Italian grammar · Beginner
Italian Past Tense
Italian has no single past tense. Everyday speech uses two: the passato prossimo for finished events (ho mangiato, I ate) and the imperfetto for habits, descriptions, and actions in progress (mangiavo, I used to eat or I was eating). The trapassato prossimo looks further back, and the passato remoto is mainly for history and literature.
Pioveva quando siamo usciti di casa.
It was raining when we left the house.
What it is
English mostly gets by with one simple past: I went, I ate, I lived. Italian splits that meaning in two. If the action is a complete event, you use the passato prossimo (sono andato). If it is a habit, a description, or something that was going on, you use the imperfetto (andavo). Most of choosing an Italian past tense comes down to this one decision.
Da bambino andavo al mare ogni estate, ma l'anno scorso sono andato in montagna. (As a child I went to the seaside every summer, but last year I went to the mountains.)
How to spot it
The passato prossimo always has two words: a form of avere or essere, then a participle (ho parlato, è andata). The imperfetto is one word with a v before the ending (parlavo, andava). The passato remoto is one word with its own endings (parlai, andò).
- Ho parlato con Anna. (I spoke to Anna. (passato prossimo))
- Parlavo con Anna. (I was talking to Anna. (imperfetto))
- Avevo già parlato con Anna. (I had already spoken to Anna. (trapassato prossimo))
- Parlai con Anna. (I spoke to Anna. (passato remoto, mainly written))
Start with the passato prossimo and the imperfetto. Together they cover almost everything you will need to say about the past in conversation.
Past Tense Quick Reference
The Italian past tenses of the indicative at a glance
| Tense | How it is built | Main use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passato prossimo | avere / essere (present) + participle | Finished events; the everyday spoken past | Ho mangiato. (I ate. / I have eaten.) |
| Imperfetto | stem + -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano | Habits, descriptions, actions in progress | Mangiavo. (I used to eat. / I was eating.) |
| Trapassato prossimo | avere / essere (imperfetto) + participle | An action before another past action | Avevo mangiato. (I had eaten.) |
| Passato remoto | stem + -ai, -ei, -ii and related endings | History, literature, the distant past | Mangiai. (I ate.) |
| Trapassato remoto | avere / essere (passato remoto) + participle | Literary; after dopo che or appena with the passato remoto | Ebbi mangiato. (I had eaten.) |
Common Past Tense Examples in Italian
The Italian past tenses in real sentences:
What Happened: Passato Prossimo
- Ieri ho visto un bel film.
- Yesterday I saw a good film.
- Siamo andati in Sicilia l'estate scorsa.
- We went to Sicily last summer.
A single event, at a specific time, that is complete.
How Things Were: Imperfetto
- Da piccola vivevo in campagna.
- When I was a little girl, I lived in the countryside.
- Il cielo era grigio e faceva freddo.
- The sky was grey and it was cold.
A situation, a habit, or a description, without a clear start or end.
Background and Event Together
- Mentre facevo la doccia, è arrivato un messaggio.
- While I was having a shower, a message arrived.
- Era tardi, quindi abbiamo preso un taxi.
- It was late, so we took a taxi.
Most real stories combine the two: the imperfetto sets the scene, the passato prossimo moves the action.
Further Back and Further Away
- Quando sono arrivato, il film era già cominciato.
- When I arrived, the film had already started.
- Dante nacque a Firenze nel 1265.
- Dante was born in Florence in 1265.
The trapassato prossimo goes one step further back; the passato remoto belongs to history and books.
How to Choose an Italian Past Tense
Ask what kind of past you are describing, not only when it happened.
One Finished Event: Passato Prossimo
If the action happened and was completed, especially at a time you can name (ieri, alle cinque, la settimana scorsa), use the passato prossimo. This is true even for events that happened years ago.
Ho chiamato Sara alle cinque.
I called Sara at five.
It happened, and it is over.
Habits and Descriptions: Imperfetto
If you are describing what something was like, or what used to happen again and again, use the imperfetto. English used to and would (for past habits) are both imperfetto in Italian.
Ogni mattina prendevo il treno delle sette.
Every morning I took the seven o'clock train.
used to, would, every day: imperfetto.
English Was -ing Is Usually Imperfetto
An action in progress at a moment in the past goes in the imperfetto. Italian can also use stavo plus a gerund to stress the progress, but the simple imperfetto is always correct.
Che cosa facevi alle dieci?
What were you doing at ten?
I was doing → facevo.
Scene Plus Event
When one action interrupts another, the ongoing action is imperfetto and the interrupting action is passato prossimo.
Pioveva quando siamo usciti.
It was raining when we went out.
Background: imperfetto. Interruption: passato prossimo.
An Earlier Past: Trapassato Prossimo
When you are already talking about the past and need to go one step further back, use the imperfetto of avere or essere plus the participle. It matches the English past perfect, had done.
Avevo già mangiato quando è tornato Paolo.
I had already eaten when Paolo came back.
had + participle → avevo / ero + participle.
History and Books: Passato Remoto
The passato remoto is for events in the distant past with no link to the present. You will read it in novels, history, and biographies. In most of Italy it is rare in speech, though it is still used in conversation in parts of the south.
Colombo arrivò in America nel 1492.
Columbus reached America in 1492.
Read it first; speak it later.
Common Mistakes with Past Tense
Incorrect: Quando ero piccolo, sono andato al parco ogni giorno. (When I was little, I went to the park every day.)
Correct: Quando ero piccolo, andavo al parco ogni giorno. (When I was little, I went to the park every day.)
