Past Conditional in Italian
The Italian past conditional is known as the “condizionale passato“. It is used to express a hypothetical action that could have occurred in the past under certain conditions. It’s generally the equivalent of the English “would have” plus a past participle.
Have a look at the sentences below:
Lei mi ha detto che sarebbe venuta.
She told me she would have come.
Avrei finito tutto se avessi avuto piu tempo.
I would have finished everything if I had had more time.
As you can see, the past conditional verb is used to express something that could have happened in the past. To express something that might happen in the present or future, we use the present conditional.
Italian Past Conditional: Structure
The structure of the Italian past conditional is the following:
Present conditional of avere or essere+ past participle of the main verb.
Avere and essere are the auxiliary verbs that are used to form complex verbs. They convey grammatical information, while the semantic information – that is, the meaning of the verb – is conveyed by the main verb conjugated in the past participle.
The choice of the auxiliary verb depends on whether the main verb is transitive or intransitive, but I will explain this in more detail in the following section.
Here are the conjugations of the present conditional of avere and essere:
| Avere (to have) | Essere (to be) | |
| Io | avrei | sarei |
| Tu | avresti | saresti |
| Lui/lei | avrebbe | sarebbe |
| Noi | avremmo | saremmo |
| Voi | avreste | sareste |
| Loro | avrebbero | sarebbero |
As you might now already, regular past participle is formed as follows:
- verbs ending in –are take –ato (mangiare (to eat) – mangiato)
- verbs ending in –ere take –uto (cadere (to fall) – caduto)
- verbs ending in –ire take –ito (capire (to understand) – capito)
Italian Past Conditional: Conjugation
Past Conditional with the “Avere”
We use the verb avere with transitive verbs. These are verbs that are directly linked to the direct object of the sentence without the use of any preposition.
Have a look at the following sentences. The first one is in the present tense, while the second is in the past conditional to show you the use of the auxiliary verb.
Noi guardiamo la televisione.
I watch TV.
Noi avremmo guardato la televisione.
I would have watched TV.
When we use avere, the past participle does not change. We only use the form ending in -o, regardless of the grammatical gender and number of the subject, as in the sentences below:
Laura avrebbe mangiato tutto se…
Laura would have eaten everything if…
Loro avrebbero finito l’esame se…
They would have finished the exam if…
Past Conditional with “Essere”
We use the verb essere with intransitive verbs. These verbs are verbs that need a preposition connect with the indirect object.
Most Italian intransitive verbs are:
- Movement verbs like andare (to go), venire (to come), uscire (to go out).
- Change of state verbs like crescere (to grow), morire (to die).
- Reflexive verbs like svegliarsi (to wake up), lavarsi (to wash oneself).
When we use essere, the past participle changes form according to the gender and number of the subject, as you can see below:
- -o masculine, singular
Marco sarebbe uscito se…
Marco would have gone out if…
- -a feminine, singular
Giulia sarebbe andata a casa se…
Giulia would have gone home if….
- -i masculine, plural
Pietro e Luigi sarebbero venuti a trovarmi se…
Pietro and Luigi would have come to visit me if…
- -e feminine, plural
Marta e Francesca sarebbero scese in paese se…
Marta and Francesca would have gone down to the town if…
When to use the Past Conditional?
The past conditional in Italian is used in various contexts to express hypothetical or unrealized actions in the past. It is mainly used to:
- Express a hypothetical outcome of a past condition: To describe what would have happened but didn’t, because the condition necessary for the outcome was not met. This is often used in conjunction with the “if” clause in the past perfect subjunctive.
Se lo avessi saputo, sarei venuta prima.
If I had known, I would’ve come earlier.
- Express regret about past actions:
Avrei dovuto studiare di più.
I should’ve studied more.
- Reporting: to report what someone said or thought about what could have happened but did not.
Mi ha detto che sarebbe partito oggi.
He told me he would have left today.
Italian Past Conditional with Volere, Potere, Sapere, and Dovere
These verbs are called modal verbs and, as such, they are followed by a verb in the infinitive.
Have a look at these sentences where the modal verb is conjugated in the present tense.
Voglio comprare un cellulare nuovo.
I want to buy a new phone.
Laura e Lucia possono andare al mare.
Laura and Lucia can go to the beach.
I will now transform them in the past conditional to show you how they work.
Avrei voluto comprare un cellulare nuovo.
I would have wanted to buy a new phone.
Laura e Lucia sarebbero potute andare al mare.
Laura and Lucia could have gone to the beach.
To choose whether to use essere or averewith the past conditional, you have to look at the auxiliary that the main verb selects.
For instance, comprare selects essere, therefore we say avrei voluto comprare. In the same way, comprare selects avere, therefore we say sarebbero potute andare.
Regretting Anything?
Now that you know all the rules, you can say it out loud:
Avrei dovuto studiare Italiano prima!
I should have studied Italian before!
Mastering the Italian past conditional is essential to deepen your understanding of the Italian grammar. This tense allows you to enrich your conversations, moving from the here and now to the world of hypothetical situations.
Start practicing this useful tense today and unlock a new level of fluency in your Italian language journey!
