Past with Avere

Italiano A1A110. Unit 10: Past Experiences

Talking About the Past with Avere

In Italian, to say what you did in the past, you often use a two-part verb structure: the present tense of avere (to have) plus a past participle.

Forming Regular Participles

Examples

Common Mistakes

Remember to always include the correct form of avere before the participle. Do not just use the participle alone!

Words

ho mangiato
I ate / I have eaten
Ho mangiato la pizza.I ate pizza.
hai parlato
you spoke / you have spoken
Hai parlato troppo.You spoke too much.
ha comprato
he/she bought
Maria ha comprato un libro.Maria bought a book.
abbiamo finito
we finished
Abbiamo finito il lavoro.We finished the work.
avete visto
you (pl.) saw
Avete visto quel film?Did you see that movie?
hanno mangiato
they ate
I bambini hanno mangiato.The children ate.
ho comprato
I bought
Ho comprato una macchina.I bought a car.
hai capito
you understood
Hai capito la domanda?Did you understand the question?
ha venduto
he/she sold
Marco ha venduto la casa.Marco sold the house.
abbiamo studiato
we studied
Abbiamo studiato l'italiano.We studied Italian.
avete ascoltato
you (pl.) listened
Avete ascoltato la musica?Did you listen to music?
hanno trovato
they found
Hanno trovato le chiavi.They found the keys.
ho creduto
I believed
Ho creduto a te.I believed you.
hai chiuso
you closed
Hai chiuso la porta.You closed the door.
ha aperto
he/she opened
Lui ha aperto la finestra.He opened the window.
abbiamo cercato
we searched
Abbiamo cercato il gatto.We searched for the cat.

Lessons are prepared with the help of AI.

Patterns

Ho ___ oggi.

Used to say what you did today using a past action.

Ho studiato oggi.I studied today.

Hai ___ il film?

Used to ask someone if they saw a movie.

Hai visto il film?Did you see the movie?

Abbiamo ___ la lezione.

Used to describe a shared past classroom activity.

Abbiamo finito la lezione.We finished the lesson.