To form the past tense of Italian movement verbs, use the passato prossimo with the auxiliary essere and the past participle: sono andato (I went), è arrivata (she arrived). The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, so a woman says sono andata and a group of men says sono andati. A few movement verbs take avere instead, and this lesson explains which ones and why.
Past Tense in Italian
Passato Prossimo
The Italian passato prossimo is a compound verb that corresponds to the English present perfect. It is used to express events and actions that are concluded and completed in the recent past.
It is composed of the present tense of the auxiliary verb avere (to have) or essere (to be) + the past participle of the main verb.
Hai mangiato la pasta che ti ho lasciato?
No, sono appena tornato a casa.
Have you eaten the pasta that I have left for you?
No, I have just come back.
The Main Past Tenses in Italian
The passato prossimo is the past tense you will use most in everyday Italian, but it is not the only one. Here is how it compares with the others, using mangiare (to eat) and andare (to go):
| Tense | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| passato prossimo | ho mangiato, sono andato | completed actions (I ate, I have eaten, I went) |
| imperfetto | mangiavo, andavo | ongoing or repeated actions and descriptions (I was eating, I used to go) |
| passato remoto | mangiai, andai | distant completed actions, common in writing and in some regions |
| trapassato prossimo | avevo mangiato, ero andato | an action that happened before another past action (I had eaten, I had gone) |
To choose between the first two, read passato prossimo vs imperfetto. For the third, see the passato remoto.
Essere or Avere?
As you might know already, the choice between avere and essere depends on the verb:
- avere is used with transitive verbs: they select a direct object which requires no preposition to be introduced. Examples of transitive verbs are mangiare (to eat), guardare (to look), prendere (to take)…
- essere is used with intransitive verbs: they select an indirect object and, therefore, require a preposition to be linked to their object. These intransitive verbs usually indicate motion or a change of state. Reflexive verbs also take essere: mi sono alzato (I got up).
Not every intransitive verb takes essere, though: dormire (to sleep), ridere (to laugh) and, as we will see, camminare (to walk) all take avere.
Movement Verbs in Italian
Examples of Italian Movement Verbs
Let’s have a look at a list of the most common movement verbs in Italian:
- Andare: to go
- Arrivare: to arrive
- Cadere: to fall
- Correre: to run
- Entrare: to enter
- Partire: to leave
- Salire: to go up
- Saltare: to jump
- Scappare: to run away
- Scendere: to go down
- Venire: to come
- Uscire: to go out
I miei genitori sono appena arrivati.
My parents have just arrived.
Teresa non è venuta alla cena.
Teresa didn’t come to dinner.
Most of the movement verbs in Italian are intransitive, but in some cases they behave as transitive verbs. This has a huge consequence on the choice of the auxiliary verb. It might sound confusing, but let me give you a tip to spot them correctly.
Past Participles of Common Movement Verbs
Verbs of movement (verbi di movimento, from il movimento, “movement”) form the passato prossimo with the present tense of essere plus the past participle. Several participles are irregular, so they are worth learning by heart:
| Infinitive | English | Past participle | Passato prossimo (io, masculine) |
|---|---|---|---|
| andare | to go | andato | sono andato |
| arrivare | to arrive | arrivato | sono arrivato |
| cadere | to fall | caduto (irregular) | sono caduto |
| entrare | to enter | entrato | sono entrato |
| partire | to leave | partito | sono partito |
| salire | to go up | salito | sono salito |
| scappare | to run away | scappato | sono scappato |
| scendere | to go down | sceso (irregular) | sono sceso |
| tornare | to return | tornato | sono tornato |
| uscire | to go out | uscito | sono uscito |
| venire | to come | venuto (irregular) | sono venuto |
| correre | to run | corso (irregular) | sono corso or ho corso |
| saltare | to jump | saltato | sono saltato or ho saltato |
| volare | to fly | volato | sono volato or ho volato |
| camminare | to walk | camminato | ho camminato |
Other common verbs of change take essere too, for example rimanere (sono rimasto, I stayed), stare (sono stato, I was), nascere (sono nato, I was born) and morire (è morto, he died). For more irregular participles, see the lesson on the irregular passato prossimo.
Movement Verbs: Essere or Avere?
When facing a movement verb and doubting whether it is transitive or not, look for either a direct object or a preposition. How can you do that?
Find the verb, and then ask yourself: “Who? What?”. If you can answer this question directly without using any preposition, then you found the direct object of the sentence and are, therefore, dealing with a transitive verb. For example:
I ladri hanno saltato il cancello.
The thieves have jumped the gate.
