Language/Italian/Grammar/Trapassato-Remoto

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.)

Interesting facts

Here are some interesting facts about the Italian language and culture:

• Italian is the official language of Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Switzerland (in the Canton of Ticino), and Istria County in Croatia.
• Italian is a Romance language, meaning it evolved from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire.
• Italy is famous for its art, architecture, fashion, and cuisine.
• Italy has hosted the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, since 1929.
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in Pisa, Italy, and leans because of a poorly laid foundation. It is a popular tourist attraction in Italy.
• The Italian family is an important part of Italian culture, and Italians often have large families that enjoy spending time together.
• The Italian flag is made up of three equal vertical stripes of green, white, and red, with the green stripe being closest to the flagpole.
• Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rafael are some of the most famous Italian artists of all time.

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

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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

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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