When do I use essere and when avere in the passato prossimo?

Use avere with verbs that take a direct object (ho mangiato la pasta) and with many other verbs such as dormire and lavorare. Use essere with verbs of movement or change of state (sono partito, è nata), with all reflexive verbs (mi sono alzato), and with essere, stare, and restare.

Why does Italian say ho fame instead of sono affamato?

Italian expresses hunger, thirst, heat, cold, sleepiness, and fear with a noun, and you have a noun rather than be it. Sono affamato exists, but it means I'm starving and sounds much stronger than ho fame.

Does the past participle change with essere?

Yes. With essere it agrees with the subject: Marco è uscito, Anna è uscita, i ragazzi sono usciti, le ragazze sono uscite. With avere it normally stays in -o.

Which verbs can take both essere and avere?

Verbs such as cominciare, finire, passare, salire, scendere, and cambiare. They take avere with a direct object (ho finito il libro) and essere without one (il film è finito). Weather verbs like piovere accept either auxiliary with no change in meaning.

How do you say how old are you in Italian?

Quanti anni hai? Literally, how many years do you have? The answer uses avere as well: ho trent'anni. To a person you address formally, say quanti anni ha?

Italian grammar · Beginner

Essere vs Avere

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Essere (to be) and avere (to have) clash in two places. As main verbs, Italian uses avere for age and physical sensations where English uses be: ho vent'anni, ho fame. As auxiliaries in the passato prossimo, avere goes with verbs that take a direct object, and essere goes with most verbs of movement or change, with reflexive verbs, and with essere and stare themselves.

Ho fame perché sono tornata tardi e non ho pranzato.

I'm hungry because I got back late and didn't have lunch.

What it is

Use avere for age, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, and fear (ho freddo, I'm cold), and use essere for what something is. In the passato prossimo, use avere with verbs that can take a direct object (ho mangiato), and use essere with verbs of movement or change of state (sono partito), with reflexive verbs (mi sono alzato), and with essere, stare, and restare. With essere, the past participle agrees with the subject.

Ho comprato il pane e sono tornata a casa. (I bought the bread and went back home.)

How to spot it

For the auxiliary, ask whether the verb can answer the question what? Comprare what, mangiare what, vedere what: these take avere. Andare, arrivare, nascere, and diventare cannot take an object, and they describe a movement or a change, so they take essere.

Ho visto Luca. (I saw Luca. (a direct object: avere))
Sono arrivati tardi. (They arrived late. (movement: essere))
Ci siamo divertiti. (We had fun. (reflexive: essere))
Ho sete. (I'm thirsty. (a sensation: avere))

Not every verb without an object takes essere. Dormire, lavorare, camminare, and viaggiare have no object but still take avere: ho dormito bene.

Essere vs Avere Quick Reference

Essere and avere side by side

	essere	avere
Main meaning	to be	to have
Age	Not used	Ho trent'anni. (I'm thirty.)
Hunger, thirst, heat, cold	Not used for people	Ho fame, ho sete, ho caldo, ho freddo
Being right, in a hurry, afraid	Not used	Ho ragione, ho fretta, ho paura
Auxiliary with	movement and change of state, reflexive verbs, essere, stare, restare	verbs with a direct object, and many others such as dormire and lavorare
Typical verbs	andare, venire, partire, arrivare, nascere, morire, diventare	mangiare, fare, vedere, comprare, dormire, parlare
Participle agreement	with the subject: Anna è partita	only with a preceding lo, la, li, le: le ho viste
Example	Sono andato a Roma. (I went to Rome.)	Ho visitato Roma. (I visited Rome.)

Common Essere vs Avere Examples in Italian

Each pair shows where English and Italian split, or where the auxiliary changes:

Age and Description

Ho venticinque anni.: I'm twenty-five.
Sono giovane.: I'm young.

Italian says you have your years. The adjective giovane describes you, so it takes essere.

People vs Things

Ho freddo.: I'm cold.
Il caffè è freddo.: The coffee is cold.

A person has cold, heat, hunger, or thirst. An object is cold or hot, so it takes essere with the adjective.

Movement vs Action on Something

Sono andata al mercato.: I went to the market. (a woman speaking)
Ho comprato le arance.: I bought oranges.

Andare is movement and takes essere, so andata agrees with a female speaker. Comprare has an object and takes avere.

Reflexive vs Non-reflexive

Mi sono svegliato alle sette.: I woke up at seven.
Ho svegliato i bambini alle sette.: I woke the children at seven.

The same verb switches auxiliary. Svegliarsi is reflexive and takes essere; svegliare has an object and takes avere.

With and Without an Object

Ho finito il lavoro.: I finished the work.
Il film è finito tardi.: The film ended late.

Finire takes avere when someone finishes something, and essere when the thing itself comes to an end.

