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Italian Phrases to Use At Restaurant

Italian key phrases to use at restaurant when in Italy

In this page you will find a complete list of sentences that will make your life easier when at a restaurant in Italy.

Before going through the list, you might also want to know that..

  1. It is customary to be seated or to make a reservation,  especially at weekends.
  2. On paying, unlikely from many other countries a tip is not expected because included in the bill under the voice coperto. However, if the service was excellent you can leave a tip to show your satisfaction for the service.
  3. We have mostly four different types  of restaurants:

the proper ristorante: a place where you can expect a full-service, a touch of gourmet, a professional staff and a higher price. It’s the place to have a more sophisticated food. The atmosphere should me more sophisticated too.

la trattoria: less pricey and less formal than a restaurant, it is usually a family owned business. It’s the place to have the traditional and comfort Italian food. The atmosphere is usually rustic.

la pizzeria: a pizzeria in Italy works just like any other restaurants. You make a reservation for a table and then you order from the menu. Often antipasti are also served. 

la rosticceria (mainly in the South of Italy): it’s an informal take away place with none or few tables where Italians lie to buy ready to eat comfort fried food (arancini, calzoni, mozzarelle in carrozza and the likes)

 

PRENOTARE UN TAVOLO – BOOKING A TABLE 

Vorrei / Vorremmo prenotare un tavolo per domani sera alle 19 – I/ We would like to book at table for tomorrow night at 7 pm

Domani a mezzogiorno  – tomorrow at midday

Domani alle 13  – tomorrow at 1 pm 

Un tavolo per due – a table for two 

Un tavolo per tre  – a table for three 

Un tavolo per quattro  – a table for four

 

ORDINARE – ORDERING 

Potrei avere il menù?  –  Could I have the menu?

Posso vedere il menù? –  Can I see the menu? 

Potrei avere la carta dei vini? –  Could I have the wine list?

Potrei avere il menù dei dolci?  – Could I have the dessert menu?

Avete un menù per bambini? –  Do you have a children’s menu?

Avete un menù del giorno? –  Do you have a daily menu?

Qual è il piatto del giorno? –  What is the dish of the day?

Sul menù c’è ‘un antipasto della casa’, che cos’è? – On the menu I read ‘Antipasto della casa’, what is it?

Lei cosa mi consiglia? – What would you recommend me? 

Sono allergico/a a..  – I am allergic to…

Latticini – dairy products 

Glutine- gluten 

Sono vegetariano – I am a vegetarian 

Sono vegano – I am a vegan

Non mangio carne di maiale  – I don’t eat pork

Per me / Prendo / Vorrei  – I’ll have…

Un antipasto di mare

Spaghetti alle vongole

Una macedonia

Una porzione di patatine fritte  – a portion of.. 

– Una cotoletta

– Pasta

– Carne al sangue – rare meat

– Carne poco cotta  – medium rare

– Carne ben cotta  – well-done meat

Scusa, mi (ci) può portare… del pane? Una bottiglia d’acqua? Dell’olio?  – Excuse-me, could I have some..bread? A bottle of water? Some oil?

CAMERIERE – WAITER

Siete pronti per ordinare? – Are you ready to order?

Posso portarvi da bere?  – Can I get you something to drink?

L’acqua gasata o naturale? – The water sparkling or still?

PROBLEMI – PROBLEMS

La pizza è bruciata – the pizza is burned

L’insalata è scondita – the salad is undressed

La zuppa è fredda – the salad is cold

La pasta è fredda – the pasta is cold

C’è ancora molto da aspettare? – is our food long?

Stiamo aspettando da troppo tempo – we are waiting too long

PAGARE – PAYING

Il conto, per favore – The bill, please

Paga in contanti o con carta? – Do you pay cash or by card?

Pagate insieme o separatamente? – Do you pay all together or separately?

Posso pagare con carta di credito? – Can I pay by credit card?

