Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how Italian past participles like "sudato" (sweaty), "riposato" (rested), "caduto" (fallen), and "rilassato" (relaxed) function as adjectives, adapting to gender and number to describe states and characteristics.
  1. The past participle can be used to describe a state or a characteristic.
  2. The participle agrees with the gender and number of the subject.
 Singolare (Singular)Plurale (Plural)
Maschile (Masculine)

Sudato

Lui è sudato (He is sweaty.)

Sudati

Loro sono sudati (They are sweaty.)

Riposato

Il bambino è riposato. (The child is rested.)

Riposati

I bambini sono riposati. (The children are rested.)

Femminile (Feminine)

Caduta

Lei è caduta. (She has fallen.)

Cadute

Loro sono cadute. (They are fallen.)

Rilassata

Lei si sente rilassata. (She feels relaxed.)

Rilassate

loro si sentono rilassate. (They feel relaxed.)

Exercise 1: I participi passati come aggettivi

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

riposata, caduto, rilassata, sudato, caduti, stanche, rilassati

1.
Maria si sente molto ... oggi.
(Maria feels very rested today.)
2.
Le ragazze sono ... dopo la corsa.
(The girls are tired after the run.)
3.
Ci siamo ... dopo il lavoro.
(We relaxed after work.)
4.
Dopo la corsa, lui è ....
(After the run, he is sweaty.)
5.
Ieri sono ... e mi sono fatto male.
(Yesterday I fell and hurt myself.)
6.
La ragazza è ....
(The girl is relaxed.)
7.
Sono ... a causa del vento.
(They have fallen because of the wind.)
8.
Il bambino è ... al parco.
(The child has fallen in the park.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Dopo la corsa, Marco è molto ___.

(After the run, Marco is very ___.)

2. Le ragazze sono stanche e ___ dopo la lezione di yoga.

(The girls are tired and ___ after the yoga lesson.)

3. Il bambino è ___ perché ha dormito bene.

(The child is ___ because he slept well.)

4. Loro sono ___ dalla bicicletta ieri.

(They ___ off the bike yesterday.)

5. Le mani sono ___ per il caldo.

(The hands are ___ because of the heat.)

6. Gli uomini si sentono stanchi e ___ dopo il lavoro.

(The men feel tired and ___ after work.)

Past Participles Used as Adjectives in Italian

This lesson explores how past participles, participi passati, function as adjectives in Italian. Unlike English, where past participles often form perfect tenses, in Italian they can also describe a state or a characteristic of a subject. Understanding this usage is essential for expressing conditions and describing people or things effectively.

How Past Participles Work as Adjectives

In Italian, past participles used as adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means the ending changes based on whether it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

Examples of Agreement

  • Masculine Singular: sudato – as in Lui è sudato. (He is sweaty.)
  • Masculine Plural: sudati – as in Loro sono sudati. (They are sweaty, masculine or mixed group.)
  • Feminine Singular: caduta – as in Lei è caduta. (She has fallen.)
  • Feminine Plural: cadute – as in Loro sono cadute. (They have fallen, all female group.)

Common Words and Their Forms

Here are some past participles frequently used as adjectives:

  • Sudato, sudata, sudati, sudate (sweaty)
  • Riposato, riposata, riposati, riposate (rested)
  • Caduto, caduta, caduti, cadute (fallen)
  • Rilassato, rilassata, rilassati, rilassate (relaxed)

Key Points to Remember

  • The past participle modifies a noun, so it behaves like an adjective in agreement with gender and number.
  • These adjectives describe a temporary state or condition rather than an ongoing action.
  • Both masculine and feminine forms must be mastered to ensure correct usage.

Differences Between English and Italian Past Participles

In English, past participles mainly form perfect tenses and passive voice, while adjectives from past participles don't change form with gender or number—for example, "tired" or "fallen" is invariant. Italian requires modifying the participle ending to match the subject’s gender and number, e.g., stanco (masculine singular) vs. stanca (feminine singular).

Useful Italian phrases include:

  • essere sudato/a/i/e – to be sweaty
  • essere riposato/a/i/e – to be rested
  • essere caduto/a/i/e – to have fallen
  • sentirsi rilassato/a/i/e – to feel relaxed

Noticing these subtle changes helps learners describe conditions accurately and improves both understanding and speaking fluency.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 22:50