Learn How to Use the PASSATO REMOTO in ITALIAN

Have you ever heard of the legendary passato remoto (remote past)? Let’s find it out together with this lesson!

Italian Remote Past: here’s how to use it!

The remote past is that verbal time used to indicate an action that happened and ended in the past.

For example: “Marta si sposò nel 1971″ (Marta got married in 1971).

It is not difficult to use, the real problem is its formation! However, before going into the explanation of how to form the remote past, we need to make two small premises.

Various researches suggest that this tense is gradually disappearing, especially in northern Italy. However, it must be said that in southern Italy and Tuscany it is still quite used. Moreover, in the exams to obtain the Italian linguistic certification there are often exercises where the knowledge of the remote past is required… so, if you were thinking you could do without that, well, better change your mind!

Second premise: the remote past presents many irregularities, for this reason it is difficult to use and recognize for foreign students, therefore… Take a pen and paper, because you will need to take lots of notes!

Verbs with -ARE

We begin immediately with the conjugation of verbs in -ARE, for example: parlare (to speak).

In order to form the remote past of parlare – as well as the remote past for the other two groups of verbs. – we will have to remove the final part of the verb, (-re) and add to the root (parla-) the endings of the remote past. Here they are:

Io parlai

Tu parlasti

Lui/ lei parlò

Noi parlammo

Voi parlaste

Loro parlarono

Verbs with -ERE

Let’s take now the example of one verb in -ERE like temere (to fear):

Io temei (o temetti)

Tu temesti

Lui / lei temé (o temette)

Noi tememmo

Voi temeste

Loro temerono (o temettero)

As you can see, very often, verbs in -ERE have a double possibility in some persons.

Verbs with -IRE

Finally, we have the verbs in -IRE like, for example, dormire (to sleep):

Io dormii

Tu dormisti

Lui / lei dormì

Noi dormimmo

Voi dormiste

Loro dormirono

The auxiliaries

But now let’s move on to difficult things! Keep in mind that the auxiliaries essere (to be) and avere (to have) in the remote past are irregular! Here they are:

ESSERE

Io fui

Tu fosti

Lui / lei fu

Noi fummo

Voi foste

Loro furono

AVERE

Io ebbi

Tu avesti

Lui / lei ebbe

Noi avemmo

Voi aveste

Loro ebbero

Irregular verbs

But that’s not all! As we have already mentioned, the remote past is the Italian tense with more irregularities. In fact, many verbs:

have a different root for the 1st and 3rd person singular (I, he / she) and the 3rd person plural (them), while for other persons they form the remote past regularly.
they also have different endings from the previous ones we have seen for regular verbs!

Here they are:

-I

-ESTI

-E

-EMMO

-ESTE

-ERO

These endings work for all 3 conjugations (-ARE, -ERE, -IRE) and they’re added to the root of the verb without the whole ending of the infinitive!!

Crazy, isn’t it? This is the beauty and the ugliness of Italian!

For example, verbs in which the ending in the infinite is preceded by:

V, M, R, T, GG, RR

will have at the 1st and 3rd person singular and the 3rd plural two: SS

Here’s an example with leggere (to read):

Io lessi

Tu leggesti

Lui / Lei lesse

Noi leggemmo

Voi leggeste

Loro lessero

Be careful also, because some verbs with double RR before the ending at the infinite have, in the above 3 persons of the remote past, only one S or RS.

Correre:

Io corsi

Tu corresti

Lui / lei corse

Noi corremmo

Voi correste

Loro corsero

The verbs with N, V or ND before the ending at the infinite will have an S.

Rispondere:

Io risposi

Tu rispondesti

Lui / lei rispose

Noi rispondemmo

Voi rispondeste

Loro risposero

Most verbs with a D before the ending at the infinite also require S.

Chiedere:

Io chiesi

Tu chiedesti

Lui / lei chiese

Noi chiedemmo

Voi chiedeste

Loro chiesero

Verbs with a C or SC before the ending at the infinite will have CQU in the remote past.

Piacere:

Io piacqui

Tu piacesti

Lui / lei piacque

Noi piacemmo

Voi piaceste

Loro piacquero

An exception is the verb conoscere (to know) that, although it has SC before the ending in the infinite, it forms the remote past with OBB:

Io conobbi

Tu conoscesti

Lui / lei conobbe

Noi conoscemmo

Voi conosceste

Loro conobbero

The verbs with NG before the ending at the infinite will have NS in the usual 3 persons.

For example: fingere.

Io finsi

Tu fingesti

Lui / lei finse

Noi fingemmo

Voi fingeste

Loro finsero

The verbs with GL before the ending in the infinite will have LS:

For example: scegliere.

I scelsi

Tu scegliesti

Lui / Lei scelse

Noi scegliemmo

Voi sceglieste

Loro scelsero

The verbs with RG will have RS instead.

For example: immergere

Io immersi

Tu immergesti

Lui / lei immerse

Noi immergemmo

Voi immergeste

Loro immersero

Finally, some verbs double the consonant before the ending:

For example: cadere

Io caddi

Tu cadesti

Lui / lei cadde

Noi cademmo

Voi cadeste

Loro caddero

While some other verbs change their root completely:

For example: sapere

Io seppi

Tu sapesti

Lui / lei seppe

Noi sapemmo

Voi sapeste

Loro seppero

What an effort this lesson was, with all these irregularities! The only way to get some confidence with the remote past is to use it, so I suggest you to practice a lot with our exercises!

You can also have a look at all our lessons on Italian tenses and moods!

And finally, if you like my t-shirt, you can purchase it on our online store, LearnAmo collection!

Let’s see if you’ve mastered the contents of this class. Have a go at completing the exercises!

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