Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to form the passato prossimo with the auxiliary verb "essere" and past participles like "arrivato/a". Practice conjugations such as "sono arrivato" and understand agreement with gender and number in common verbs of movement and reflexive verbs.
  1. The passato prossimo indicates an action that occurred in the recent past.
  2. Use "essere" with verbs of movement or state.
  3. With the auxiliary "essere", the past participle agrees with the gender and number of the subject.
Coniugazione di 'essere' (Conjugation of 'to be')Participio  (Past participle)Esempio (Example)
Io sono

Arrivato/i

Arrivata/e

Sono arrivato a casa. (I have arrived home.)
Tu seiSei arrivato alle 8 in punto. (You arrived at 8 o'clock sharp.)
Lui/lei èE' arrivata in ritardo. (She arrived late.)
Noi siamoSiamo arrivati a mezzogiorno. (We arrived at noon.)
Voi sieteSiete arrivati nel pomeriggio. (You arrived in the afternoon.)
Loro sonoSono arrivate alle 4 meno un quarto. (They arrived at quarter to 4.)

Exceptions!

  1. Reflexive verbs always use essere.

Exercise 1: Il passato prossimo con essere

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

siamo usciti, siamo arrivati, sono arrivati, è arrivata, è andata, è andato, sei uscito, sono partiti

1. Andare:
Lui ... al mercato.
(He went to the market.)
2. Uscire:
Noi ... insieme ieri sera.
(We went out together last night.)
3. Andare:
Lei ... a casa dopo la lezione.
(She went home after the lesson.)
4. Arrivare:
Lei ... molto presto.
(She arrived very early.)
5. Arrivare:
Loro ... molto tardi al lavoro.
(They arrived very late at work.)
6. Arrivare:
Noi ... in orario per l'appuntamento.
(We arrived on time for the appointment.)
7. Uscire:
Tu ... dal lavoro.
(You have left work.)
8. Partire:
Loro ... alle 6 per andare al mare.
(They left at 6 to go to the sea.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Io ______ arrivato a casa ieri sera.

(I ______ arrived home last night.)

2. Lei ______ andata al mercato stamattina.

(She ______ went to the market this morning.)

3. Noi ______ partiti presto stamattina.

(We ______ left early this morning.)

4. Voi ______ tornati tardi ieri sera.

(You ______ returned late last night.)

5. Loro ______ arrivate in orario per la riunione.

(They ______ arrived on time for the meeting.)

6. Tu ______ rimasta a casa ieri perché eri stanca.

(You ______ stayed home yesterday because you were tired.)

Understanding the Italian Past Tense: Il passato prossimo with essere

This lesson focuses on the formation and use of the passato prossimo tense in Italian when it is constructed using the auxiliary verb essere. The passato prossimo is used to describe actions that have taken place in the recent past.

Key Components of the Past Tense with essere

  • Auxiliary verb essere conjugation: The verb essere is conjugated according to the subject.
  • Past participle: The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, which is unique to verbs conjugated with essere.
  • Usage: This tense is used primarily with verbs indicating motion or change of state, as well as reflexive verbs.

Conjugation and Examples

The table below illustrates the conjugation of essere with the participle of the verb arrivare (to arrive):

Conjugation of esserePast ParticipleExample Sentence
Io sonoArrivato/i
Arrivata/e
Sono arrivato a casa.
Tu seiSei arrivato alle 8 in punto.
Lui/lei èE' arrivata in ritardo.
Noi siamoSiamo arrivati a mezzogiorno.
Voi sieteSiete arrivati nel pomeriggio.
Loro sonoSono arrivate alle 4 meno un quarto.

Important Grammar Points

  • The passato prossimo with essere shows that actions were completed in the recent past.
  • With essere, unlike avere, the past participle changes to match the subject’s gender (arrivato for masculine singular) and number (arrivati for masculine plural; arrivata/e for feminine singular/plural).
  • Verbs mainly related to moving or states of being use essere as the auxiliary.
  • All reflexive verbs use essere in the passato prossimo.

Useful Words and Phrases

  • sono arrivato/a/i/e — I arrived (with gender/number agreement)
  • sei arrivato/a — You arrived
  • è arrivato/a — He/she arrived
  • siamo arrivati/e — We arrived
  • siete arrivati/e — You (plural) arrived
  • sono arrivati/e — They arrived

Note on Differences Between English and Italian

Unlike English, which forms the present perfect with have plus past participle without gender or number agreement (I have arrived), Italian uses two auxiliary verbs: essere (to be) and avere (to have). When essere is used, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. This grammatical agreement does not exist in English.

Helpful phrase for understanding: In Italian, "I have arrived" is sono arrivato (for a male speaker) or sono arrivata (for a female speaker), emphasizing gender, which English does not express.

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Friday, 18/07/2025 03:05