Present perfect — The most common past tense in spoken Italian — used for recently completed actions.
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Explanation
The passato prossimo expresses completed actions in the past, especially those with a connection to the present. It is formed with the auxiliary avere or essere plus the past participle. In everyday spoken Italian, this tense is preferred over the passato remoto in most regions.
Italian Examples
Ho mangiato la pizza stasera.
I ate pizza this evening.
Sei andato al cinema ieri?
Did you go to the cinema yesterday?
Abbiamo studiato tutta la notte.
We studied all night.
Maria è tornata dall'Italia la settimana scorsa.
Maria came back from Italy last week.
Pattern / Structure
avere/essere (presente) + participio passato
-ARE → -ato (mangiare → mangiato)
-ERE → -uto (avere → avuto)
-IRE → -ito (dormire → dormito)
Verbs of motion/state use essere; the participio agrees with the subject.
Common Mistakes
Using avere instead of essere with motion/state verbs (andare, venire, partire, tornare, stare, essere…).
Forgetting participio agreement with essere: Maria è andat-a, i ragazzi sono andat-i.