How to Choose the Auxiliary

Three questions settle almost every verb: does it have a direct object, is it reflexive, and does it describe a movement or a change?

A Direct Object Means Avere

Any verb used with a direct object takes avere. This covers most verbs in the language: mangiare, bere, vedere, fare, scrivere, comprare, and so on.

Abbiamo mangiato una pizza.

We ate a pizza.

Verb + what? Avere.

Movement and Change Mean Essere

Verbs that describe going somewhere or becoming something take essere: andare, venire, arrivare, partire, entrare, uscire, tornare, nascere, morire, diventare, crescere. Essere, stare, restare, and rimanere also take essere.

Mia figlia è nata a maggio.

My daughter was born in May.

From A to B, or from one state to another: essere.

Reflexive Verbs Always Take Essere

Every reflexive verb uses essere in compound tenses, even when it has an object of its own. Mi sono lavato le mani is correct, although English I washed my hands looks like an avere sentence.

Mi sono lavata le mani.

I washed my hands. (a woman speaking)

mi, ti, si, ci, vi before the verb: essere.

With Essere, the Participle Agrees

When the auxiliary is essere, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: andato, andata, andati, andate. With avere it stays in -o, unless a direct object pronoun lo, la, li, or le comes before it.

Le ragazze sono partite ieri.

The girls left yesterday.

essere: -o, -a, -i, -e.

Avere for Age and Sensations

Where English says I am hungry, I am cold, I am right, or I am ten, Italian says I have hunger, I have cold, I have reason, I have ten years. These expressions use a noun, which is why the verb is avere.

Hai ragione, abbiamo fretta.

You're right, we're in a hurry.

fame, sete, caldo, freddo, sonno, paura, fretta, ragione, anni.

Common Mistakes with Essere vs Avere

Incorrect: Sono fame. (I'm hungry.)

Correct: Ho fame. (I'm hungry.)

Fame is a noun, so Italian says you have it. The same goes for sete, caldo, freddo, sonno, paura, and fretta.

Incorrect: Io sono venticinque anni. (I'm twenty-five.)

Correct: Ho venticinque anni. (I'm twenty-five.)

Age is something you have in Italian. The question follows the same pattern: quanti anni hai?

Incorrect: Ho andato al cinema. (I went to the cinema.)

Correct: Sono andato al cinema. (I went to the cinema.)

Andare is a verb of movement, so it takes essere. The English I have gone has no influence here.

Incorrect: Mi ho lavato le mani. (I washed my hands.)

Correct: Mi sono lavato le mani. (I washed my hands.)

Reflexive verbs always take essere in compound tenses, even when there is an object like le mani.

Incorrect: Maria è arrivato. (Maria has arrived.)

Correct: Maria è arrivata. (Maria has arrived.)

With essere, the past participle agrees with the subject. Maria is feminine and singular, so the ending is -a.

Edge Cases Worth Knowing

A few verbs switch auxiliary with their meaning, and two groups allow either one.

Verbs that take either auxiliary

Cominciare, finire, passare, salire, scendere, and cambiare take avere when they have a direct object and essere when they do not. The meaning often shifts with the auxiliary.

Abbiamo cominciato la lezione.: We started the lesson.
La lezione è cominciata alle nove.: The lesson started at nine.
Ho passato l'estate al mare.: I spent the summer at the seaside.
Sono passato da te ieri.: I stopped by your place yesterday.

Ask whether there is a what after the verb. If there is, avere; if the subject itself moves or changes, essere.

Modal verbs before an infinitive

Dovere, potere, and volere normally take avere. When the infinitive after them takes essere, the modal can take essere too, and the participle then agrees. Both versions are correct and common.

Sono dovuta partire presto.: I had to leave early. (a woman speaking)
Ho dovuto partire presto.: I had to leave early.
Ho dovuto lavorare tutto il giorno.: I had to work all day.

With an avere verb such as lavorare, the modal always takes avere.

Weather verbs

Piovere, nevicare, and grandinare accept both auxiliaries. Neither is a mistake, and you will hear both in everyday speech.

Ieri ha piovuto tutto il giorno.: It rained all day yesterday.
Ieri è piovuto tutto il giorno.: It rained all day yesterday.

If you need to pick one, avere is slightly more common in speech.

Quick Check: Essere vs Avere

Fill each gap with the correct form of essere or avere.

1. Ieri (noi) ___ andati al mare.

Answer: siamo

andare is movement: essere

2. (Io) ___ molta sete.

Answer: Ho

sensations take avere

3. Marta ___ letto tutto il libro.

Answer: ha

leggere has a direct object: avere

4. Le mie sorelle ___ nate a Milano.

Answer: sono

nascere is a change of state: essere, with agreement in nate

5. Alla festa ci ___ divertiti molto.