What are Modal Verbs?
The Italian verbs potere (can, be able to), dovere (must, have to), sapere (know, be able to), and volere (to want) are modal verbs. They convey grammatical information about modality and are considered helping verbs just like auxiliary verbs.
Modal verbs are followed by the main verb conjugated in the infinitive tense which, instead, conveys semantic information, that is, the meaning itself.
These verbs have irregular behaviors, so I thought you might need a special explanation about their conjugations. I dedicated another article on modal verbs in the passato prossimo, while here, I will focus on the other past tenses.
Past Participle of Modal Verbs
How to Conjugate the Past Participle
The participio passato in Italian is very important, and knowing how to conjugate it will be essential for using compound tenses.
Compound tenses are verb tenses made up of the auxiliary verb – eitheressere (to be) or avere (to have) – followed by the past participle. However, remember that modal verbs are auxiliary verbs, so they must be followed by another verb in the infinitive.
Regular past participles are formed by dropping the endings –are, –ere, –ire from the infinitive form of the verb (infinito) and by adding the suffixes –ato, –uto, or –ito.
Here are some examples:
- imparare (to learn) -> imparato (learned)
- credere (to believe) -> creduto (believed)
- finire (to finish) -> finito (finished)
Many Italian verbs have an irregular past participle, but in this case you are lucky: the Italian modal verbs volere, potere, sapere, and dovere have a regular past participle even though they usually have an irregular behavior.
Here is their conjugation in the past participle:
- Volere: voluto
Ho voluto dirtelo personalmente.
I wanted to tell you in person.
- Potere: potuto
Non sono potuto andare al mare.
I was not able to go to the beach.
- Sapere: saputo
Avrei saputo fare di meglio.
I could have done better.
- Dovere: dovuto
Saresti dovuto arrivare prima.
You should have arrived earlier.
Auxiliary Verb Selection: Essere vs Avere
As you might have noticed, modal verbs can select either auxiliary verb. The choice between essere andavere depends on whether the main verb is transitive or intransitive:
- Avere is used with transitive verbs: verbs that are linked to the direct object without the use of any preposition
- Essere is used with intransitive verbs: verbs that need a preposition to be linked to the indirect object
Therefore, when it comes to conjugating compound tenses of Italian modal verbs, we have to focus on the main verb of the sentence: if the main verb selects the auxiliary avere, so does the modal verb, and if the main verb selects the auxiliary essere, so does the modal verb.
Of course, the use of some modal verbs with one or the other auxiliary verbs might be circumscribed in some cases, depending on the frequency with which the modal verbs are used.
For instance, the modal verb sapere is rarely used with the auxiliary verb essere because its connection with intransitive verbs is not that common.
Let me show you some conjugations:
Passato prossimo of volere (simple past or present perfect)
| auxiliary verb | participio passato | |
|---|---|---|
| Io | ho | voluto |
| Tu | hai | voluto |
| Lui / Lei | ha | voluto |
| Noi | abbiamo | voluto |
| Voi | avete | voluto |
| Loro, Loro | hanno | voluto |
Trapassato prossimo of potere (past perfect)
| auxiliary verb | participio passato | |
|---|---|---|
| Io | ero | potuto/a |
| Tu | eri | potuto/a |
| Lui / Lei | era | potuto/a |
| Noi | eravamo | potuti/e |
| Voi | eravate | potuti/e |
| Loro, Loro | erano | potuti/e |
Futuro anteriore of sapere (future perfect)
| auxiliary verb | participio passato | |
|---|---|---|
| Io | avrò | saputo |
| Tu | avrai | saputo |
| Lui / Lei | avrà | saputo |
| Noi | avremo | saputo |
| Voi | avrete | saputo |
| Loro, Loro | avranno | saputo |
Condizionale passato of dovere (past conditional)
| auxiliary verb | participio passato | |
|---|---|---|
| Io | sarei | potuto/a |
| Tu | saresti | potuto/a |
| Lui / Lei | sarebbe | potuto/a |
| Noi | saremmo | potuti/e |
| Voi | sareste | potuti/e |
| Loro, Loro | sarebbero | potuti/e |
If you use the verb essere, make sure you remember to change the ending of the past participle to match the gender and number of the subject. With the verb avere the past participle always stays the same.
Compound Tenses with Modal Verbs
You are now ready to conjugate all types of compound tenses with modal verbs: make sure you understood the auxiliary selection and get ready to speak about events that have occurred in all moments.
Whether you want to talk about past or future situations, or possible and hypothetical ones, being able to properly conjugate modal verbs will help you improve your Italian language skills.
Lo avresti mai detto? (Would you ever have said that?)
