I verbi / Verbs

This page is a development of the preliminary pages on "Conjugating verbs" and on "Time and tenses" . If you have not read them yet, you are advised to do so now, before proceeding.

A major difference is that Eng. uses "have" ( It. "avere") as an auxiliary verb for the perfect tenses of all verbs. Instead, It. distinguishes between transitive verbs, with the auxiliary "avere" in compound tenses, and intransitive verbs, using "essere" ( to be).

Transitive verbs are the ones that can be followed by a direct object, like "to eat" in "I've eaten an apple" ( "Ho mangiato una mela"). In both languages, most verbs are transitive.

The most important groups of intransitive verbs are:

1) linking verbs like "essere, sembrare, diventare, apparire..." ( be, seem, become, appear/look... )

2) verbs describing states or motions, like "stare, rimanere, andare, venire..." ( stay, remain, go, come...).

Reflexive verbs are transitive verbs having an object that coincides with the subject, e.g. "Diego has cut himself" - in other words, Diego has cut Diego. These verbs, too, require the auxiliary "essere": "Diego si è tagliato."