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.

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


Related Lessons


Videos

Pluperfect Tense in Italian: Trapassato Prossimo - YouTube

How to use Italian past tense TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO in a ...

Il trapassato prossimo | B1 Italian Grammar - YouTube


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