Learn how to use Italian temporal expressions like "due giorni fa" (two days ago), "la settimana scorsa" (last week), and "il giorno prima" (the day before) to describe past actions with passato prossimo and trapassato prossimo tenses.
- A quantity of time + "fa" indicates a past period of time.
- "Scorso/a" is used with periods such as weeks, months, years.
- "Prima" indicates how much time has passed between two past actions.
| Espressione | Tempo verbale | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Due giorni fa | Passato prossimo | Due giorni fa ho ricevuto il prestito. |
| La settimana scorsa | Passato prossimo | Hanno trasferito i soldi la settimana scorsa. |
| Il mese scorso | Passato prossimo | Il mese scorso abbiamo aperto un conto. |
| Il giorno prima | Trapassato prossimo | Avevo prelevato dal bancomat il giorno prima. |
| Due ore prima | Trapassato prossimo | Avevamo già ricevuto l’assegno due ore pima. |
Exercise 1: Le espressioni temporali
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Abbiamo depositato, Avevo prelevato, ha aperto, abbiamo pagato, avevi ricevuto, aveva trasferito, avevi depositato, Hai trasferito
1.
Trasferire:
... denaro la settimana scorsa?
(Did you transfer money last week?)
2.
Trasferire:
Lui ... importo due giorni prima.
(He had transferred the amount two days ago.)
3.
Ricevere:
Tu ... l’assegno prima della scadenza.
(You had received the cheque before the deadline.)
4.
Depositare:
Tu ... i soldi il giorno prima.
(You had deposited the money the day before.)
5.
Pagare:
La settimana scorsa ... in contanti.
(Last week we paid in cash.)
6.
Prelevare:
... prima del pagamento elettronico.
(I had withdrawn cash before electronic payment.)
7.
Depositare:
... soldi il mese scorso.
(We deposited money last month.)
8.
Aprire:
Lei ... conto bancario la settimana scorsa.
(She opened a bank account last week.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that properly uses time expressions to indicate when an action took place.
1.
"Past" must agree in the feminine plural with 'weeks', but in this sentence, it is not the correct form to use.
"Before" is not used with fixed time expressions like 'two weeks'; it is used to indicate the relationship between two past actions.
2.
This sentence is grammatically correct but, in this option, the context requires the use of 'last month' to refer to a specific period.
"The month" is incorrect: 'month' is a masculine noun and requires the article 'last' without 'the'.
3.
With the past perfect it is preferable to use 'before' to highlight precedence relative to another past event.
The correct form is 'the day before' to express anteriority; 'the last day' is not used in this context.
4.
"Past" agrees in feminine plural with 'hours', but in this sentence, it is not correctly used with 'two hours'.
'Before' requires a prior temporal reference and is not used alone with 'two hours' in this sentence.
