The pluperfect tense (trapassato prossimo in Italian) is a straightforward tense, used in Italian in much the same way as it is in English. It expresses an action that took place in the past, before another action that also took place in the past.
Here are examples of the Italian Pluperfect:
- Avevo chiuso le finestre quando è cominciato a piovere: I had shut the windows when it started to rain.
- Era cominciato il lavoro quando il telefono ha suonato: He had started the work when the telephone rang.
Formation of the Italian Pluperfect
The pluperfect is formed by using the imperfect forms of the verbs avere (to have) or essere (to be), with the past participle of the main verb. The following lays out the pattern for the three forms of regular verbs, ending in -are, -ere and -ire.
- Cantare – to sing
- (io)avevo cantato- I had sung
- (tu) avevi cantato – you (sg, informal) had sung
- (lui, lei, Lui)aveva cantato – he, she, you had sung
- (noi)avevamo cantato – we had sung
- (voi)avevate cantato – you (pl) had sung
- (loro, Loro)avevano cantato – they, you (formal) had sung
- Credere – to believe
- (io) - avevo creduto – I had believed
- (tu) - avevi creduto – you (sg, informal) had believed
- (lui, lei, Lui) - aveva creduto – he, she, you (formal) had believed
- (noi)- avevamo creduto – we had believed
- (voi)- avevate creduto – you (pl) had believed
- (loro, Loro)- avevano creduto – they, you (formal) had believed
- Finire – to finish
- (io) - avevo finito - I had finished
- (tu) - avevi finito - you (sg. informal) had finished
- (lui, lei, Lui)- aveva finito - he, she, you (formal) had finished
- (noi)- avevamo finito - we had finished
- (voi)- avevate finito - you (pl) had finished
- (loro, Loro)- avevano finito - they, you (formal, plural) had finished
Verbs with Essere
Verbs using the auxiliary verb essere must agree with the subject of the verb in number and gender, as can be seen in the following examples:
- Andare – to go
- (io)- ero andato(a) - I had gone
- (tu) - eri andato(a) - you (sg. informal) had gone
- (lui, lei, Lui) era andato(a) - he, she, you (sg. formal) had gone
- (noi)- eravamo andati(e) - we had gone
- (voi)- eravate andati(e) - you (informal, plural) had gone
- (loro, Loro)- erano andati(e) - they, you (formal) had gone
- Cadere – to fall
- (io) - ero caduto(a) - I had fallen
- (tu) - eri caduto(a) - you (sg. informal) had fallen
- (lui, lei, Lui)- era caduto(a) - he, she, you (sg. formal) had fallen
- (noi)- eravamo caduti(e) - we had fallen
- (voi)- eravate caduti(e) - you (plural, informal) had fallen
- (loro, Loro)- erano caduti(e) - they, you (plural, formal) had fallen
- Venire – to come
- (io) - ero venuto(a) - I had come
- (tu) - eri venuto(a) - you (sg. informal) had come
- (lui, lei, Lui)- era venuto(a) - he, she, you (sg. formal) had come
- (noi)- eravamo venuti(e) - we had come
- (voi)- eravate venuti(e) - you (pl. informal) had come
- (loro, Loro)- erano venuti(e) - they, you (pl. formal) had come
The pluperfect is one of the easier tenses to get to grips with, and enables the learner of Italian to recount a wider variety of experiences.
Further basic guides to the Italian language include:
Beginner's Guide to Italian Nouns
Beginner's Guide to Regular Italian Verbs in the Present Tense
Paris Franz - Paris Franz is a London-based freelance journalist, specialising in the arts, history and travel.
