Language/Italian/Grammar/Congiuntivo-Passato

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Italian Grammar - Compound Tenses > Congiuntivo Passato

The Congiuntivo Passato is a compound tense of the subjunctive mood. It is used to talk about hypothetical events that are in the past and in some cases it can replace the Trapassato Subjunctive. In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use the Congiuntivo Passato in Italian.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Accent mark to distinguish a word & Plurals.

Formation

To form the Congiuntivo Passato, you need to use the auxiliary verbs "essere" or "avere" in the Congiuntivo Presente followed by the past participle of the verb you want to use. Here are the conjugations of "essere" and "avere" in the Congiuntivo Presente:

• Essere: che io sia, che tu sia, che egli sia, che noi siamo, che voi siate, che essi siano
• Avere: che io abbia, che tu abbia, che egli abbia, che noi abbiamo, che voi abbiate, che essi abbiano

Here are some examples:

Italian	English
Che io sia andato	That I have gone
Che tu abbia scritto	That you have written
Che lui abbia mangiato	That he has eaten

It is important to note that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence when using "essere" as the auxiliary verb. For example:

• Maria è stata contenta. (Maria was happy - feminine singular subject)
• I ragazzi sono stati contenti. (The boys were happy - masculine plural subject)

When using "avere" as the auxiliary verb, the past participle agrees in gender and number only when the direct object is a pronoun preceding the verb. For example:

• Ho visto la montagna. (I saw the mountain.)
• L'ho vista. (I saw it. - feminine singular direct object)

Usage

The Congiuntivo Passato is used after some subordinate clauses that express doubt, possibility, or uncertainty about an action in the past. Here are some common examples:

• Non credo che tu abbia studiato abbastanza per l'esame. (I don't think you studied enough for the exam.)
• Non è sicuro che abbiano vinto la partita. (It's not certain they won the game.)
• Dubito che siamo stati invitati alla festa. (I doubt we were invited to the party.)
• Speriamo che abbiano comprato il regalo. (Let's hope they bought the present.)

The Congiuntivo Passato can also express regret for an action in the past:

• Siamo spiacenti che tu abbia dovuto aspettare così a lungo. (We're sorry you had to wait so long.)

Irregular Past Participles

Some past participles are irregular and follow different rules than regular verbs in forming the Congiuntivo Passato. Here are some examples:

Verb	Past Participle	Congiuntivo Passato
Aprire	Aperto	Che io abbia aperto, che tu abbia aperto, che egli abbia aperto, che noi abbiamo aperto, che voi abbiate aperto, che essi abbiano aperto
Bere	Bevuto	Che io abbia bevuto, che tu abbia bevuto, che egli abbia bevuto, che noi abbiamo bevuto, che voi abbiate bevuto, che essi abbiano bevuto
Dire	Detto	Che io abbia detto, che tu abbia detto, che egli abbia detto, che noi abbiamo detto, che voi abbiate detto, che essi abbiano detto

Practice

• Conjugate the following verbs in the Congiuntivo Passato: pagare, scegliere, sapere, offrire, scrivere.
• Translate the following sentences into Italian using the Congiuntivo Passato:
  • I don't think he went to the party.
  • We doubt they did their homework.
  • Let's hope she enjoyed the movie.
  • We're sorry we didn't call you yesterday.

Sources

• Italian Subjunctive (Congiuntivo) > Present, Past & Imperfect
• Grammar - Verbs 4 - Online Language Courses - Cyber Italian
• Italian Congiuntivo - Everything You Need to Know - Learn Italian Go

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 Subjunctive
• Accent mark to distinguish a word
• Futuro Semplice
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Conditional Mood
• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Past Participle in Italian
• Do and Say
• Negation

Videos

Present Subjunctive Tense in Italian: Congiuntivo Presente - YouTube

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