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Il Congiuntivo Part 5 - Trapassato

Posted by Serena
Oct
22
2009

This article, which deals with il congiuntivo trapassato (the pluperfect subjunctive), concludes my series about the use of the subjunctive form. In order to construct the pluperfect subjunctive you simply use the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verbs essere and avere (see Part – 4 of this series: Congiuntivo Imperfetto), followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are a couple of examples that illustrate how the pluperfect subjunctive is constructed:

Andare (to go), this uses the auxiliary verb essere

Io fossi andato/a, tu fossi andato/a, lui fosse andato, lei fosse andata, noi fossimo andati/e, voi foste andati/e, loro fossero andati/e

Finire (to finish), this uses the auxiliary verb avere

Io avessi finito, tu avessi finito, lui/lei avesse finito, noi avessimo finito, voi aveste finito, loro avessero finito

In order to know whether to use ‘essere’ or ‘avere’ you will need to understand the rules that apply for the ‘passato prossimo’ (present perfect). You can refresh your memory by reading my article about transitive and intransitive verbs.

 

The congiuntivo trapassato is used when talking about the past to refer to things that had already happened, e.g. ‘I had gone’, ‘you had finished’ etc. You should use the congiuntivo trapassato to:

1. say what you thought, wished or hoped about something in the past. Here are some examples: speravamo che non avesse piovuto (we hoped it hadn’t rained); Lucia pensava che Maria fosse partita sabato scorso per le vacanze (Lucia thought that Maria had left last Saturday for her holidays); ero stupita che tu fossi rimasto ancora (I was surprised that you had remained longer); avevo paura che Carlo non ce l’avesse fatta a superare l’esame (I was worried that Carlo hadn’t been able to pass the exam).

N.B. the congiuntivo trapassato is not used after the verb volere (to want)!

2. talk about the past after impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che, such as sembrava che (it seemed that), si diceva che (it was said that), e.g. sembrava che Giorgio avesse cambiato lavoro (it seemed that Giorgio had changed job); si diceva che lui fosse stato in America da bambino (they said that he had been to America when he was a child).

3. talk about the past after impersonal constructions such as era facile / difficile che (it was  likely / unlikely that), era meglio che (it was better that), era un peccato che (it was a pity that), non era giusto che (it wasn’t fair that), e.g. Era un peccato che lei non avvese potuto completare il corso (it was a pity that she hadn’t been able to complete the course); sarebbe stato meglio che foste venuti ieri pomeriggio (it would have been better if you [plural] had come yesterday afternoon).

4. express a possibility or a condition that should have happened in the past following conjunctions built with che, such as a meno che (unless), nel caso che (in case), a condizione che (on condition that), purché (provided that), benché (even though/although). Here are some examples: gli zucchini sono morti benché li avessi innaffiati tutti i giorni (the zucchini plants died even though I had watered them every day); avevo promesso di portarti al cinema a condizione che tu avessi finito i compiti (I had promised to take you to the cinema on condition that you had finished your homework) 

5. talk about an imagined situation in the past following the conjuction se (if): se avessi vinto la lotteria avrei comprato una casa al mare (if I had won the lottery I would have bought a house by the sea); se Carlo avesse studiato di più avrebbe superato l’esame  senza problemi (if Carlo had studied more he would have passed the exam without any problem).

Phew, that’s that for the congiuntivo! I appreciate that for a lot of readers this has been a very challenging level of grammar, in fact it’s been pretty challenging for me to write! Therefore, in my next grammar articles I’m going back to basics, mainly in order to help readers who are beginning to learn, or have a basic knowledge of Italian.

A presto

 
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Il Congiuntivo Part 4 – Imperfetto

Posted by Serena
Oct
16
2009

Continuing my series of articles on the subjunctive form, today I’m going to write about il congiuntivo imperfetto (imperfect subjunctive).

