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When to use the auxiliary verb ‘avere’ vs. ‘essere’ in Italian compound tenses?

By: Debora Chellini Fri Aug 30 2024
Italian
Verbs, Auxiliary Verbs

In Italian compound tenses like the passato prossimo, you generally use the auxiliary verb avere(to have) when the main verb is followed by a direct object — an answer to the question “what/who(m)?” — and essere(to be) if it is not.

In this post, we’ll review when to use avere and essere as auxiliary verbs. And, also what to do if a main verb takes both auxiliaries. Read on to learn the rules and the exceptions!

Table of Contents

    What are the two auxiliary verbs in Italian?

    The two auxiliary verbs in Italian are avere(to have) and essere(to be). Here are two examples:

    avere

    ho studiato

    I have studied.

    essere

    sono partito

    I have left.

    Both sentences above are in the passato prossimo, but in the first one, the verb studiato is introduced by ho (a form of avere); while in the second one, the verb partito is introduced by sono (a form of essere).

    Even though the English present perfect tense is structurally similar to the Italian one, it differs from it in the auxiliary verbs used: in English this tense is formed only with “to have,” as shown in the example above. In Italian though, the two different auxiliary verbs, avere and essere, may be required. How can you choose between avere and essere? Keep reading!

    What is the rule to help you choose between ‘avere’ and ‘essere’?

    The main rule that will help you choose between avere and essere is that:

    • avere is used with transitive verbs (verbs that have a direct object)

    • essere is used with intransitive verbs (verbs that do not have a direct object)

    Knowing this rule for how to choose between avere and essere is fundamental for learners of Italian every time they have to deal with passato prossimo. This will also help when using the other compound tenses formed by the combination of avere/essere conjugated in different tenses + the past participle.

    The rule isn’t quite as simple, though, as it looks above! There are still some details and exceptions to learn. Let’s have a look at the details.

    Use ‘avere’ with transitive verbs

    The auxiliary avere is always used with transitive verbs, which are verbs that have a direct object. This means that someone does the action in the verb to something or someone else. Importantly, a direct object is never introduced by a preposition.

    Tip

    We also use avere with some verbs that are not transitive! Read the section on essere to learn about these cases!

    One good way to figure out if a verb has a direct object is to ask “verbed what?” or “verbed who?” If you can answer these questions, the answer will probably be the direct object. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

    • Let’s say we want to say “My mom has bought a present.” We can ask ourselves:

      “My mom bought what?” → “the present”

      “The present” is therefore the direct object of the verb comprare(to buy). Because you can answer the question, you know that comprare is transitive and so takes the auxiliary avere. So the sentence in passato prossimo would be:

      subjectpassato prossimodirect object

      Mia mamma ha comprato un regalo.

      My mom has bought a present.

    • Let’s look at another example. Let’s say you want to say “I met Lucia.” You can ask yourself:

      “I met who?” → “Lucia”

      Therefore, Lucia is the direct object and the verb, incontrare(to meet) is transitive so takes avere.

      subjectpassato prossimodirect object

      Io ho incontrato Lucia.

      I have met Lucia.

      Important

      When someone does an action to themself, you’ll need to use essere instead:

      “I prepared myself to go out.”

      I prepared who? → myself

      Even though “myself” is a direct object in English,
      you’ll need to use essere not avere, because in Italian,
      reflexive verbs are intransitive. (more on this below!)

      So the correct passato prossimo would be:

      Mi sono preparato per uscire.

      I got ready to go out.

      I prepared myself to go out

    So far, so good. But what if the main verb cannot be followed by a direct object, or an answer to “verbed what?” or “verbed who?”

    Use ‘essere’ only with intransitive verbs

    We use essere only with intransitive verbs – verbs that cannot be followed by a direct object. However, as you’ll see, we don’t use essere for all intransitive verbs!

    Intransitive verbs fall into a few different categories, and there are slightly different rules for each. Let’s have a look at them one-by-one:

    • Intransitive verbs that indicate an action experienced by the subject

      If an intransitive verbs indicates an action experienced by the subject, you’ll always use it with essere. For example:

      Sono nato.

