dubun dejo hecaru

Formation of the Trapassato Prossimo

The Past Perfect in Italian, known as "Trapassato Prossimo," is formed using two components:

1. The imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb (either "avere" or "essere")
2. The past participle of the main verb

For example:

• Io avevo mangiato (I had eaten)
• Tu eri andato (You had gone)

Usage

The Trapassato Prossimo is used to describe actions that occurred before another past action. It's often used in conjunction with the Passato Prossimo or Imperfetto to establish a sequence of events in the past.

Examples:

• Quando sono arrivato, Maria era già partita. (When I arrived, Maria had already left.)
• Avevo studiato molto prima dell'esame. (I had studied a lot before the exam.)

Choosing the Auxiliary Verb

The choice between "avere" and "essere" follows the same rules as the Passato Prossimo:

• Most verbs use "avere"
• Reflexive verbs and verbs of motion use "essere"

Agreement with Subject

When using "essere" as the auxiliary, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject:

• Lei era andata al mercato. (She had gone to the market.)
• Loro erano arrivati in ritardo. (They had arrived late.)

Common Irregular Past Participles

Some frequently used irregular past participles include:

• Fare → fatto
• Dire → detto
• Venire → venuto
• Vedere → visto