Here, the verb saltare (to jump) is undoubtedly a movement verb. But ask yourself: “what did the thieves jump?”, “the gate”. If you could answer this question without the use of any preposition, you found the direct object.
The direct object is il cancello (the gate) and therefore the verb saltare is a transitive verb. As a matter of facts, the auxiliary verb that is used is avere.
Il tappo della bottiglia è saltato via.
The bottle cap has popped off.
Again: “what did the lid jump?”… You cannot answer this question. In fact, the verb saltare here is intransitive, and this is confirmed by the auxiliary verb essere.
How to Decide the Auxiliary Verb
In some cases, direct objects are not explicit, which makes the choice of the auxiliary verb even harder. To make things easier, I will give you some tips to help determine the correct auxiliary verb:
- Consider the verb’s use: reflect on how the verb is typically used. Some verbs naturally align with either essere or avere based on common usage patterns. For example, andare and venire typically use essere because they inherently describe movement and changes in location.
- Identify the context of the sentence: if the focus is on the action itself, it might be transitive and take avere, while if the focus is on the movement or the change of state, it might be intransitive and take essere.
- Check for implied direct objects: sometimes, the direct object is not explicitly stated. If you can infer a direct object, use avere.
- Check for intrinsic movement: verbs that describe intrinsic movement or a change of state often use essere.
Let me show you here some verbs that can use either essere or avere:
- Correre (to run)
Siamo corsi in strada appena abbiamo potuto.
We ran into the street as soon as we could.
Here, the verb is intransitive and takes essere because there is a destination: we ran somewhere (in strada, into the street).
Dove avete corso oggi?
Where have you run today?
Here, the verb takes avere because it describes the activity of running itself, with no destination. The same happens with a distance, as in ho corso dieci chilometri (I ran ten kilometers), where dieci chilometri works as a direct object.
- Saltare (to jump)
Ho saltato la lezione.
I skipped the class.
In this context, saltare means “to skip” and is used transitively. Ask “what did I skip?”: la lezione, the direct object, so the auxiliary is avere.
Sono saltato dalla gioia.
I jumped in joy.
Here, the verb is intransitive, because it focuses on the action of jumping as a response to an emotion (joy).
- Volare (to fly)
Mio padre ha volato come pilota.
My dad flew as a pilot.
In this sentence, the verb takes avere because it describes the activity of flying, with no destination. When you say where someone flew to, you use essere: è volato a Roma (he flew to Rome).
Sono volati tutti i fogli.
All the paper sheets flew.
Here, it is used intransitively because the focus is on the movement of the sheets of paper, which is a change in their state or position.
- Camminare (to walk)
Camminare is a special verb. Despite being a movement verb, it uses avere. It is an intransitive verb, but it describes the activity of walking rather than a change of place, so it takes avere. The same goes for nuotare (to swim), viaggiare (to travel) and passeggiare (to stroll): ho nuotato, ho viaggiato, ho passeggiato.
Siamo stanchi, abbiamo camminato tutto il giorno.
We are tired, we walked the whole day.
Grasping the Differences
In Italian, the choice between essere and avere as auxiliary verbs in the passato prossimo depends on the nature and context of the main verb.
Generally, transitive verbs take a direct object and use avere, while intransitive verbs do not take a direct object, denote movement or a change of state, and use essere, such as nascere (to be born) and morire (to die).
Some movement verbs can take either auxiliary depending on whether they are used transitively or intransitively: for example, ho saltato la corda (I jumped the rope) and il cane è saltato dalla paura (the dog jumped in fear).
When a movement verb is used transitively, the focus is on the action performed on something. Conversely, when the verb is used intransitively, the emphasis is on the movement or change of state.
Always remember that with essere the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, while with avere the past participle remains unchanged.
Salire and Scendere: Essere or Avere?
Salire (to go up) and scendere (to go down) work like saltare. With a direct object they take avere, without one they take essere:
Ho salito le scale di corsa.
I ran up the stairs.
Sono salito sul treno.
I got on the train.
Agreement of the Past Participle with Essere
With essere, the past participle behaves like an adjective and changes ending with the subject:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Marco è andato. | Anna è andata. |
| Plural | Marco e Luca sono andati. | Anna e Sara sono andate. |
A mixed group takes the masculine plural: Marco e Anna sono andati (Marco and Anna went).
Common Mistakes with Movement Verbs
- Using avere with andare. Say sono andato a Roma, not ho andato a Roma.
- Forgetting the agreement. Say Maria è arrivata, not Maria è arrivato.
- Using essere with camminare. Say ho camminato, not sono camminato.
- Mixing up correre. With a destination, use essere: sono corso a casa (I ran home). Without one, use avere: ho corso un’ora (I ran for an hour).