Dividiamo il conto  – Les’s split it

 

COSE CHE POTRESTI SENTIRE – THINGS YOU MIGHT HEAR

Posso offrirle un caffè o un amaro? – Can I buy you an espresso or a liquor?

Il pranzo /la cena è di vostro gradimento? – Did you like the meal?

Tutto apposto? – Was everything alright?

Vuole qualcos’altro? No grazie – Do you want anything else?

How to use “già” in Italian 

How to use “già” in Italian 

Già has two meanings. The primary one (and most used) is already. The second one, which is especially used in conversation, is right or indeed. 

Già: already 

The most common use of già is when it is used with the sense of “already“.

The basic use of già is with the past tense (passato prossimo), just like in English. In this case, the position of già is always between the auxiliary verb and the past participle.

For example: 

  • Hai già fatto colazione? – Have you already had breakfast?
  • Sono già stato in Italia – I have already been to Italy.
  • L’hai già fatto? – Have you already done it? 
  • L’hai già letto? – Have you already read it?

 Typically, to answer a question including “già,” we use: 

  • non..ancora – not yet
  • non..mai – never

For example:

Hai già visitato Roma? – Have you already visited Rome?

  • No, non l’ho ancora visitata – No, I haven’t visited it yet 
  • No, non l’ho mai visitata – No, I have never visited it 

Già: yeah, right, indeed 

When the word “già” is used in a phrase or exclamation, it has a secondary meaning (particularly during an informal conversation). It roughly translates to “yeah, I’m aware.” A feeling of resignation to something is the nuance here.

  • Dovresti smettere di fumare.  – you should quit smoking.
  • Già!  – right!
  • le vacanze sono finite – holidays are over
  • Già! – indeed!
Espressioni con ESSERE & AVERE

Common expressions using ESSERE and AVERE

In Italian, the verbs “essere” and “avere” are certainly amongst the most popular ones. This is why they are widely used in many common Italian idiomatic expressions like the one following.

Bear in mind that a certain number of recurring expressions use the verb avere (to have) while English would use the verb essere (to be) and vice-versa. For instance, being hungry becomes having hunger in Italian.

The rule of thumb is to memorize the most common expressions, by making a list of the oens that use “avere” and the ones that use “essere”. 

Common expressions with “avere”

  • avere sonno: to be sleepy
  • avere fame: to be hungry
  • avere sete: to be thirsty
  • avere freddo: to be cold
  • avere caldo: to be hot
  • avere 20 anni: to be 20 years old
  • avere fretta: to be in a hurry
  • avere ragione: to be right
  • avere torto: to be wrong
  • avere successo: to be successful
  • avere fortuna: to be lucky
  • avere paura di: to be afraid
  • avere mal di pancia: to have a stomach ache 
  • avere mal di testa: to have a headache
  • aver mal di gola: to have a sore throat
  • avere la febbre: to have a fever

 

Common expressions with “essere”

  • essere in ritardo: to be late
  • essere bravo: to be good at doing something
  • essere buono: to be nice (food), to be good people
  • essere sveglio: to be awake
  • essere malato: to be sick
  • essere ammalato: to be sick
  • essere occupato: to be busy
  • essere pronto: to be ready
  • essere fidanzato: to be in relationship
  • essere sposato: to be married
  • essere felice: to be happy
  • essere triste: to be sad
  • essere depresso: to be depressed
  • essere contento: to be content 
  • essere innamorato: to be in love
23 expressions with the verb “FARE”

23 expressions with the verb “FARE”

Other than being an irregular verb, FARE is used in Italian in a number of many useful expressions. Let’s see some of them:

Fare i compiti: to do the homework

Fare le pulizie: to do the cleanings

Fare un biglietto: to buy a ticket

Fare una passeggiata: to go for a walk

Fare un giro: to go around

Fare una fotografia: to take a picture

Fare colazione: to eat breakfast

Fare la spesa: to buy groceries

Fare shopping: to go shopping

Fare la valigia (le valigie): to pack

Fare pace: to make peace

Fare il compleanno: to have a birthday

Fare il pieno: to tank up

Fare una domanda: to ask a question

Fare la coda/la fila: to queue

Fare soldi: to become rich

Far bene: to be good (for something)

