{"id":15954,"date":"2018-03-26T21:09:33","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T19:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=15954"},"modified":"2018-03-26T21:09:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T19:09:33","slug":"the-italian-past-participle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/the-italian-past-participle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Italian Past Participle"},"content":{"rendered":"

How does the Italian past participle (il participio passato<\/strong>) work when used with the verbs essere<\/strong> (to be) and avere<\/strong> (to have)? Let’s find out.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The Past Participle With Essere<\/span><\/strong>: <\/span><\/p>\n

When we use the past participle with essere<\/strong> it has to agree with the subject in gender and number. This means that the ending of the past participle needs to change to:
\no <\/strong><\/span>if the subject is masculine singular<\/em>
\n<\/strong>i <\/strong><\/span>if the subject is masculine plural<\/em>
\na <\/strong><\/span>if the subject is feminine singular<\/em>
\ne<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>if the subject is feminine plural<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are some examples which illustrate how this works. In this case we’ll use the verb andare<\/strong> (to go):<\/p>\n

Paolo<\/strong> \u00e8 andato<\/span> a sciare<\/strong> = Paolo went skiing (masculine singular<\/em>)
\nl\u2019anno scorso i ragazzi <\/strong>sono andati<\/span> in Spagna<\/strong> = last year the boys went to Spain (masculine plural<\/em>)
\nieri Lucia <\/strong>\u00e8 andata<\/span> al mercato<\/strong> = Lucia went to the market yesterday (feminine singular<\/em>)
\nSerena e Annalisa <\/strong>sono andate<\/span> a teatro<\/strong>= Serena and Annalisa went to the theatre (feminine plural<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Here are some more examples, this time with the reflexive verb vestirsi<\/strong> (to dress oneself\/get dressed):<\/p>\n

Paolo<\/strong> si \u00e8 vestito<\/span><\/strong> = Paolo got dressed (masculine singular<\/em>)
\ni ragazzi <\/strong>si sono vestiti<\/span><\/strong> = the boys got dressed (masculine plural<\/em>)
\nLucia <\/strong>si \u00e8 vestita<\/span><\/strong> = Lucia got dressed (feminine singular<\/em>)
\nMaria e Giovanna<\/strong> si sono vestite<\/span><\/strong> = Maria and Giovanna got dressed (feminine plural<\/em>)<\/p>\n

The Past Participle With Avere<\/span><\/strong>: <\/span><\/p>\n

When used with avere<\/strong>, the past participle always ends with the masculine singular o<\/strong><\/span> except where the verb is preceded by the direct object pronoun it<\/em>, him<\/em>, her<\/em>, or them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Firstly let’s look at some examples without<\/span> the direct object pronoun:<\/p>\n

Paolo ha comprato<\/span> un paio di sci<\/strong> = Paolo bought a pair of skis
\nLucia ha comprato<\/span> le verdure<\/strong> = Lucia bought the vegetables
\nl\u2019anno scorso abbiamo visitato<\/span> la Spagna<\/strong> = last year we visited Spain
\nieri <\/strong>Maria e Giovanna hanno visto<\/span> l\u2019ultimo film di Verdone <\/strong>= Maria e Giovanna saw Verdone\u2019s latest film yesterday<\/p>\n

Now here’s the past participle with<\/span> the direct object pronoun. You’ll notice that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object which I’ve highlighted in blue<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Avete piantato dei peperoni<\/span>? S\u00ec, li abbiamo piantati<\/span>.<\/strong> Photo by Geoff.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Question:<\/em> Hai visto l\u2019ultimo film<\/span><\/strong> di Verdone<\/strong>?<\/strong> =\u00a0Have you seen Verdone\u2019s latest film<\/span>? (masculine singular<\/em>)
\nReply<\/em>: Si l’ho visto<\/span> ieri<\/strong> = Yes, I saw it yesterday – N.B. here, l’ho<\/strong> is an abrreviation of\u00a0 lo ho<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Question:<\/em> Dove hai comprato gli sci<\/span><\/strong>?<\/strong> = Where did you buy the skis<\/span>? (masculine plural<\/em>)\u00a0
\nReply:<\/em> Li ho comprati<\/span> a Milano<\/strong> = I bought them in Milano<\/p>\n

Question:<\/em> Hai mai visitato la Spagna<\/span><\/strong>?<\/strong> = Have you ever visited Spain? (feminine singular<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Si l’ho visitata<\/span> l\u2019anno scorso<\/strong> = yes I visited it last year – N.B. here, l’ho <\/strong>is an abbreviation of\u00a0 la ho<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Question:<\/em> Dove hai comprato le verdure<\/span>?<\/strong> = Where did you buy the vegetables? (feminine plural<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Le ho comprate<\/span> al mercato<\/strong> = I bought them from the market<\/p>\n

N.B. when we use ne <\/strong>to mean ‘of it<\/em>‘<\/em> or ‘of them’ <\/em>we follow the same rules as above.<\/p>\n

Question:<\/em> Quanto pane<\/span> hai comprato?<\/strong> = How much bread have you bought? (masculine singular<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Ne ho comprato<\/span> un kilo<\/strong> = I\u2019ve bought a kilo of it<\/em><\/p>\n

Question: <\/em>Quanti libri<\/span> hai dato a Giorgio?<\/strong> = How many books did you give to Giorgio (masculine plural<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Gliene ho dati<\/span> tre<\/strong> = I gave him three of them<\/em><\/p>\n

Question:<\/em> Quanta farina<\/span> hai comprato?<\/strong> = How much flour did you buy? (feminine singular<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Ne ho comprata<\/span> un chilo<\/strong> = I bought a kilo of it<\/em><\/p>\n

Question: <\/em>Quante fette<\/span> di torta hai mangiato?<\/strong> = How many slices of cake have you eaten? (feminine plural<\/em>)
\nReply:<\/em> Ne ho mangiate<\/span> due<\/strong> = I\u2019ve eaten two of them<\/em><\/p>\n

You may also find the following two blogs useful: transitive and intransitive verbs<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and Tricky little words: Ne<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

How does the Italian past participle (il participio passato) work when used with the verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have)? Let’s find out. The Past Participle With Essere: When we use the past participle with essere it has to agree with the subject in gender and number. This means that the ending of…<\/p>\n

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