Talking About Yesterday: Regular -ARE Verbs
In this lesson, you will learn how to talk about things you did in the past using the passato prossimo (recent past).
To talk about the past with regular -ARE verbs, you need two parts: the helping verb avere (to have) and the past participle. To make the past participle, drop -are from the verb and add -ato!
- parlare (to speak) → parlato (spoken)
- mangiare (to eat) → mangiato (eaten)
How to build a sentence:
| Subject + avere | Past Participle |
|---|---|
| Ho (I have) | parlato (spoken) |
| Hai (You have) | mangiato (eaten) |
Example:
Ho parlato con Maria. (I spoke with Maria.)
Hai mangiato la pizza. (You ate the pizza.)
Common Mistake
Don't forget the helping verb! Just saying "parlato" is not enough for "I spoke" — you must say "ho parlato".
Words
parlato
spoken
Ho parlato italiano.I spoke Italian.
mangiato
eaten
Hai mangiato la pizza.You ate the pizza.
visitato
visited
Ho visitato Roma.I visited Rome.
comprato
bought
Hai comprato un biglietto.You bought a ticket.
ascoltato
listened
Ho ascoltato la musica.I listened to music.
ieri
yesterday
Ieri ho parlato con Anna.Yesterday I spoke with Anna.
ho
I have
Ho mangiato molto.I ate a lot.
hai
you have
Hai visitato Firenze?Did you visit Florence?
Lessons are prepared with the help of AI.
Patterns
Ho ___ ieri.
Used to say what you did yesterday.
Ho parlato ieri.I spoke yesterday.
Hai comprato ___?
Used to ask someone if they bought something.
Hai comprato un biglietto?Did you buy a ticket?