Far male: to be painful, to ache

Fare una vacanza: to go on vacation (holiday)

Fare una prenotazione: to make a reservation

Fare un errore (o sbaglio): to make a mistake

Fare tardi: to be late

FARE is also the verb used to ask information about the weather and to answer about it. In Italian, we say CHE TEMPO FA? And we answer FA bel/cattivo tempo o FA caldo/freddo.

tempo

As I was previously mentioning, FARE does not follow the regular pattern of the second conjugation, being irregular.

Presente indicativo: io faccio, tu fai, lui fa, noi facciamo, voi fate, loro fanno

Imperfetto: io facevo…

Passato prossimo: io ho fatto…

Futuro semplice: io farò…

Condizionale semplice: io farei…

Gerundio: facendo…

Congiuntivo presente: che io faccia…

Congiuntivo imperfetto: che io facessi..

 

BELLO and BEL in Italian

BELLO vs. BEL/QUELLO vs. QUEL

Everybody knows that quello means that and bello means beautiful or nice.

And if you have been learning Italian for a while, you may have noticed that sometimes bello and quello are used in different forms.

In fact, it is not rare that bello becomes bel or begli or bei and quello becomes quel or quegli or quei.

Many students are not sure about the difference between bel and bello in Italian, or between quel and quello. Their use is easier than you think, and I’ll explain why in the followings sections.

 

Bello, bel, bei, begli

What is the difference between bello and bel/begli/bei?

When bello is positioned before a noun, it changes its ending in the same way as the definite articles (il, l’, gli, i).

In other words, the root of the adjective (be-) merges with the definite articles that would precede the noun, and so it results in the following variations: 

  • Bel libro – nice book 
  • Bell’albero –  beautiful tree
  • Begli alberi – beautiful trees
  • Bei libri – nice books
  • Bella donna – beautiful woman
  • Belle donne – beautiful women

If the adjective bello follows the noun or the verb essere, it doesn’t follow the above rule, but it will simply change its ending just as a regular adjective does.

  • Questa casa è bella – this house is beautiful
  • Queste case sono belle – these houses are beautiful 
  • Questo uomo è bello – this guy is handsom
  • Questi uomini sono belli – these guys are handsome

 

Quello, quel, quei, quegli

When does quello change its form and become quello/quel/ quei/quegli?

The rule for bello applies to quello too. 

If quello is positioned before a noun (and so it is used as an adjective), its spelling changes by merging its root with the definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le) that would normally precede the noun, as in the following examples. 

  • Quel libro – that book 
  • Quell’albero –  that tree
  • Quegli alberi – those trees
  • Quei libri – those books
  • Quella donna – that woman
  • Quelle donne – those women

The above varieties are possible only when quello is used as an adjective.

If quello is used as a pronoun instead of an adjective, the changes only reflect gender and the number of people in the group.

  • Quello è il mio gatto – That one is my cat
  • Quelle sono le mie amiche – those are my girlfriends

 

Buono, buon

What is the difference between buon and buono?

The same rule for bello and quello applies to the adjective buono.

Buono changes its endings by following the pattern of the indefinite adjective (uno, una, un, un’), when preceding a noun. 

  • un buon amico – a good friend 
  • una buon’amica – a good girl-friend 
Fare bene & fare male: how to use them

FARE BENE and FARE MALE: how to use them

This article will explain the meaning and use of two common Italian expressions using the verb FARE. 

 

Fare bene and fare male

These two often appear in colloquial Italian with different meanings. 

The most common ones are 

  1. to show approval or disapproval to someone – hai fatto bene a prendere un giorno libero! 
  2. to mean that something is good or bad for us – passare troppo tempo seduti fa male!
  3. to say that some part of our body is sore (just fare male) – mi fa male la schiena! 

