire->dormito)
Irregular past participles must instead be learned by heart. Here are some of them:
- Essere (to be): stato
- Fare (to do): fatto
- Dire(to say): detto
- Chiedere (to ask): chiesto
- Leggere (to read): letto
- Mettere (to put): messo
- Vedere(to see): visto
- Vivere (to live): vissuto
How to use the Past Gerund in Italian
The Italian past gerund is used to indicate an action that occurred prior to another action, within a continuous or related context. The action has been completed but is still connected to the present, since it sets the background providing a cause for the subsequent action.
Here are some examples:
Avendo studiato tutta la notte, ho superato l’esame facilmente.
Having studied all night, I easily passed the exam.
Essendo caduto, non ho potuto continuare la gara.
Since I fell, I couldn’t continue the race.
These constructions are useful to narrate events where one action sets the stage for another, especially in more formal or literary contexts.
Understanding and using the past gerund in Italian can significantly refine your ability to express complex temporal relationships and causality in conversation and writing, adding a layer of sophistication to your language skills.
I will leave you with some more examples, but do not forget to practice daily!
Avendo studiato tutto il pomeriggio, siamo andati a dormire presto.
Since we studied the whole afternoon, we went to sleep early.
Avendo saputo come sono andate le cose, Giovanni ha preso una decisione.
Having found out how things went, Giovanni made a decision.
Essendo partiti presto, sono riusciti ad arrivare in tempo.
Since they left early, they managed to get there on time.
Essendo stato già tre volte a Palermo, l’anno prossimo andrò a Napoli.
Since I’ve already been three times to Palermo, next year I’ll go to Naples.
