Once upon a time: nacque, fu, disse

Where you’ll meet it

Look for it in literature, fairy tales, history books, biographies and formal writing, such as museum panels. Narrators use it for the events that move a story forward, with the imperfetto for the background: Era una notte buia. All’improvviso qualcuno bussò alla porta.

In speech it’s regional. In Tuscany and in parts of the south, such as Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, people use it in conversation too, sometimes even for yesterday: Ieri andai al mercato. In the north, and in most everyday Italian, it’s the passato prossimo.

Regular verbs: -ai, -ei, -ii

Drop -are, -ere or -ire and add the endings. Each family keeps its own vowel: a for -are, e for -ere, i for -ire.

Many -ere verbs have two forms for io, lui/lei and loro: credei or credetti, credé or credette, crederono or credettero. Both are correct, and you’ll often see the -ette forms.

Spotting it: accents and endings

The form you’ll meet most is lui/lei, and in regular verbs it carries an accent: parlò, credé, partì. That accent matters: parlo is I speak but parlò is he spoke; parti is you leave but partì is she left.

The loro forms end in -rono (parlarono, partirono) or, in irregular verbs, -ero (ebbero, fecero, dissero). And the passato remoto is always one word: no avere or essere in front.

Irregular verbs: the 1-3-3 pattern

Most irregular verbs change in only three persons: io, lui/lei and loro, so first, third, and third plural. Learn the io form and the other two follow: ebbi, ebbe, ebbero; dissi, disse, dissero.

The other three persons are regular, built on the infinitive: avesti, avemmo, aveste. Fare and dire use their old stems fac- and dic-: facesti, dicesti.

Essere doesn’t follow the pattern, so learn it whole: fui, fosti, fu, fummo, foste, furono.

The irregulars you’ll meet most

These forms fill stories and history books. For reading, you mainly need to know the lui/lei and loro forms on sight and link them to the infinitive.

Two to watch: dare has two sets of forms (diede or dette), and morire, irregular elsewhere (muoio, morto), is regular here: morì, morirono.

Seppe often means found out, and volle insisted on: one moment, not a state.

Passato remoto or passato prossimo?

Both say an action is finished. The passato prossimo links the past to now, and it’s what most Italians say in conversation, even about long ago: Mia nonna è nata nel 1940. The passato remoto presents the event as closed and far away, in history or in a story: Garibaldi nacque nel 1807.

For your own speaking, use the passato prossimo. Save the passato remoto for reading, listening and writing stories. In a story it works with the imperfetto just as the passato prossimo does: the imperfetto sets the scene, the passato remoto moves the action.

Common mistakes

• Ieri sera andai al cinema. (chatting in Milan)Ieri sera sono andato al cinema.In most of Italy, conversation uses the passato prossimo, especially for recent events.
• Dante nascé a Firenze.Dante nacque a Firenze.Nascere is irregular: nacqui, nacque, nacquero.
• Il principe prendette la spada.Il principe prese la spada.Prendere is irregular: presi, prese, presero.
• I bambini ebbe paura.I bambini ebbero paura.For loro, add -ro to the lui/lei form: ebbe → ebbero.
• Tu fecesti un errore.Tu facesti un errore.Only io, lui/lei and loro are irregular. Tu uses the regular stem: facesti.
• Marco parlo con il re.Marco parlò con il re.Without the accent, parlo is I speak. The past needs it: parlò.
• Il re ha disse di no.Il re disse di no.The passato remoto is one word: no avere or essere in front.

The forms to recognise

Lui/lei and loro are the forms you’ll read most.

In conversation, use the passato prossimo: è nato, not nacque.

Watch the accent: parlò is he spoke, parlo is I speak.

It’s one word, with no avere or essere: disse, never ha disse.