Let’s see them in context. 

 

Showing approval and disapproval to someone 

  • Hai fatto male a cambiare quartiere! 
  • Abbiamo fatto bene a prendere alcuni giorni di vacanza! 

FARE BENE 

Fare bene expresses approval or satisfaction towards somebody. For example, a friend tells you that he quit his job because he could no longer put up with his boss.

  • Sai, ho deciso di lasciare il mio lavoro in ditta..non ce la facevo più! – You know, I decided to quit my job at the company…I couldn’t stand it anymore!
  •  Hai fatto bene, si vedeva che non stai più bene – you did well, one could see you were not well anymore

Another example:

  • hai fatto così bene a cambiare casa, quel quartiere è diventato così pericoloso! – You did so well to change house, that area became so dangerous!

Also, depending on how much you want to emphasize your approval, you can change the sentences like in the following examples:

  • Hai fatto benissimo – you did incredibly well
  • Hai fatto molto bene – you did very well

Remember that fare bene is always followed by the preposition a and an infinitive verb.

Fare bene (accordingly conjugated) + a + infinitive

FARE MALE 

Similarly, when you want to express disapproval or dissatisfaction, you can use the contrary expression fare male. Let’s see an example…

  • a) Sono andato a Cuba in bassa stagione e ha piovuto tutto il tempo… b) Hai fatto male a scegliere un periodo di bassa stagione, è vero che costa meno, ma è molto più probabile che piova – a) I went to Cuba, and it rained all the times….b) you made a mistake by choosing low season time to go there, it is true that cheaper, but there is a better chance to find a poor weather

Also,

  • ho fatto così male a comprare quel vestito così costoso…non ne valeva la pena! –  I made a big mistake by buying that costly dress…it was not worth it! 

Rember the correct pattern…

Fare male (accordingly conjugated) + a + infinitive

Depending on the level of your disapproval, you can say

  • Hai fatto malissimo – you made a huge mistake
  • Hai fatto molto male – you made a big mistake

 

WHEN SOMETHING IS GOOD OR BAD FOR US

  • bere troppo fa male alla salute
  • studiare una lingua fa bene alla mente 

We can use fare bene (or male) in Italian in a different context to mean that something is good or bad for our physical and mental health. 

In this case, the expressions are used in the third person singular e plural. 

Let’s see some other examples

  • fumare fa male – smoking is not good for your health
  • fare attività fisica fa molto bene – working out is good for your health 
  • mangiare almeno cinque frutti al giorno fa benissimo alla salute – eating at least five fruits a day it’s very good for your health

 

WHEN SAYING THAT A PART OF YOUR BODY IS ACHING

  • mi fanno male i denti!
  • mi fa male la gola! 

Finally, if you want to say that a part of your body is sore or aching, the most common way to put it in Italian is by using the combination fare male, used in the third person singular and plural. 

Learn the models…

mi fa male + singular body part

mi fa male la schiena – my back is sore (or I have back pain)

mi fa male la testa – I have a headache 

mi fa male la pancia – I have a stomachache 

or

mi fanno male + plural body parts

mi fanno male le gambe – my legs are hurtin

mi fanno male i piedi – my feet are sore 

How to express positive emotions in Italian

How to express positive emotions in Italian

Italians have a reputation for being emotional and sentimental, and this is entirely right. No need to say, we like to express positive and (negative) emotions with friends and family, and we do it often.

Have you ever wondered what the most common ways to say in “well done” or” was happy about..” or “cool‘” are?

Keep reading this article to find it out!

