Present Perfect (Verbs)

NOTES

(by DuoItalian)

The Italian passato prossimo (present perfect) is used to express a completed action that has happened in the past, but with some relation to the present. It is actually formed by combining two verbs.

• Ho mangiato una fragola per colazione. (I ate a strawberry for breakfast.)
• Sono andato al cinema per vedere un film. (I went to the cinema to see a movie.)

AUXILLARY
The present tense of one of the two auxiliary verbs avere or essere.

→ Click here for a brief explanation: AVERE or ESSERE?

PAST PARTICIPLE
The participio passato (past participle) expresses the meaning and is formed by changing the ending of an infinitive verb (-are, -ere, or -ire) as follows:

1. Infinitive verbs ending in “-are“ become  –ato (lavorare → lavor-ato)
2. Infinitive verbs ending in “-ere“ become –uto (sapere → sap-uto)
3. Infinitive verbs ending in “-ire“ become –ito (finire → fin-ito)

There are however some verbs that have a past participle which is completely irregular. Listed below are some of the more important ones to remember.

TIP: Keep in mind, the past participle is a “verbal adjective” and is subject to various rules.

• Verbs conjugated with a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, l’, li, le) must match in gender and number.
• If the auxiliary verbs is essere, it must match the gender and number of the subject.
• In all other cases, the masculine singular form must be used.

VOCABULARY

(from Duolingo)

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