To make the congiuntivo imperfetto of regular verbs, remove the ending from the infinitive form of the verb, i.e. -are, -ere, or -ire, and add the following:

for verbs ending in –are add –assi –assi –asse –assimo –aste –assero, for example:

Parlare (to speak):

Io parlassi, tu parlassi, lui parlasse, lei parlasse, noi parlassimo, voi parlaste, loro parlassero

 

for verbs ending in –ere, add –essi –essi –esse –essimo –este –essero, for example:

Credere (to believe):

Io credessi, tu credessi, lui credesse, lei credesse, noi credessimo, voi credeste, loro credessero

 

for verbs ending in –ire, add –issi –issi –isse –issimo –iste –issero for example:

Dormire (to sleep):

Io dormissi, tu dormissi, lui dormisse, lei dormisse, noi dormissimo, voi dormiste, loro dormissero

 

The main irregular verbs are:

essere (to be): io fossi, tu fossi, lui/lei fosse, noi fossimo, voi foste, loro fossero

dare (to give): io dessi, tu dessi, lui/lei desse, noi dessimo, voi deste, loro dessero

dire (to say): io dicessi, tu dicessi, lui/lei dicesse, noi dicessimo, voi diceste, loro dicessero

fare (to do, to make): io facessi, tu facessi, lui/lei facesse, noi facessimo, voi faceste, loro facessero

stare (to stay, to be): io stessi, tu stessi, lui/lei stesse, noi stessimo, voi steste, loro stessero

 

Il congiuntivo imperfetto is normally used…

1. after the conjunction che (that) following verbs which express wishes, thoughts, doubts, and beliefs used in the past tense. Here are some examples: Giovanni voleva che lo aiutaste a ridipingere la camera (Giovanni wanted you [plural] to help him repaint the bedroom); Lucia pensava  che Maria partisse oggi per le vacanze (Lucia thought that Maria was leaving today for her holidays); mi sono stupita che tu fossi ancora lì (I was surprised that you were still there); avevo paura che Carlo non ce la facesse a superare l’esame (I was worried that Carlo wouldn’t be able to pass the exam).

2. following impersonal verbs conjugated in the past (mainly imperfetto indicativo, the normal imperfect tense), such as bastava che (it was enough/sufficient that), bisognava che (it was necessary that), si diceva che (it was said). Here are some examples: bisognava che Carlo studiasse di più (it was necessary for Carlo to study more); bastava che tu mi dicessi con che treno saresti arrivato (you only needed to tell me which train you would have arrived on); si diceva che questa fosse una leggenda (this was said to be a legend).

3. following impersonal constructions used in the past (mainly the ‘imperfetto indicativo’), such as era meglio (it was better), era un peccato (it was a pity), non era giusto (it was unfair). Here are some examples: era meglio che veniste oggi pomeriggio (it was better that you [plural] came this afternoon); era un peccato che tu non potessi venire (it was a pity that you weren’t able to come).

4. following the conditional form of all the verbs and constructions listed above in 1, 2, and 3, e.g. vorrei che tu smettessi di fumare (I would like you to stop smoking); bisognerebbe che Carlo studiasse di più per poter passare l’esame (it would be necessary for Carlo to study more in order to pass the exam); non sarebbe giusto se fossi sempre io a lavare i piatti (it wouldn’t be fair if it was always me that had to wash the dishes).

5. following conjunctions built with che, such as prima che (before), affinché (so that, in order that), a meno che (unless), nel caso che (in case), e.g. siamo dovuti partire prima che facesse buio (we had to leave before it got dark); ti ho aiutato affinché tu potessi superare l’esame (I helped you so that you could pass the exam).

6. following the conjunction se (if) when talking about an imagined situation. See my blog If I could have …  

 

Coming soon: Il Congiuntivo Trapassato (pluperfect subjunctive)!

 
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Il Congiuntivo Part 3 – Passato

Posted by Serena
Oct
10
2009

In part 1 of this series on the congiuntivo I explained how to use it in the present tense, il congiuntivo presente. Part 2 consisted of a list of the most common irregular verbs and their present tense conjugations. This included the two verbs essere (to be), and avere (to have) which are essential to the construction of the Congiuntivo Passato (Perfect Subjunctive). In order to construct the perfect subjunctive you simply use the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verbs essere and avere, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are a couple of examples that illustrate how the perfect subjunctive is constructed:

Andare (to go), this uses the auxiliary verb essere

Io sia andato/a, tu sia andato/a, lui sia andato, lei sia andata, noi siamo andati/e, voi siate andati/e, loro siano andati/e

Finire (to finish), this uses the auxiliary verb avere

Io abbia finito, tu abbia finito, lui/lei abbia finito, noi abbiamo finito, voi abbiate finito, loro abbiano finito

In order to know whether to use ‘essere’ or ‘avere’ you will need to understand the rules that apply for the ‘passato prossimo’ (present perfect). You can refresh your memory by looking at my article about transitive and intransitive verbs.

