The Italian language has a number of grammatical constructions which do not exist in English. One of these is the past definite tense. Also known as the preterite tense, it is called the passato remoto in Italian. As a past tense, it plays much the same role as the ordinary past tense, the passato prossimo, with a few refinements. It expresses the completion of an action or a state of being in the past without relation to the present. It is, in most cases, a formal tense usually found in literary texts.
Examples of the Italian Past Definite
Albert Einstein nacque nel 1879 – Albert Einstein was born in 1879
Machiavelli scrisse Il Principe nel 1513 – Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513
The past definite tense can be better understood when contrasted with other tenses. Albert Einstein – a prominent, historical figure – was born in 1879, and is now dead. To talk of a person born more recently and is still alive (and therefore has some connection to the present) would require the passato prossimo instead – mia sorella è nata nel 1980 (my sister was born in 1980).
Forms of the Italian Past Definite
The regular forms of the past definite:
Abitare – to live
- (io) abitai – I lived
- (tu) abitasti – you (sg. informal) lived
- (lui, lei, Lei) abitò – he, she, you (sg. formal) lived
- (noi) abitammo – we lived
- (voi) abitaste – you (pl. informal) lived
- (loro) abitarono – they lived
Credere – to believe
- (io) credei/credetti – I believed
- (tu) credesti - you (sg. informal) believed
- (lui, lei, Lei) credé/credetti – he, she, you (sg. formal) believed
- (noi) credemmo – we believed
- (voi) credeste – you (pl.) believed
- (loro) crederono/credettero - they believed
Dormire – to sleep
- (io) dormii – I slept
- (tu) dormisti – you (sg. informal) slept
- (lui, lei, Lei) dormì – he, she, you (sg. formal) slept
- (noi) dormimmo – we slept
- (voi) dormiste – you (pl.) slept
- (loro) dormirono – they slept
As is usual with regular Italian verb constructions, the endings are built about around the verb's characteristic vowel.
Exceptions to the Rule
Many verbs have an irregular passato remoto. The following are just a few.
- avere – ebbi, avesti, ebbe, avemmo, aveste, ebbero
- bere – bevvi, bevesti, bevve, bevemmo, beveste, bevvero
- essere – fui, fosti, fu, fummo, foste, furono
- stare – stetti, stesti, stette, stemmo, steeste, stettero
Unlike other Italian verb forms, the past definite does not use the auxiliary verbs avere (to have) and essere (to be).
The Use of the Italian Past Definite
The past definite is primarily a literary tense, used when someone is writing about things in the distant past, which have no relation to the present.. Things are never quite that simple in Italian, however. In the spoken language, it can be heard in various regions of southern and central Italy, while in other regions people prefer to use the passato prossimo.
For further basic guides to the Italian language, there are the following articles:
Beginner's Guide to Italian Nouns
Beginner's Guide to Regular Italian Verbs in the Present Tense
Beginner's Guide to the Italian Pluperfect Tense
Paris Franz - Paris Franz is a London-based freelance journalist, specialising in the arts, history and travel.
