Italian Demystified. A self-Teaching Guide
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8. Lei si è alzato presto, vero? She got up early, right?
Sì, infatti, prima di voi. Yes, in fact, she had
gotten up before you.
Past Absolute Tense
Loro andarono in Italia molti anni fa. They went to Italy many years ago. In what
tense is the verb in this sentence? It is yet another past tense—the last one you will
need to learn. It is called the past absolute.
The past absolute is used primarily to refer to actions that occurred in the distant
past. The past absolute is translated similarly to the present perfect. For example,
the present perfect phrase Ho parlato can mean both I have spoken and I spoke.
The past absolute translation is the second option: I spoke (parlai).
Ieri loro sono andati in Italia. Yesterday they went to Italy.
Molti anni fa andarono in Italia. Many years ago they went to Italy.
The past absolute is formed by dropping the infi nitive ending and adding the fol-
lowing endings according to the person (fi rst, second, third) and the verb type. Here
is how to form the past absolute of fi rst-conjugation verbs:
cantare to sing
(io) cantai I sang
(tu) cantasti you (familiar) sang
(Lei) cantò you (polite) sang
(lui/lei) cantò he/she sang
(noi) cantammo we sang
(voi) cantaste you (familiar plural) sang
(Loro) cantarono you (polite plural) sang
(loro) cantarono they sang
PAST ABSOLUTE OF SECOND-CONJUGATION VERBS
The same pattern applies to second-conjugation verbs. Only the endings are differ-
ent. The following example shows the conjugation of an -ere verb. Notice that there
are alternative endings for some of the persons in the conjugation.
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268 Italian Demystifi ed
vendere to sell
(io) vendei (vendetti) I sold
(tu) vendesti you (familiar) sold
(Lei) vendè (vendette) you (polite) sold
(lui/lei) vendè (vendette) he/she sold
(noi) vendemmo we sold
(voi) vendeste you (familiar plural) sold
(Loro) venderono (vendettero) you (polite plural) sold
(loro) venderono (vendettero) they sold
PAST ABSOLUTE OF THIRD-CONJUGATION VERBS
Again, the same pattern applies to third-conjugation verbs. Only the endings, as you
might expect, are different. Here’s an example:
fi nire to fi nish
(io) fi nii I fi nished
(tu) fi nisti you (familiar) fi n i s h e d
(Lei) fi nì you (polite) fi n i s h e d
(lui/lei) fi nì he/she fi nished
(noi) fi nimmo we fi nished
(voi) fi niste you (familiar plural) fi n i s h e d
(Loro) fi nirono you (polite plural) fi n i s h e d
(loro) fi nirono they fi nished
The past absolute can be used in place of the present perfect: I fi nished, I sang,
and so on. It is used primarily in reference to historical events and events that
occurred in the distant past.
I miei genitori tornarono in Italia My parents returned to Italy in 1986.
nel 1986.
Finirono quel lavoro tanto tempo fa. They fi nished that job a long time ago.
The past absolute cannot be used with temporal adverbs such as the following:
ancora yet, still già already
appena just poco fa a little while ago
These adverbs limit the action to the immediate past. Only the present perfect can
be used in such cases. The exception is fa, because it can be used with immediate
past and remote past actions.
Alessandro è arrivato poco Alexander arrived a little while ago.
tempo fa.
Alessandro arrivò tanti anni fa. Alexander arrived many years ago.
Ho appena telefonato a lei. I have just phoned her.
Oral Practice
Practice saying the following sentences out loud.
Quanto tempo fa studiasti Pina, how long ago did you study
l’italiano, Pina? Italian?
Studiai l’italiano in Italia molti I studied Italian in Italy many years ago.
anni fa.
Quando comprò la macchina tuo When did your brother buy the car?
fratello?
Mio fratello comprò la macchina My brother bought the car in 1997.
nel 1997.
Quando imparaste a guidare When did the two of you learn to drive?
voi due?