      I was born.

      Sono cresciuto.

      I have grown up.

      Exception!

      If an intransitive verb is an action that is actually done by the subject, you’ll use avere instead, even though there is no direct object! For example:

      Ho parlato di te.

      I have talked about you.

      Ho creduto a te.

      I have believed you.

      Note, though, that this does not apply to the verbs of movement or status we’ll discuss below!

    • Reflexive verbs

      Reflexive verbs, where the action is performed by and reflects back to the subject, also use the auxiliary essere.

      Mi sono preparato per uscire.

      I got ready to go out.

      Tip

      In Italian, even though a reflexive verb is done to something (the subject) it is considered intransitive because of its grammatical structure. In Italian, they’re more like “I bathed” or “I shaved,” actions you just know turn back on the subject.

    • Impersonal verbs

      Essere is also used as an auxiliary with impersonal verbs, where there is no subject, or the subject is something that doesn’t do anything.

      Questa cosa è appena successa.

      This thing has just happened.

      Exception!

      Verbs that indicate the weather or atmospheric phenomena can also use the auxiliary verb avere. You can say, for example:

      ha piovuto

      It has rained.

      OR

      è piovuto

      It has rained.

      ha nevicato

      It has snowed

      OR

      è nevicato

      It has snowed.

    • Intransitive verbs of movement and status answering “where?”

      Finally, intransitive verbs of movement and status are used with essere. To identify these, you can ask yourself, “verbed where?”.

      Io sono andato a scuola ieri.

      I went to school yesterday.

      I went where? → to school

      Tu sei rimasto a casa tutto il giorno.

      You stayed at home all day long.

      You stayed where? → at home
      Exception!

      There are some exceptions to this generalization. Here are some of the common movement verbs that take avere instead of essere:

      • viggiare

        to travel

      • attraversare

        to cross

      • nuotare

        to swim

      • camminare

        to walk

      • sciare

        to ski

      • girare

        to turn

      For example:

      Ho viaggiato in lungo e in largo.

      I have traveled far and wide.

    When can you use ‘avere’ and ‘essere’ with the same verb

    Avere and essere can sometimes both be used with the same verb. The one you use will depend on the meaning and context in which you’re using the verb. If it has a direct object, you’ll use avere, if it doesn’t you’ll use essere. Here’s an example:

    • Oggi Anna ha passato tutta la mattina a casa.

      Today Anna has spent all morning at home.

    • Oggi Anna è passata all’ufficio postale.

      Today Anna passed by the post office.

    Can you see the difference?

    In the first sentence, we might ask: “Anna spent what?” and the answer would be “all morning.” Therefore, in the first sentence passare is transitive. That’s why we used avere.

    In the second sentence, though, we would need to ask: “Anna passed (by) where?” → “the post office.” This makes passare a movement verb and intransitive! That’s why we used essere in this sentence instead!

    Interested in more examples? Have a look at this table of verbs that can take both avere and essere, for more examples!

    Important

    If you look closely, you’ll notice another key difference in the two examples: the past participle endings!

    ha passato

    vs.

    è passata

    Why are these different?

    With avere, the past participle does not agree in number and gender with the verb's subject, Anna, but with essere, it does. That’s due to the agreement rules that regulate the structure of sentences in Italian.

    You can learn more about this in our article on when past participles agree in the Italian compound tenses.

    The same rules and exceptions will apply to all the compound tenses in Italian: passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo(past perfect), futuro anteriore(future perfect), and trapassato remoto(past anterior).

    Now that you know how to use the auxiliaries, you might be wondering how to use the passato prossimo in Italian? Well, we have an article for that too, go check it out!

    Summary

    In conclusion,

    • The use of avere and essere depends on the verbs they ‘help,’ that is, the verbs they precede.

    • The key question “verbed what/who?” is of great help for learners of Italian who do not have a dictionary handy to check whether a verb is transitive or intransitive.

    And now, buona fortuna(good luck) with our exercises.

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