Indicano quando è avvenuta un'azione, la sua durata e quanto tempo è trascorso da quando è avvenuta.
(They indicate when an action took place, its duration, and how much time has passed since it occurred.)
- 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 (Expression) | Tempo verbale (Tense) | Esempio (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Due giorni fa (Two days ago) | Passato prossimo (Present perfect) | Due giorni fa ho ricevuto il prestito. (Two days ago I received the loan.) |
| La settimana scorsa (Last week) | Passato prossimo (Present perfect) | Hanno trasferito i soldi la settimana scorsa. (They transferred the money last week.) |
| Il mese scorso (Last month) | Passato prossimo (Present perfect) | Il mese scorso abbiamo aperto un conto. (Last month we opened an account.) |
| Il giorno prima (The day before) | Trapassato prossimo (Past perfect) | Avevo prelevato dal bancomat il giorno prima. (I had withdrawn from the cash machine the day before.) |
| Due ore prima (Two hours earlier) | Trapassato prossimo (Past perfect) | Avevamo già ricevuto l’assegno due ore pima. (We had already received the check two hours earlier.) |
Exercise 1: Le espressioni temporali
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
ha aperto, avevi ricevuto, Hai trasferito, Avevamo ricevuto, avevi depositato, ho ricevuto, aveva trasferito, abbiamo pagato
1.
Pagare:
La settimana scorsa ... in contanti.
(Last week we paid in cash.)
2.
Ricevere:
Due giorni fa ... l’assegno.
(Two days ago I received the cheque.)
3.
Depositare:
Tu ... i soldi il giorno prima.
(You had deposited the money the day before.)
4.
Trasferire:
Lui ... importo due giorni prima.
(He had transferred the amount two days earlier.)
5.
Ricevere:
... carta di credito due ore prima.
(We had received the credit card two hours earlier.)
6.
Ricevere:
Tu ... l’assegno prima della scadenza.
(You had received the cheque before the due date.)
7.
Aprire:
Lei ... conto bancario la settimana scorsa.
(She opened a bank account last week.)
8.
Trasferire:
... denaro la settimana scorsa?
(Did you transfer money last week?)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that properly uses time expressions to indicate when an action occurred.
1.
"Past" agrees in 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 'last month' to refer to a specific period.
"Month" is masculine and requires the article 'last' before it, but here the word order is incorrect.
3.
With the past perfect, it is preferable to use 'before' to highlight the anteriority compared to another past event.
The correct form is 'the day before' to express anteriority; 'the day last' is not used in this context.
4.
"Past" agrees in plural feminine with 'hours', but it is not correctly used with 'two hours' in this sentence.
'Before' requires a previous time reference and is not used by itself with 'two hours' in this sentence.
Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases
Instruction: Rephrase the sentences using the indicated time expressions (two days ago, last week, last month, the day before, two hours earlier) and, if necessary, change the verb tense to the present perfect or the past perfect.
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleDue giorni fa ho pagato la bolletta online.(Two days ago I paid the bill online.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleLa settimana scorsa hanno firmato il contratto.(They signed the contract last week.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleIl mese scorso abbiamo iniziato un nuovo progetto in ufficio.(Last month we began a new project at the office.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleAvevo fatto il bonifico il giorno prima; poi oggi ho chiamato la banca.(I had made the transfer the day before; then today I called the bank.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleAvevamo ricevuto il preventivo due ore prima e poi abbiamo firmato il contratto.(We had received the estimate two hours earlier, and then we signed the contract.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleAvevo controllato il conto online due ore prima e poi sono andato in filiale.(I had checked my account online two hours earlier, and then I went to the branch.)