 

RIMANERE + ADJECTIVE 

By using the present perfect of rimanere followed by an adjective you will mean you were happy/excited/ satisfied with something

 

  • Sono rimasto soddisfatto della lezione di ieri
  • Lucia è rimasta molto contenta del regalo che hai ricevuto
  • L’insegnante rimane contento del mio livello di italiano durante ogni lezione

Don’t forget, most adjectives expressing feelings are followed by the preposition di and the verb infinitive

 

  • Essere /rimanere felice di + infinito
  • Essere /rimanere contento di+ infinito
  • Essere /rimanere soddisfatto di + infinito
  • Essere /rimanere scioccato di + infinito
  • Essere /rimanere sorpreso di + infinito
  • Avere paura di + infinito

 

POSITIVE EXCLAMATIONS 

Exclamations are the most everyday ways to express positive emotions.

Many joyous Italian exclamations result from the combination of che with adjectives.

 

  • Che bello! – How beautiful!
  • Che buono! – How good!
  • Che dolce! – How sweet!
  • Che piacere! – How nice!
  • Che bel film! – What an excellent movie!
  • Che bella donna! – What a beautiful woman!
  • Che giornata fantastica! –What a fantastic day!

There are also many other exclamations used in day to day Italian that take the shape of simple adjectives.

 

  • Bravissimo! – Well done!
  • Ottimo! – Excellent!
  • Bello! – Beautiful!
  • Figo! – Cool! (very informal)
  • Eccezionale! – Outstanding!

Another way to express satisfaction or happiness in Italian is using the expression fare piacere a qualcuno (literally: making pleasure for someone)

  • Mi fa molto piacere che tu sia arrivato
  • Mi fa piacere che tu abba superato l’esame 

Remember that the subjunctive must follow the expression “mi fa piacere the.” 

Fare piacere is an impersonal expression; so it has to be conjugated in the same way you would conjugate the verb piacere:

Mi fa piacere – mi ha fatto piacere

Tti fa piacere – ti ha fatto piacere

Gli fa piacere – gli ha fatto piacere

Ci fa piacere – ci ha fatto piacere

Vi fa piacere – vi ha fatto piacere

Gli fa piacere – gli ha fatto piacere

 

SHOWING APPROVAL IN ITALIAN

Expressing positive emotions can take the shape of showing approval. The most common ways to show support or approval in Italian are:

  • Va bene! – All right!
  • D’accordo! – Agreed!
  • Giusto! – Correct!
  • Certo! – Of course!
  • Esatto! – Precisely!

 

SHOWING RELIEF IN ITALIAN

Last but not least, let’s see how to express relief in Italian:

 

  • Meno male! – Thank goodness!
  • Per fortuna! – Luckily!
  • Grazie a Dio! – Thank God!
  •  

Meno male is Italy’s most common verbal sigh of relief. This phrase is used when you want to explain that you have prevented a possible situation, like in the following examples:

 

  • Meno male che ho preso l’autobus delle 11, sennò avrei perso l’aereo.
  • Meno male che Lucia è arrivata in orario per l’appuntamento con il capo.

Both Grazie a Dio and per fortuna are used with the same meaning. However, meno male is the expression you are most likely to hear in your Italian conversations.

12 Latin words (and expression) used in Italian

12 Latin sayings and expressions in  Italian 

Of the Romance languages , Italian is the closest language to Latin.

And so, it should not be surprising, that many Latin words or even entire Latin phrases have become so naturalized in Italian that we use them in full, without a second thought.

No need to mention, by learning (and using) them your Italian will sound more natural and fancier.

Crazy about Italian idioms? Read also this post! 15 well-known Italian saying and proverbs 

This is a list of some of the most common Latin expressions I hear on a day-to-day basis. Don’t forget to to throw them in in your next conversation! 

1. IDEM

Exclamation meaning  same /me too / I agree with what you said

  • Come ti senti oggi? Alla grande, e tu? Idem!
  • Qui c’è un tempo tremendo, da te? Idem!
 

2. BIS

Exclamation with whom one calls for a replication of a show or a song. Also, the sentence ‘fare il bis’ means repeating something for the second time.

  • Quella pasta era così buona che ho fatto il bis!
 

