Italian Verbs with Double Auxiliaries
Examples:
- Ho cambiato casa – I moved to a different home.
- Il clima è cambiato – The climate has changed
Did you notice?
In the first example, the verb “cambiare” uses the auxiliary “avere.” In the second example, it uses the auxiliary “essere.”
Why?
Cambiare and other similar verbs (e.g. finire, iniziare, passare, etc..) can be used with both auxiliaries (avere or essere), depending on the context of the sentence. This flexibility arises because these verbs can function in two different grammatical constructions: transitive (ho cambiato casa) and intransitive (il clima è cambiato).
Why the Dual Auxiliaries?
In Italian, a number of verbs can use both “essere” and “avere” as auxiliaries. The choice depends on whether the verb is used in a transitive or intransitive manner.
Common Verbs with a Double Auxiliary
| Italian Verb | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Cambiare | to change |
| Finire | to finish |
| Iniziare | to start |
| Cominciare | to start |
| Terminare | to finish |
| Aumentare | to increase |
| Diminuire | to decrease |
| Salire | to climb, to go up, to get on |
| Scendere | to go down, to get off |
| Migliorare | to improve |
| Peggiorare | to deteriorate |
All of the above verbs can be used with both the auxiliary essere and avere depending whether they use in transitive or interstice form.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: What Does It Mean?
The choice of an auxiliary in Italian is not random. So, how do you pick the correct one? It’s easier than you think.
Transitive verbs always use the auxiliary “avere.”
What is a transitive verb? A transitive verb is followed by an object, meaning that the verb impacts the object (something or someone). To make it easier to understand, a verb is transitive when it can naturally be followed by the questions “What?” or “Who?”
- Ho cambiato casa – I changed homes (I moved to a different home).
- Ho finito il libro – I finished the book.
- Hanno aumentato le tasse – They increased the taxed
“Cambiare”, “finire” and “aumentare” are transitive verbs in these sentences, as they both affect the object of the sentences (home, book, and taxes respectively).
So, when must the auxiliary “essere” be used?
The answer is when the verb in our sentence is intransitive.
What is an intransitive verb? An intransitive verb performs an action that does not impact an object. Namely, there is no object in the sentence.
- Il clima è cambiato – The climate has changed.
- Il film è finito – The movie is over.
- Il costo della vita è aumentata – The cost of living has increased.
As you can see in these sentences, there is no object.
All the Italian verbs with a double auxiliary are those that can be transitive or intransitive depending on how they are used.
Most Italian verbs are either transitive or intransitive. However, a number of verbs can be both; these are the verbs that can have a double auxiliary.
Tip
In simpler terms, if the subject of the phrase is a person, the action tend to be transitive (e.g., Ho iniziato un nuovo libro – I started a new book). If the subject is not a person, the action tend to be intransitive (e.g., Il film è finito alle 10 – The movie finished at 10).
Examples of Italian Verbs with a Double Auxiliary Used as Transitive Verbs
- Ho finito il libro – I finished the book.
- Ho cominciato un corso – I started a course.
- Ho salito le scale – I climbed the stairs.
- Ho migliorato il mio italiano – I improved my Italian.
- Ho cambiato il mio orario di lavoro – I changed my work schedule.
- Ho aumentato la velocità – I increased the speed.Ho diminuito il volume della musica – I lowered the volume of the music.
Examples of Italian Verbs with a Double Auxiliary Used as Intransitive Verbs
- Il clima è migliorato – The climate has improved.
- Il film è finito – The film is over.
- Il corso di italiano è cominciato ieri – The Italian course started yesterday.
- La città è migliorata – The city has improved a lot.
- Il tempo è cambiato improvvisamente – The weather changed suddenly.
- La temperatura è aumentata – The temperature has increased.
- .La popolarità del programma è diminuita – The popularity of the program has decreased.
Test Your Italian
Not sure what your Italian level is? I’ve created a free online Italian test to help you determine it.Italian Verbs to Talk About the Weather
There is a specific category of Italian verbs used exclusively to talk about the weather. These verbs can use both auxiliaries without distinction, typically reflecting changes in the weather. Notably, verbs expressing weather conditions in Italian are only used in the third person singular, which is why they are often referred to as “impersonal verbs.”
Nevicare – to snow
- Ha nevicato – It has snowed
- È nevicato – It has snowed
Piovere – to rain
- Ha piovuto – It has rained
- È piovuto – It has rained
Grandinare – to hail
- Ha grandinato – It has hailed
- È grandinato – It has hailed