Imparammo venti anni fa. We learned twenty years ago.
Quando tornarono in Italia i tuoi When did your cousins go back to Italy?
cugini?
Loro tornarono in Italia dieci They went back to Italy ten years ago.
anni fa.
Marco, quando dovesti partire? Mark, when did you have to leave?
Dovei (Dovetti) partire quando I had to leave when I was a child.
ero bambino.
Quando potè (potette) venire in When could your aunt come to America?
America tua zia?
Mia zia potè (potette) venire nel She was able to come in 1995.
1995.
Quando vendeste la casa voi? When did you sell the house?
Vendemmo la casa molti anni fa. We sold the house many years ago.
Quando doverono (dovettero) When did they have to return?
tornare loro?
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Loro doverono (dovettero) tornare They had to return in 1999.
nel 1999.
Quando partisti per l’Italia, Pina? When did you leave for Italy, Pina?
Partii alcuni anni fa. I left several years ago.
Quando fi niste di lavorare voi? When did you fi nish working?
Finimmo quattro anni fa. We fi nished four years ago.
Loro si divertirono l’anno scorso, They had fun last year, didn’t they?
vero?
Quando partì tuo zio per l’Italia? When did your uncle leave for Italy?
Partì molto tempo fa. He left a long time ago.
Written Practice 2
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate past absolute forms of the indicated verbs.
1. Quanto tempo fa l’italiano tua madre? How long
ago did your mom study Italian?
l’italiano molti anni fa. She studied Italian many
years ago.
2. Quando il tuo cellulare, Marco? When did you
buy your cell phone, Mark?
questo cellulare tempo fa. I bought this cell
phone a while back.
3. Quando a guidare loro? When did they learn to
drive?
alcuni anni fa. They learned several years ago.
4. Quando in Italia voi due? When did the two of
you go back to Italy?
Noi in Italia dieci anni fa. We went back to Italy
ten years ago.
5. Quando partire? When did they have to leave?
partire due anni fa. They had to leave two years
ago.
6. Quando venire in America tua zia? When could
your aunt come to America?
Mia zia venire due anni fa. She was able to come
two years ago.
7. Quando la casa voi? When did you sell the
house?
la casa molti anni fa. We sold the house many
years ago.
8. Quando tornare, Giuliana? When did you have to
return, Giuliana?
Io tornare nel 1999. I had to return in 1999.
9. Quando per l’Italia, lei? When did she leave for
Italy?
alcuni anni fa. She left several years ago.
10. Quando di lavorare loro? When did they fi nish
working?
quattro anni fa. They fi nished four years ago.
11. Voi due l’anno scorso, vero? You two had fun last
year, didn’t you?
Sì, molto. Yes, we had a lot of fun.
12. Tu di lavorare tempo fa, Marco, vero? Mark, you
fi nished working a while ago, didn’t you?
Sì, io molto tempo fa. Yes, I fi nished a long time
ago.