3. SUI GENERIS

It is a Latin sentence meaning of its (his, her, or theirs) own kind; something unique or constituting a class alone.

  • Un film sui generis
  • Un libro sui generis
  • Una canzone sui generis
 

4. AD MAIORA!

It’s a formula of greeting which is used to wish more success in life. It literally means towards greater things, success, in general, good things.

 

5. DEO GRATIAS

Simply Thanks to God! Or Grazie a Dio, in Italian.

 

6. DE GUSTIBUS

Very popular (and wise) latin maxim meaning in matters of taste, there can be no dispute or simply tastes differ and one can argue about it.

 

7. ERGO

Ergo is one of my favorite words. It means therefore or dunque, perciò, quindi  in Italian and implies a logical conclusion.

  • Non c’è più motivo di restare qui, ergo vado via
  • Non hai mantenuto la promessa, ergo non ti posso più credere
  • La mia azienda mi ha licenziato, ergo cercherò un nuovo lavoro
 

8. INTER NOS

Latin sentence meaning between you and me or in Italian tra di noi implying a sense of secrecy about the matter that one is talking about.

  • Te lo dico, ma che rimanga inter nos!
  • Inter nos, non lasciarti perdere quell’affare
 

9. IN EXTREMIS

Literally meaning at the point of death, in its figurative sense means at the last moment or all’ultimo momento in Italian.

  • Abbiamo preso l’aereo in extremis, stavamo per perderlo!
 

10. REPETITA IUVAT

Latin maxim meaning repeating things helps, which is so true when it comes to learning a foreign language!

 

11. AVERE UN LAPUS

An idiom you can use when you make an involuntary mistake while writing or speaking. A slip of the mind, in short.

 

12. SUPER PARTES

Literally above the sides or simply imperial.

  • E’ stato nominato un commissario super partes a tutela dell’azienda.
Giorno and Giornata: the Difference Explained

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GIORNO” AND “GIORNATA“

Today I thought about writing about of the most frequent questions I got from students of Italian. 

“Is there any difference between GIORNO and GIORNATA?” Yes, there is. And it is not a tiny one.  Let’s explore the Italian language…

GIORNATA

Giornata is used when referring to the approximate duration of the day from morning to evening or when speaking about the weather or characteristics of day.

  • Che bella giornata oggi! – What a beautiful dayHo passato un bel giorno! 
  • Una giornata soleggiata – A sunny day Un giorno soleggiato
  • Ho passato una bella giornata – I had a beautiful dayHo passato un bel giorno.
  • Ho avuto una giornata pienissima – I had a busy day – Ho avuto un giorno pienissimo

As you see from the above sentences, giornata is often matched with by a specification or an adjective.

we could also say that when the word “day” comes with an adjective, the correct translation in Italian would be giornata.

Giornata is also used when referring to a special celebration or commemoration, often with a social or political aim such as

  • Giornata della musica – The day of Music
  • Giornata delle lingue moderne nel mondo – The day of languages
  • Giornata della donna – Women’s Day

Giornata is also the amount of hours worked in a day, thus it is used to say something about the working day.

  • Che giornata faticosa a lavoro! – What a busy day at work!
  • Questa giornata non finisce più! – This is a never ending day!

Of course, there are several idiomatic expressions including giornata

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNATA

  • Fare le cose in giornata – doing something by the end of the day
  • È a una giornata di macchina –  it’s a day by car
  • Giornata lavorativa –  working day

GIORNO

Giorno is used when referring to the astronomical days, indicating the 24 h period. 

Giorno is more generic and is used when referring to several days or a duration of time

  • Vado in vacanza per 10 giorni – I go on vacation for 10 days
  • Ho preso 3 giorni di ferie – I took 3 days off

As you can see no sign of adjectives or specification to the noun, otherwise we would use giornata.

