Ausiliare "essere" o "avere"?

Auxiliary "essere" or "avere"?
The auxiliary ESSERE is used with:

  • the verb essere
Esempio: "Sono stato bene stasera"

  • verbs of movement: andare, venire, tornare, entrare, uscire, arrivare, partire, cadere...
"Sono andato al mare"

  • stative verbs: stare, rimanere and restare
"Sono rimasto a casa"

many intransitive verbs (i.e. which do not have a direct object, but only an indirect complement)
"È successo qualcosa di strano"

  • reflexive verbs
"Mi sono svegliato tardi"

  • verbs relating to change: diventare, nascere, morire, invecchiare...
The auxiliary AVERE is used with:

  • the verb avere
"Ho avuto freddo in Norvegia"

  • transitive verbs (i.e. which have a direct object, answering the question "Chi?" or "Che cosa?")
"Ho chiamato un'amica"
"Ho mangiato un panino"

  • some intransitive verbs: lavorare, dormire, viaggiare, camminare, passeggiare, ridere, piangere...
"Ho dormito in macchina"
VERBS WITH TWO POSSIBLE AUXILIARIES

Some Italian verbs, like finire, cominciare and passare, can be both transitive and intransitive:
  • when they are transitive (they take a direct object), they use avere as the auxiliary
  • when they are intransitive (no direct object), they use essere as the auxiliary

Examples:
FINIRE
"Hai finito il libro" → Have you finished the book? (transitive)
"Le vacanze sono finite" → The holidays are over (intransitive)

COMINCIARE
"Ho cominciato un libro bellissimo" → I started a beautiful book (transitive)
"È cominciato lo spettacolo" → The show has begun (intransitive)

PASSARE
"Ho passato una settimana a Venezia" → I spent a week in Venezia (transitive)
"È passato molto tempo" → Much time has passed (intransitive)
MODAL VERBS (VOLERE, POTERE, DOVERE)

When we use modal verbs in the past, the auxiliary depends on the verb that follows.

  • When the modal verb is used alone, it usually takes avere:
"Sei partito anche tu per la Spagna con Chiara e Franca?" "No, purtroppo alla fine non ho potuto"→ Did you leave for Spain with Chiara and Franca too? No, unfortunately in the end I couldn’t

  • When the modal verb is followed by an infinitive verb:
If the infinitive verb uses avere, also the modal takes avere:
"Ho potuto fare delle belle foto" → I was able to take some nice pictures
If the infinitive verb uses essere, also the modal takes essere:
"Siamo dovuti tornare a casa venerdì pomeriggio" → We had to go back home Friday afternoon
EXERCISE

Bene / Buono

How to Use
The adverb BENE is used to describe how an action takes place, in particular, it is used to indicate we can satisfactorily do that action, namely in a proper, correct way.

Example:
“Parlo bene italiano” (I speak Italian well)
“Suono la chitarra abbastanza bene” (I play the guitar quite well)

The opposite of the adverb “bene” is "male".

Example:
“Io parlo francese molto male” (I speak French very badly)
The adjective BUONO (“buoni“, “buona“, “buone“) can be used to indicate the quality of an object, usually the goodness and the flavor, and in reference to people to say they’re kind and and selfless.

Example:
“Questo piatto è molto buono” (This dish is very good)
“Mia madre è davvero buona” (My mom is a really good person)
EXERCISE

Pronomi diretti

Direct Object Pronouns
The direct object is the word that answers “what?” or “who?” after the verb.
For example:
I want a cappuccino → What do I want? → "a cappuccino" is the direct object.
I’m meeting my friends → Who am I meeting? → "my friends" is the direct object.

Instead of repeating the noun, we can replace it with a direct object pronoun - easy!

Examples:
  • Vuoi un caffè? – Do you want a coffee?
  • Sì, lo voglio. – Yes, I want it.

  • Vedi i tuoi genitori stasera? – Are you seeing your parents tonight?
  • Sì, li vedo. – Yes, I see them.

The direct object pronoun can also replace a phrase. For example:
  • Dov'è la stazione?
  • Non lo so. (lo = dov'è la stazione)
When using a direct object pronoun with a compound verb, the last letter of the verb must agree with the direct object pronoun.
For example:
Ho letto i libri → Li ho letti
Ho incontrato le amiche → Le ho incontrate


In case of a modal or phrasal verb (volere, potere, dovere, sapere, cominciare a, stare per, finire di) followed by an infinitive, the direct object pronoun can either be used before the verb or after the infinitive.
For example:
Ho comprato delle scarpe nuove. Le vuoi vedere? / Vuoi vederle?



DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS WITH PARTICIPIO PASSATO
The participio passato following the direct object pronouns lo, la, li, le, must agree with the pronoun (-o, -a, -i, -e).
For example:
"Hai comprato il pane?" "Sì, l'ho comprato"
"Hai visto la zia?" "No, non l'ho vista"
"Hai incontrato gli studenti?" "Sì, li ho incontrati ieri"
"Hai cucinato le lasagne?" "Sì, le ho fatte per te"
EXERCISES