Irregular Verbs in the Past Absolute Tense
Of course, there are irregular verb forms as well. Of the ones you have encountered
so far, the following have irregular past absolute forms:
avere to have
(io) ebbi, (tu) avesti, (lui/lei/Lei) ebbe, (noi) avemmo, (voi) aveste, (loro/Loro) ebbero
bere to drink
(io) bevvi (bevetti), (tu) bevesti, (lui/lei/Lei) bevve (bevette), (noi) bevemmo, (voi) beve-
ste, (loro/Loro) bevvero (bevettero)
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272 Italian Demystifi ed
cadere to fall
(io) caddi, (tu) cadesti, (lui/lei/Lei) cadde, (noi) cademmo, (voi) cadeste, (loro/Loro)
caddero
chiedere to ask for
(io) chiesi, (tu) chiedesti, (lui/lei/Lei) chiese, (noi) chiedemmo, (voi) chiedeste, (loro/
Loro) chiesero
chiudere to close
(io) chiusi, (tu) chiudesti, (lui/lei/Lei) chiuse, (noi) chiudemmo, (voi) chiudeste, (loro/
Loro) chiusero
conoscere to know (someone), be familiar with, meet
(io) conobbi, (tu) conoscesti, (lui/lei/Lei) conobbe, (noi) conoscemmo, (voi) conosceste,
(loro/Loro) conobbero
dare to give
(io) diedi, (tu) desti, (lui/lei/Lei) diede, (noi) demmo, (voi) deste, (loro/Loro) diedero
dire to say, tell
(io) dissi, (tu) dicesti, (lui/lei/Lei) disse, (noi) dicemmo, (voi) diceste, (loro/Loro) dissero
essere to be
(io) fui, (tu) fosti, (lui/lei/Lei) fu, (noi) fummo, (voi) foste, (loro/Loro) furono
fare to do, make
(io) feci, (tu) facesti, (lui/lei/Lei) fece, (noi) facemmo, (voi) faceste, (loro/Loro) fecero
leggere to read
(io) lessi, (tu) leggesti, (lui/lei/Lei) lesse, (noi) leggemmo, (voi) leggeste, (loro/Loro)
lessero
mettere to put
(io) misi, (tu) mettesti, (lui/lei/Lei) mise, (noi) mettemmo, (voi) metteste, (loro/Loro)
misero
prendere to take
(io) presi, (tu) prendesti, (lui/lei/Lei) prese, (noi) prendemmo, (voi) prendeste, (loro/Loro)
presero
sapere to know
(io) seppi, (tu) sapesti, (lui/lei/Lei) seppe, (noi) sapemmo, (voi) sapeste, (loro/Loro)
seppero
scrivere to write
(io) scrissi, (tu) scrivesti, (lui/lei/Lei) scrisse, (noi) scrivemmo, (voi) scriveste, (loro/Loro)
scrissero
stare to stay
(io) stetti, (tu) stesti, (lui/lei/Lei) stette, (noi) stemmo, (voi) steste, (loro/Loro) stettero
vedere to see
(io) vidi, (tu) vedesti, (lui/lei/Lei) vide, (noi) vedemmo, (voi) vedeste, (loro/Loro) videro
venire to come
(io) venni, (tu) venisti, (lui/lei/Lei) venne, (noi) venimmo, (voi) veniste, (loro/Loro)
vennero
volere to want
(io) volli, (tu) volesti, (lui/lei/Lei) volle, (noi) volemmo, (voi) voleste, (loro/Loro) vollero
Oral Practice
Practice saying the following sentences out loud.
Giovanni, anche tu avesti una Ford John, you also had a Ford years ago?
anni fa?
Sì, ebbi una Ford tanti anni fa. Yes, I had a Ford many years ago.
Lui bevve quel caffè l’anno scorso. He drank that coffee last year.
Dove cadeste voi l’anno scorso? Where did you fall last year?
Che cosa chiesero loro? What did they ask for?
Chiusi il negozio nel 1999. I closed the store in 1999.
Conobbe sua moglie due anni fa. He met his wife two years ago.
A chi deste la vostra macchina To whom did you give your car two
due anni fa? years ago?
Demmo la nostra macchina a Bruno. We gave our car to Bruno.
Che cosa dissero loro l’estate scorsa? What did they say last summer?
Quando fosti in Italia l’ultima volta? When were you in Italy the last time?
Fui in Italia l’estate scorsa. I was in Italy last summer.
Che tempo fece quando eravate in How was the weather when you were
Italia? in Italy?
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274 Italian Demystifi ed
Io lessi quel romanzo l’anno scorso. I read that novel last year.
Dove misero la loro macchina? Where did they put their car?
Presi solo il caffè. I only had coffee.
Anche lui seppe la verità, vero? He also knew the truth, didn’t he?
Scrissi al professore tempo fa. I wrote to the professor a while back.