 

The Congiuntivo Passato is normally used…

1. to say what you think, wish or hope about something in the past. It comes after the conjunction che (that) following verbs such as sperare (to hope), credere (to believe), pensare (to think), dubitare (to doubt) used in the present tense. Here are some examples: speriamo che non abbia piovuto (let’s hope it hasn’t rained); Lucia pensa che Maria sia partita ieri per le vacanze (Lucia thinks that Maria left yesterday for her holidays); mi stupisco che tu sia rimasto ancora (I’m surprised that you remained longer); ho paura che Carlo non ce l’abbia fatta a superare l’esame (I’m worried that Carlo wasn’t able to pass the exam).

N.B. the congiuntivo passato is not used after the verb volere (to want)!

2. to talk about the past after impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che, such as sembra che (it seems that), si dice che (it is said that), e.g. sembra che Giorgio abbia cambiato lavoro (it seems that Giorgio has changed job); si dice che questa sia stata una buona annata per i pomodori (this is said to have been a good year for the tomatoes).

3. to talk about the past after impersonal constructions such as è facile / difficile che (it’s likely / unlikely that), è meglio che (it’s better that), è un peccato che (it’s a pity that), non è giusto che (it’s unfair that), e.g. È un peccato che tu non sia potuta venire (it’s a pity that you weren’t able to come); non è giusto che sia sempre stato io a lavare i piatti (it’s unfair that it was always me that had to wash the dishes); è meglio che siate venuti ieri pomeriggio (it’s better that you [plural] came yesterday afternoon).

4. following conjunctions built with che, to express a possibility or a condition that should have happened in the past, such as a meno che (unless), nel caso che (in case), a condizione che (on condition that), purché (provided that), benché (even though/although). Here are some examples: gli zucchini sono morti benché li abbia innaffiati tutti i giorni (the zucchini plants have died even though I watered them every day); Giorgio dovrebbe essere arrivato a casa ormai, a meno che il treno non abbia tardato (Giorgio should be at home by now, unless the train was late).

 

Coming soon Il Congiuntivo Imperfetto!

 
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Il Congiuntivo Part 2 – Verbi Irregolari

Posted by Serena
Oct
4
2009

As I promised in part one of this article: il congiuntivo part-1 presente, here is a list of the most useful irregular verbs conjugated in the congiuntivo presente (present subjunctive). Those of you who use the Byki software might like to turn it into a Byki list.

Essere (to be): io sia, tu sia, lui/lei sia, noi siamo, voi siate, loro siano

Avere (to have): io abbia, tu abbia, lui/lei abbia, noi abbiamo, voi abbiate, loro abbiano

Andare (to go): io vada, tu vada, lui/lei vada, noi andiamo, voi andiate, loro vadano

Dare (to give): io dia, tu dia, lui/lei dia, noi diamo, voi diate, loro diano

Dire (to say): io dica, tu dica, lui/lei dica, noi diciamo, voi diciate, loro dicano

Dovere (to have to): io debba, tu debba, lui/lei debba, noi dobbiamo, voi dobbiate, loro debbano

Fare (to do, to make): io faccia, tu faccia, lui/lei faccia, noi facciamo, voi facciate, loro facciano

Potere (to be able to): io possa, tu possa, lui/lei possa, noi possiamo, voi possiate, loro possano

Rimanere (to remain): io rimanga, tu rimanga, lui/lei rimanga, noi rimaniamo, voi rimaniate, loro rimangano

Sapere (to know): io sappia, tu sappia, lui/lei sappia, noi sappiamo, voi sappiate, loro sappiano

Stare (to stay): io stia, tu stia, lui/lei stia, noi stiamo, voi stiate, loro stiano

Tenere (to hold): io tenga, tu tenga, lui/lei tenga, noi teniamo, voi teniate, loro tengano

Uscire (to exit): io esca, tu esca, lui/lei esca, noi usciamo, voi usciate, loro escano

Venire (to come): io venga, tu venga, lui/lei venga, noi veniamo, voi veniate, loro vengano

Volere (to want): io voglia, tu voglia, lui/lei voglia, noi vogliamo, voi vogliate, loro vogliano

 

Coming soon, Il Congiuntivo Passato (The Perfect Subjunctive).

