Chapter 16 - The Formation of Compound Verbs

The formation of compound verbs ( have spoken, had spoken, will have spoken, and so on) is the same as in English, namely the use an auxiliary verb (to be or to have), and the past form of the main verb.  This usage is the same as it is in English.  In common speech, the translation of these forms into English is often the simple past tense, especially when a past action relates to something happening now.

1. The forms of the verb avere (to have)

            I spoke, have spoken                                       Io ho parlato

            You spoke, have spoken                                 Tu hai parlato

            You, he, she, who spoke, has spoken             Lei, lui, lei, chi ha parlato

            We spoke, have spoken                                  Noi abbiamo parlato

            You spoke, have spoken                                 Voi avete parlato

            They, who spoke, have spoken                       Loro, chi hanno parlato

            I had spoken                                                    Io avẹvo parlato

            You had spoken                                              Tu avẹvi parlato

            He, she, who had spoken                                Lei, lui, chi avẹva parlato

            We had spoken                                                Noi avevamo parlato

            You had spoken                                              Voi avevate parlato

            They, chi had spoken                                      Loro, chi avẹvano parlato

            I will have sold                                               Io avrò venduto

            You will have sold                                          Tu avrai venduto

            He, she, who will have sold                            Lei, lui, chi avrà venduto

            We will have sold                                           Noi avremo venduto

            You will have sold                                          Voi avrẹte venduto

            They, who will have sold                               Loro, chi avranno venduto

            I would have finished                                     Io avrẹi finito

            You would have finished                                Tu avrẹsti finito

            He, she, who would have finished                  Lei, lui, chi avrẹbbe finito

            We would have finished                                 Noi avrẹmmo finito

            You would have finished                                Voi avrẹste finito

            They, who would have finished                     Loro, chi avrębbero finito

Note : The pronunciation of past verb forms conforms to rules A and B on page 4.

The compound forms of most verbs is made by using avere, but some compound forms are made by using ęssere.  The following is a list of those verbs.  Compound verbs (muovere :: rimuovere) also use ęssere.

accadere, to happen                                           accagliare, to curdle                           accędere, to accede

albeggiare, to dawn                                            ammalare, to fall ill                             ammatire, to become or go crazy

ammontare, to mount up, amount                   ammuffire, to become moldy

ammutolire, to become dumbfounded            andare, to go

annegare, to drown                                             annottare, to become night                apparire, to seem, to appear

appartenere, to belong                                       appassire, to wither, wilt                    appoggiare, to lean, lay, rest

approdare, to come to a decision                     ạrdere, to burn                                     arenare, to run aground

arrabbiare, to become angry                            arrivare, to arrive                                                arrosire, to blush

arrostire, to roast                                                 arruginire, to rust                                          arruvidire, to roughen

asfissiare, to become asphyxiated                   assommare, to amount to                  aumentare, to increase, augment

avanzare, to advance                                         avvenire, to happen                            avvizzire, to wither

bacare, to become corrupt, bad                        balenare, to flash                                baluginare, to glimmer, blink

balzare, to bounce                                               bạttere, to beat                                     brinare, to frost, have frost

bruciare, to burn

cadere, to fall                                                       cagliare, to curdle                               calare, to fall (said of prices)

cambiare, to change                                           capitare, to turn out, result                cascare, to cascade, to fall

comparire, to appear                                          convenire, to be convenient              cọrrere, to run

costare, to cost                                                     costumare, to be the custom             crẹscere, to grow

decadere, to decline                                            decędere, to die, to be deceased       decọrrere, to run out of time

decrẹscere, to decrease                                      defluire, to flow out                            deperire, to become run down

dimagrire, to lose weight                                   diminuire, to diminish                         dipęndere, to depend

divampare, to burst into flames                        disconvenire, to disagree                    discordare, to differ in opinon

dispiacere, to displease                                      divenire, to become                            diventare, to become

divertire, to divert, amuse, enjoy                     durare, to last, endure                        durire, to harden

eccęllere, to excel                                                emęrgere, to emerge                           entrare, to enter

esịstere, to exist                                                   esplǫdere, to explode                          ęssere, to be

fiocare, to fall (like snow)                                  fiorire, to flower, to bloom                                fuggire, to flee

garbare, to be suitable                                        gelare, to gel, set, become solid        ghiacciare, to freeze

giacere, to lie, to rest                                          giụngere, to join

imbizzire, to get angry                                        imbrunire, to get dark                         imbruttire, to grow ugly

immigrare, to immigrate                                    impazientire, to become impatient   impazzare, to become or go crazy

impietrire, to turn to stone                                 imputridire, to become rotten           inasinare, to become stupid