Ogni giorno marks a habit, and habits take the imperfetto. English uses the same went for a habit and a single trip; Italian does not.
Incorrect: Ieri mattina sono andata al mercato e compravo la frutta. (Yesterday morning I went to the market and bought fruit.)
Correct: Ieri mattina sono andata al mercato e ho comprato la frutta. (Yesterday morning I went to the market and bought fruit.)
These are two events in sequence, so both are passato prossimo. Compravo would describe a background action, as if something interrupted it.
Incorrect: Quando sono arrivato, Luca è già uscito. (When I arrived, Luca had already gone out.)
Correct: Quando sono arrivato, Luca era già uscito. (When I arrived, Luca had already gone out.)
Luca left before I arrived, so his action needs the trapassato prossimo. Italian marks the earlier past as clearly as English had does.
Incorrect: Ieri andai al cinema. (Yesterday I went to the cinema.)
Correct: Ieri sono andato al cinema. (Yesterday I went to the cinema.)
In standard spoken Italian, a recent event takes the passato prossimo. The passato remoto for yesterday sounds literary in most regions, although some southern speakers use it this way.
One Verb Across the Past Tenses
The same verbs in the four main past tenses. The first table uses an -ARE verb with avere, the second an -ARE verb with essere, and the third shows the -ERE and -IRE patterns in the two everyday tenses.
Parlare (with avere)
With avere, the participle parlato never changes in the compound tenses.
| Pronoun | passato prossimo | imperfetto | passato remoto | trapassato prossimo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | ho parlato | parlavo | parlai | avevo parlato |
| tu | hai parlato | parlavi | parlasti | avevi parlato |
| lui / lei / Lei | ha parlato | parlava | parlò | aveva parlato |
| noi | abbiamo parlato | parlavamo | parlammo | avevamo parlato |
| voi | avete parlato | parlavate | parlaste | avevate parlato |
| loro | hanno parlato | parlavano | parlarono | avevano parlato |
Parlò, with the accent, is the passato remoto. Parlo, without it, is the present tense: I speak.
Andare (with essere)
With essere, the participle agrees with the subject in both compound tenses.
| Pronoun | passato prossimo | imperfetto | passato remoto | trapassato prossimo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | sono andato / andata | andavo | andai | ero andato / andata |
| tu | sei andato / andata | andavi | andasti | eri andato / andata |
| lui / lei / Lei | è andato / andata | andava | andò | era andato / andata |
| noi | siamo andati / andate | andavamo | andammo | eravamo andati / andate |
| voi | siete andati / andate | andavate | andaste | eravate andati / andate |
| loro | sono andati / andate | andavano | andarono | erano andati / andate |
Andare is irregular in the present (vado, vai, va), but regular in every past tense.
The -ERE and -IRE Patterns
Vendere and dormire in the passato prossimo and the imperfetto, the two tenses you will use most.
| Pronoun | vendere: passato prossimo | vendere: imperfetto | dormire: passato prossimo | dormire: imperfetto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | ho venduto | vendevo | ho dormito | dormivo |
| tu | hai venduto | vendevi | hai dormito | dormivi |
| lui / lei / Lei | ha venduto | vendeva | ha dormito | dormiva |
| noi | abbiamo venduto | vendevamo | abbiamo dormito | dormivamo |
| voi | avete venduto | vendevate | avete dormito | dormivate |
| loro | hanno venduto | vendevano | hanno dormito | dormivano |
Regular participles end in -ato, -uto, and -ito; imperfetto stems keep the vowel of the infinitive: -ava, -eva, -iva.
Quick Check: Past Tense
Choose the passato prossimo, the imperfetto, or the trapassato prossimo.
1. Da giovane mio padre (giocare) ___ a calcio.
Answer: giocava
a past habit: imperfetto
2. Sabato scorso (noi / vedere) ___ una mostra.
Answer: abbiamo visto
one finished event: passato prossimo
3. (Essere) ___ mezzanotte quando Anna è tornata.
Answer: Era
time in the past: imperfetto
4. Non avevo fame perché (io / mangiare) ___ poco prima.
Answer: avevo mangiato
earlier past: trapassato prossimo
5. Mentre (loro / parlare) ___, è entrato il professore.
Answer: parlavano
background action: imperfetto
Past Tense FAQs
- How many past tenses are there in Italian?
- The indicative has five: the passato prossimo, the imperfetto, the passato remoto, the trapassato prossimo, and the trapassato remoto. In everyday conversation you mostly need the first two, plus the trapassato prossimo for had done. The subjunctive and the conditional have past forms of their own.
- Which Italian past tense should I learn first?
- Learn the passato prossimo first. It is the normal spoken way to say what happened, and it uses the present tense of avere and essere, which you already know. Learn the imperfetto next, because you cannot describe the past or talk about habits without it.
- How do I choose between the passato prossimo and the imperfetto?
- Ask whether you are reporting an event or describing a situation. Events that happened and finished take the passato prossimo: ho visto Marco. Habits, descriptions, age, time, weather, and actions in progress take the imperfetto: vedevo spesso Marco, I often used to see Marco.
- Do Italians use the passato remoto when they speak?
- In most of northern and central Italy, rarely: it is a written tense for history, novels, and biographies. In parts of southern Italy, including Sicily, many speakers still use it in conversation for completed events. Learners should be able to recognise it, but the passato prossimo is the safe choice in speech.
- How do you say used to in Italian?
- Use the imperfetto, with no extra word: abitavo a Milano means I used to live in Milan. Italian has no direct equivalent of used to, because the imperfetto already contains the idea of a past habit or situation.