 
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Il Congiuntivo Part 1 - Presente

Posted by Serena
Oct
1
2009

Several readers have asked me to explain how and when to use the congiuntivo (subjunctive), a verb form which is not used very much in English but is quite common in Italian. This is quite a big topic, so in order to make it more ‘digestible’ I have decided to divide it into several “chapters”. Let’s begin with the Congiuntivo Presente (present subjunctive).  

The Congiuntivo Presente is normally used…

1. after the conjunction che (that), following verbs which express wishes, thoughts, believes, and doubts, such as volere (to want), sperare (to hope), pensare (to think), credere (to believe), dubitare (to doubt). Here are some examples: Giovanni vuole che lo aiutiate a ridipingere la camera (Giovanni wants you [plural] to help him repaint the bedroom); speriamo che domani non piova (let’s hope that tomorrow it won’t rain); Lucia pensa che Maria parta oggi per le vacanze (Lucia thinks that Maria is leaving today for her holidays); mi stupisco che tu sia ancora qui (I’m surprised that you are still here); ho paura che Carlo non ce la faccia a superare l’esame (I’m worried that Carlo won’t be able to pass the exam).

2. to give polite orders when using the lei form, e.g. Parli più lentamente, per piacere (speak more slowly, please); Cliente: Mi scusi! Cameriere: Mi dica Cliente: Un cappuccino, per piacere (Customer: Excuse me! Waiter: yes sir [literally: tell me]. Customer: A cappuccino, please).

3. after impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che, such as bisogna che (it’s necessary that), basta che (it’s enough/sufficient that), si dice che (it is said that), e.g. bisogna che Carlo studi di più (lit. it’s necessary that Carlo studies more, or: it’s necessary for Carlo to study more); basta che tu mi dica con che treno arriverai (it’s sufficient that you tell me which train you’ll arrive with, or more simply: just tell me which train you’re arriving on); si dice che questa sia una leggenda (this is said to be a legend).

4. after impersonal constructions such as è facile / difficile che (it’s likely / unlikely that), è meglio che (it’s better that), è un peccato che (it’s a pity that), non è giusto che (it’s unfair that), e.g. È un peccato che tu non possa venire (it’s a pity that you can’t come); non è giusto che sia sempre io a lavare i piatti (it’s unfair that it’s always me that has to wash the dishes); è meglio che veniate oggi pomeriggio (it’s better that you [plural] come this afternoon).

5. following conjunctions built with che, such as prima che (before), affinché (so that, in order that), a meno che (unless), nel caso che (in case), e.g. dobbiamo partire prima che faccia buio (we must leave before it gets dark); ti aiuto affinché tu possa superare l’esame (I’m helping you so that you can pass the exam).

 

To make the congiuntivo presente of regular verbs, remove the ending from the infinitive form of the verb, i.e. -are, -ere, or -ire, and add the following:

for verbs ending in –are add –i –i –i –iamo –iate –ino, for example:

Parlare (to speak):

Io parli, tu parli, lui parli, lei parli, noi parliamo, voi parliate, loro parlino

 

for verbs ending in –ere, and –ire add –a –a –a –iamo –iate –ano, for example:

Credere (to believe):

Io creda, tu creda, lui creda, lei creda, noi crediamo, voi crediate, loro credano

 

Dormire (to sleep):

Io dorma, tu dorma, lui dorma, lei dorma, noi dormiamo, voi dormiate, loro dormano

 

Verbs ending in –ire which use the suffix –isco in the normal present tense (presente indicativo), follow the same rule in the present subjunctive, e.g.

Capire (to understand):

Io capisca, tu capisca, lui capisca, lei capisca, noi capiamo, voi capiate, loro capiscano

 

As you can see from the above examples the singular forms of the congiuntivo presente, io, tu, lui, lei, all use the same ending, therefore in order to avoid confusion we tend to use the appropriate personal pronoun , e.g. Penso che tu sia ammalato (I think that you are ill).

 

However, beware that many common verbs, such as essere (to be) and avere (to have) are irregular! Therefore in part 2 of this article I’ll give you a list of the most useful irregular verbs conjugated in the present subjunctive.

 

 

 
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