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNO

  • Ogni giorno/settimana/mese/anno – every day/week/month/year
  • Da un giorno all’altro – from one day to the next
  • Tutto il giorno – all day long
  • Uno di questi giorni – one of these days
5 modi di dire con la parola PUNTO

5 ITALIAN EXPRESSIONS WITH THE WORD “PUNTO”

Punto generally means point. However, when combined with some verbs or other words can take a whole different meaning. These five collocations will surely make your Italian more sophisticated if you start to use them!

 

1.Mettere a punto

the expression mettere a punto means either to develop or finalize a project

  • IBM ha messo a punto un nuovo super computer che cambierà le nostre vite

 

2. Fare il punto

Fare il punto means to think carefully about a situation or an event and form an opinion about it, so that you can decide what to do

  • I capi dei governi mondiali si incontreranno a Ginevra per fare il punto della situazione, dopo i recenti attentati.

 

3.Essere sul punto di 

Essere sul punto di fare qualcosa means to be about to do something or experience something

  • Lucia è sul punto di avere una crisi di nervi

 

4. Di punto in bianco

The idiom di punto in bianco describes an event that happens suddenly, without any warning or preparation.

  • Il sole splendeva quando di punto in bianco ha iniziato a piovere

 

5. Punto di svolta

A punto di svolta is a point at which a significant change happens, a turning point

  • Quella promozione a lavoro è stata un punto di svolta per la sua carriera
6 modi di dire con il mare

5 Italian Expressions with the word “mare”

1. Avere un mare di cose da fare 

to have a million things to do

  • Non riesco a venire alla riunione domani, ho un mare di cose da fare

2. Cercare per mari e per monti 

to search for something in every possibile place

Abbiamo cercato per mare e per monti la tua borsa, ma non siamo riusciti a trovarla

3. Essere in un mare di guai

to be in a lot of trouble

  • Ho dato a un cliente un rapporto sbagliato, adesso sono in un mare di guai con il mio capo.

4. Essere un porto di mare 

a place where people come and go as they please, a much visited place

  • Casa di Fabrizio è un porto di mare, non passa giorno in cui non arrivi qualcuno

5. Essere in alto mare

 to be far from one’s objective

  • tra una settimana ho una presentazione importante e non ho ancora preparato nulla, sono proprio in alto mare
Compunds verbs: auxiliary Essere o Avere?

Tenses are normally divided into simple and compound ones, the letter result from the union of the past participle and the conjugated form of the verb essere (to be) or avere (to have). Many students have come to be with doubts concerning the use of the one or the other auxiliary.

Although it might sound confusing whether to opt for the first or second option, all you need to know can be summed up in a few rules that you need to remember whenever you need to conjugate a compound verb in Italian.

The verbs that take the auxiliary avere are the transitive verbs that take a direct object, for example:

Ho fatto una torta stasera. I have made a cake tonight.

Ho pulito la casa. I have cleaned the house.

Ho guidato l’auto. I have driven the care.

The verbs that take the auxiliary essere are the intransitive verbs such as the verbs of movement (andare, salire, scendere, tornare, arrivare), the reflexive verbs (arrabiarsi, lavarsi, vestirsi), the pronominal verbs (accorgersi, vergognarsi) and the impersonal verbs (succedere).

Sono salito sull’areo senza valigie. I got on the plane without any luggage.

Mi sono arrabbiato con i miei oggi. I got mad at my parents today.

Mi sono accorto troppo tardi di aver perso il portafogli. I realized too late that I had lost my wallet.

Cosa é successo? What happened?

There are some verbs that can take both ESSERE and AVERE.

They are the verbs that describe the weather conditions (piovere, grandinare, nevicare) or the verbs, vivere, volare e scivolare.

The Italian modal verbs, aka verbi servili, take the auxiliary AVERE when they are simple tenses, while in the compound tenses followed by an infinitive, they takes the auxiliary of the infinitive.

For example:

Sono dovuto andare mangiare. I had to go to eat.

Ho dovuto cucinare in fretta, non avevo tempo. I had to cook in a rush, I was short of time.