Avere o Esssere?
In Italian, an auxiliary verb—either avere or essere—is used whenever forming compound
tenses. The auxiliary (or helping) verb, in combination with another, gives a particular meaning
to the conjugated verb form. For example, compound tenses such as the passato prossimo are
formed with the present indicative of the auxiliary verb avere or essere and the past participle
(participio passato).
When forming the passato prossimo, which auxiliary verb should be used—avere
or essere? How do you decide?
Transitive Verbs Take Avere
Transitive verbs are those that take a direct object. For instance:
Io ho mangiato una pera. (I ate a pear.)
Loro hanno già studiato la lezione. (They already studied the lesson.)
Non ho mai visto Genova. (I've never visited Genoa.)
The compound tense of a transitive verb is formed with the present indicative of
the auxiliary verb avere and the past participle (participio passato). The past
participle is invariable and ends in -ato, -uto, or -ito. In phrases with a transitive
verb, the direct object of the verb may be expressed explicitly or implied. For
example: Io ho mangiato tardi. (I ate late.)
Intransitive Verbs Take Essere
Simply put, intransitive verbs are those that do not take a direct object. These verbs
usually express movement or a state of being. The auxiliary verb essere plus the
past participle is used to form the passato prossimo and other compounds of almost
all intransitive verbs (and the past participle must agree in number and gender with
the subject.)