Dove stettero loro in Italia? Where did they stay in Italy?
Sì, vidi quel fi lm due anni fa. Yes, I saw that movie two years ago.
Quando venne in America tuo zio? When did your uncle come to
America?
Dove vollero andare loro l’anno Where did they want to go last year?
scorso?
Written Practice 3
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate past absolute forms of the given verbs.
1. Anche lui una Ford anni fa, vero? He also had a Ford
years ago, right?
Sì, una Ford tanti anni fa. Yes, he had a Ford many years
ago.
2. Quando quel caffè, Maria? When did you drink that
coffee, Mary?
Io quel caffè l’anno scorso. I drank that coffee last year.
3. Dove lei l’anno scorso? Where did she fall last year?
in Italia. She fell in Italy.
4. Che cosa , signor Verdi? What did you ask for, Mr. Verdi?
tante cose. I asked for a lot of things.
5. Quando il negozio? When did they close down the store?
il negozio nel 2000. They closed the store in 2000.
6. Quando tua moglie, Paolo? When did your meet your
wife, Paul?
mia moglie due anni fa. I met my wife two years ago.
7. A chi la tua macchina, Marco, due anni fa? To whom did
you give your car two years ago, Mark?
la mia macchina a Bruno. I gave my car to Bruno.
8. Che cosa tua sorella tempo fa? What did your sister say
a while ago?
la verità. She told the truth.
9. Quando in Italia l’ultima volta? When were they in Italy
the last time?
in Italia l’estate scorsa. They were in Italy last summer.
10. Che tempo quando eravate in Italia? How was the
weather when you were in Italy?
sempre bel tempo. The weather was always nice.
11. Maria, quel romanzo l’anno scorso, vero? Mary, did you
read that novel last year?
Sì, io quel romanzo l’anno scorso. Yes, I read that novel
last year.
12. Dove la loro macchina? Where did they put their car?
la macchina in piazza. They put the car in the square.
13. Che cosa loro, la settimana scorsa? What did they have
last week?
solo il caffè. They only had coffee.
14. Anche lui la verità, vero? He also knew the truth, didn’t
he?
Sì, anche lui la verità. Yes, he also knew the truth.
15. Quando al professore, Marco? When did you write to the
professor, Mark?
al professore tempo fa. I wrote to the professor a while
back.
16. Dove lei in Italia? Where did she stay in Italy?
in un albergo. She stayed in a hotel.
17. Anche lui quel fi lm, vero? He also saw that movie, right?
Sì, quel fi lm due anni fa. Yes, he saw that movie two
years ago.
18. Quando in America i tuoi cugini? When did your cousins
come to America?
nel 2000. They came in 2000.
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276 Italian Demystifi ed
19. Dove andare i tuoi amici l’anno scorso? Where did your
friends want to go last year?
andare in vacanza. They wanted to go on vacation.
Transportation
As elsewhere, cars (le automobili or le macchine) are the principle means of trans-
portation in Italy. Buses and subway systems in large cities are also commonly used
within the cities and to get from town to town. Trains and airplanes are used to
travel longer distances. Train travel is still very popular. Here are some common
travel vocabulary words:
l’aereo airplane il treno train
l’autobus (m.) bus viaggiare to travel
la metropolitana subway il viaggio trip
ALITALIA
Alitalia is Italy’s main airline (la linea aerea). It was founded in 1946. In 1957 it
became Italy’s national airline, with its head offi ce in Rome; it has branch offi ces (le
sedi) throughout the world.
In 1996 Alitalia was reformed as Alitalia Team for low-cost medium and long-
range connections (le coincidenze a medio e lungo raggio). In 1998 it formed
partnerships with KLM and Continental, Northwest, and Air France.
Va’ in Italia, con Alitalia! You know what this means, don’t you?
QUIZ
For each present perfect form give the corresponding pluperfect form. For
example:
ho mangiato
avevo mangiato
1. ho venduto
sono partita