incallire, to become callous                              incanutire, to become gray haired    incaparbire, to become obstinate

incappare, to stumble                                         incarnire, to grow in                           incọmbere, to be incumbent

incominciare, to begin                                        incontrare, to meet                             incọrrere, to incur

incretinire, to lose one's mind                           incrudelire, to become cruel              indebolire, to weaken

ingiallire, to become, turn yellow                     inscurire, to make obscure                insecchire, to become dry, dry up

insọrgere, to revolt, become insurgent            intercọrrere, to elapse                        intervenire, to intervene

intorbidire, to muddy                                         intristire, to wither from saddness

invalere, to prevail                                              invecchiare, to become, grow old    irrọmpere, to break, burst into

marcire, to become overripe                             migliorare, to improve, get better    morire, to die

muffire, to be musty                                            muǫvere, to move

nạscere, to be born                                              naufragare, to become shipwrecked                nevicare, to snow

occọrrere, to occur, to be necessary

parere, to seem                                                    partire, to leave                                   passare, to pass by or through

peggiorare, to worsen, to get worse                 permanere, to be permanent             pervenire, to reach, to get through

piacere, to like, to please                                   piǫvere, to rain                                     preesịstere, to preexist

pręmere, to be urgent                                          premorire, to predecease                   putrefare, to putrify

rabbrividire, to shudder, shiver                        radoppiare, to double one’s efforts regredire, to regress

restare, to have left                                             riandare, to go back                           ricadere, to relapse, fall again

riapparire, to reappear                                       ricadere, to fall back, relapse            ricominciare, to recommence

ricomparire, to reappear                                    ricrẹscere, to regrow                           ridivenire, to become again

riemẹrgere, to reemerge                                     rientrare, to reenter                             rięssere, to become again

rimanere, to remain                                            rimbambire, to become feeble minded by age

rinạscere, to be reborn                                       rincitrullire, to become stupid          rincrẹscere, to regret

rincrudire, to get worse                                      rindurire, to reharden                         risavire, to come to one’s senses

rinsecchire, to dry up again                               rinvenire, to revive                              riparare, to take refuge

ripartire, to leave again                                     risultare, to result                                      riuscire, to succeed

salire, to leave                                                     sbalzare, to spring, to leap                 sbucare, to pop out

scadere, to fall or become due                          scappare, to escape                             scivolare, to slip

scomparire, to disappear                                   sconvenire, to be unbecoming          scopiare, to burst

scẹndere, to descend                                           sedẹre, to sit                                          sembrare, to seem

sfuggire, to run away                                          sfumare, to merge into                        smagrire, to become thin

soggiacere, to subject, be subject                     solere, to be in the habit of                sopravvịvere, to survive

sǫrgere, to rise                                                      sottostare, to be under someone in rank

sovvenire, to help                                                sparire, to disappear                           spęgnere, to put out

spettare, to be due, to owe                                 spiacere, to be sorry                            spiǫvere, to stop raining

spirare, to expire                                                 spǫrgere, to protrude                          spronfọndere, to throw down

stare, to be                                                            stillare, to ooze, trickle                       stịngere, to remove color, to fade

straboccare, to overflow                                    stramazzare, to drop like a stone      strapiombare, to tilt, lean

straripare, to overflow                                       subissare, to collapse                          sublimare, to sublimate

subentrare, to follow, come after                     succędere, to succeed, happen         sussịtere, to subsist

svampire, to die down                                        svanire, to vanish                                svaporare, to evaporate

svenire, to faint                                                    svignare, to high tail it

talentare, to do what you like                            terminare, to terminate, finish           toccare, to touch, to play music

tombolare, to tumble                                          tornare, to turn, return, go back       trabocare, to overflow

tracollare, to lose one’s balance                      tralignare, to degenerate                   tramontare, to set, fade, wane

transitare, to pass, go, drive, walk through    trapassare, to pierce, run, cross through, to trespass

trapelare, to leak                                                 trascolorare, to discolor                     trasecolare, to astonish

trascorrere, to spend time                                 trasmigrare, to transmigrate             traspirare, to transpire

trasudare, to ooze, seep                                     trasumanare, to become superhuman

trasvolare, to fly across

uscire, to go out

valẹre, to be worth                                              venire, to come                                    vịvere, to live

Approximately 150 compound verbs may be formed by using either avere or ęssere.  This author treats such verbs as using avere to make the compound forms.

NOTE:  When a verb is used reflexively, all past tenses are formed using ęssere as the auxiliary verb.  There are no exceptions to this rule.

The auxiliary avere is used with verbs which answer the question “what/who(m)?

When the main verb cannot answer the questions “what/who(m)?” (meaning it cannot be followed by a direct object), the auxiliary verb essere will be used.