Language/Italian/Grammar/Trapassato-Remoto

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Italian Grammar - Compound Tenses > Trapassato Remoto

Trapassato Remoto is a compound tense of the Italian language, mainly used in narratives and stories to refer to actions that took place before another past event. In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use Trapassato Remoto tense in Italian and some interesting facts about the Italian language and culture.

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Give your Opinion & Passato Prossimo.

Formation

Trapassato Remoto is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "avere" or "essere" in the Imperfetto tense with the Past Participle of the verb.

Here's how to form Trapassato Remoto using the verb "parlare" (to speak):

Person	Avere (Imperfetto)	Parlato (Past Participle)	Trapassato Remoto
Io	avevo	parlato	avevo parlato
Tu	avevi	parlato	avevi parlato
Egli/Ella	aveva	parlato	aveva parlato
Noi	avevamo	parlato	avevamo parlato
Voi	avevate	parlato	avevate parlato
Essi/Esse	avevano	parlato	avevano parlato

If the auxiliary verb is "essere", then the Past Participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Here's how to form Trapassato Remoto using the verb "andare" (to go) as an example:

Person	Essere (Imperfetto)	Andato/a/i/e (Past Participle)	Trapassato Remoto
Io	ero	andato	ero andato
Tu	eri	andato	eri andato
Egli/Ella	era	andato/a	era andato/a
Noi	eravamo	andati/e	eravamo andati/e
Voi	eravate	andati/e	eravate andati/e
Essi/Esse	erano	andati/e	erano andati/e

Some common verbs that use "essere" as auxiliary in Trapassato Remoto tense are: "essere" (to be), "avere" (to have), "stare" (to stay), "venire" (to come), "uscire" (to go out), "entrare" (to enter), "nascere" (to be born), "morire" (to die), "diventare" (to become).

Usage

Trapassato Remoto is used in Italian to refer to an action that took place before another past event, as mentioned earlier. This past event could be found in the same narrative or story or could be a certain point of reference that is already established.

For example,

"Quando arrivai a casa, scoprii che mia madre aveva già cucinato."

(When I arrived home, I found out that my mother had already cooked.)

In this sentence, "scoprii" (I found out) is in the Trapassato Remoto tense, and "aveva cucinato" (had already cooked) is in the Passato Prossimo tense. "Scoprii" took place before "aveva cucinato" and thus requires the use of Trapassato Remoto.

Here are some more examples:

• "Mentre passeggiavo, incontrai un vecchio amico che non vedevo da anni." (While I was walking, I met an old friend whom I hadn't seen in years.)
• "Dopo che la cena fu finita, cantammo canzoni tradizionali." (After dinner was finished, we sang traditional songs.)
• "Quando Luigi arrivò, la festa era già iniziata." (When Luigi arrived, the party had already started.

Practice Phrases:

1. Dopo che avevo finito di studiare, sono andato a dormire. (After I had finished studying, I went to sleep.)
2. Quando avevano mangiato la pizza, hanno iniziato a guardare il film. (When they had eaten the pizza, they started watching the movie.)
3. Appena era partito il treno, ho capito di aver dimenticato il biglietto. (As soon as the train had left, I realized I had forgotten the ticket.)
4. Non appena avevamo chiuso la porta, è iniziata a piovere. (As soon as we had closed the door, it started raining.)
5. Prima che arrivassi al lavoro, avevo già bevuto il caffè. (Before I got to work, I had already drunk coffee.)
6. Quando avevate finito di pulire, avete iniziato a preparare la cena. (When you had finished cleaning, you started preparing dinner.)
7. Dopo che era morto il re, il principe divenne il nuovo sovrano. (After the king had died, the prince became the new ruler.)
8. Aveva già fatto il compito quando la professoressa lo controllò. (He had already done the homework when the teacher checked it.)
9. Prima che si sposassero, avevano viaggiato in tutto il mondo. (Before they got married, they had traveled around the world.)
10. Quando ero arrivata alla stazione, il treno era già partito. (When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.)

Quiz

1. What is the main use of the Trapassato Remoto tense in Italian?
2. What two components are combined to form the Trapassato Remoto tense?
3. How do you form the Trapassato Remoto tense with the verb "parlare" in the Io form?
4. How do you form the Trapassato Remoto tense with the verb "andare" in the Noi form?
5. When using "essere" as the auxiliary verb, what agreement does the Past Participle need to follow?
6. Name two common verbs that use "essere" as auxiliary in the Trapassato Remoto tense.
7. How do you say "I had already cooked" in Italian?
8. How do you say "After dinner was finished" in Italian?
9. Translate this sentence to Italian: "When I arrived home, I found out that my mother had already cooked."
10. Translate this sentence to Italian: "When Luigi arrived, the party had already started."

Answers

1. The main use of the Trapassato Remoto tense in Italian is to refer to an action that took place before another past event, mainly in narratives and stories.
2. The Trapassato Remoto tense is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "avere" or "essere" in the Imperfetto tense with the Past Participle of the verb.
3. The Trapassato Remoto tense with the verb "parlare" in the Io form is "avevo parlato."
4. The Trapassato Remoto tense with the verb "andare" in the Noi form is "eravamo andati/e."
5. When using "essere" as the auxiliary verb, the Past Participle needs to agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
6. Two common verbs that use "essere" as auxiliary in the Trapassato Remoto tense are "venire" (to come) and "uscire" (to go out).
7. "I had already cooked" in Italian is "avevo già cucinato."
8. "After dinner was finished" in Italian is "dopo che la cena fu finita."
9. "When I arrived home, I found out that my mother had already cooked." in Italian is "Quando arrivai a casa, scoprii che mia madre aveva già cucinato."
10. "When Luigi arrived, the party had already started." in Italian is "Quando Luigi arrivò, la festa era già iniziata."

Sources

• Italian past perfect (trapassato prossimo) grammar lesson
• Italian Past Perfect Tense - Trapassato Prossimo
• Italian Past Anterior Tense (Trapassato Remoto) -

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

• Italian Alphabet
• Nouns and Articles
• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

  ---

Daily Life Expressions

• Greetings and Introductions
• Foods and Drinks
• Transportation
• Numbers and Dates

  ---

Italian Culture and Tradition

• Italian Regions and Cities
• Italian Cuisine and Wine
• Italian Art and Music
• Italian Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Past and Future Tenses

• Passato Prossimo
• Futuro Semplice
• Imperfect Tense
• Condizionale Presente

  ---

Social and Work Life

• Family and Relationships
• Work and Employment
• Shopping and Services
• Tourism and Hospitality

  ---

Italian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Italian Writers and Poets
• Italian Cinema Industry
• Italian Contemporary Art

  ---

Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

• Present Subjunctive
• Imperative Form
• Simple Past Subjunctive
• Conditional Subjunctive

  ---

Science and Technology

• Computer and Technology
• Science and Research
• Environment and Ecology

  ---

Italian Politics and Society

• Contemporary Italian Politics
• Italian Society and Customs
• Religion and Believes

  ---

Compound Tenses

• Trapassato Prossimo
• Trapassato Remoto
• Futuro Anteriore
• Congiuntivo Passato

  ---

Arts and Design

• Fashion and Design
• Music and Performing Arts
• Visual Arts

  ---

Italian Language and Dialects

• Italian Language Variations
• Italian Language in the World
• Italian Language as a Second Language

Other Lessons

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Passato Prossimo
• Congiuntivo Passato
• Simple Past Subjunctive
• When use LI and GLI
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Futuro Anteriore
• Accent mark to distinguish a word
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs
• Do and Say

Videos

Il trapassato prossimo | B1 Italian Grammar - YouTube

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