Avere Conjugation – How to use Avere in Italian

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Avere conjugation is one of the most important Italian Conjugation to keep in mind. The second one is Essere Conjugation (to be).

If you want to know Italian language you must know both verbs in order to improve your skills.

But let’s see what does avere means?

Avere is the equivalent form of the English verb to have. It generally indicates possession or ownership (abstract or matherial things); to have certain physical characteristics or moral or intellectual qualities or it is used to indicate age. Also, avere is an auxiliary verb used to create the compound tenses of regular and irregular verbs. 

Examples: 

Mia sorella ha gli occhi blu e i capelli biondi. 
My sister has blue eyes and blonde hair.  

Hai mangiato tu l’ultima fetta di pizza?
Did you eat the last slice of pizza? 

As you can notice, the use of avere can meaningfully vary according to the context where it is applied. 

Before proceeding, if you want to practice Italian tenses here is a useful books for you:

Avere Conjugation – Presente

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian

The first thing to know is that avere has an irregular conjugation, meaning that you cannot look at regular verbs’ general rules. On the contrary, you need to learn it by heart:  

Io ho 
Tu hai 
Lui / Lei ha 
Noi abbiamo 
Voi avete
Loro hanno 

Remember that the “h” is silent in Italian!

Examples: 

Ho delle uova e anche un pò di farina. Facciamo una torta?
I have some eggs and some flour, too. Shall we bake a cake?  

Mandy ha due criceti, una tartaruga e un cane di nome Skippy.
Mandy has two hamsters, a turtle, and a dog named Skippy.   

Avere Conjugation – Passato Prossimo 

Io ho avuto 
Tu hai avuto 
Lui / Lei ha avuto 
Noi abbiamo avuto 
Voi avete avuto 
Loro hanno avuto 

Passato Prossimo is the tense of actions that happened in the recent past. It is essentially employed when indicating what you have done this morning, yesterday, one month ago, and so on.   

Examples: 

Non ha avuto la forza di dirle cosa stesse realmente accadendo. 
He didn’t have the strength to tell her what was really going on.  

Povero Chris! Oggi ha avuto proprio una giornataccia! 
Poor Chris! Today he really had a pretty rough day! 

Avere Conjugation – Imperfetto 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian

Io avevo 
Tu avevi 
Lui / Lei aveva
Noi avevamo 
Voi avevate 
Loro avevano 

You make use of Imperfetto in Italian in case you want to talk about past habits, feelings, and actions in progress in the past.   

Examples: 

Quando ero piccolo, i miei avevano una casa in campagna vicino Frascati.
When I was young, my parents used to have a house in the country near Frascati. 

Per caso avevate bisogno di qualcosa? Va tutto bene?
Did you guys need anything? Is everything ok?  

Avere Conjugation – Trapassato Prossimo 

Io avevo avuto 
Tu avevi avuto 
Lui / Lei aveva avuto 
Noi avevamo avuto 
Voi avevate avuto 
Loro avevano avuto 

Instead, to speak about an event occurring before another one in the past, you need to look at the Trapassato Prossimo. To form it, just take the simple past of avere and its past participle (avuto).      

Examples:

Non avevi avuto già la tua paghetta? Perché sei di nuovo qui? 
Hadn’t you already gotten your allowance? Why are you here again? 

Dennis aveva avuto in regalo una costosissima chitarra elettrica. 
Dennis had had as a gift a very expensive electric guitar. 

Avere Conjugation – Passato Remoto 

Io ebbi 
Tu avesti 
Lui / Lei ebbe 
Noi avemmo 
Voi aveste 
Loro ebbero 

Going on, we can find Passato Remoto. Generally present in literature and history books, it is chiefly employed to expess actions that happened a long time ago. Considered as an “endangered” tense, it is largely replaced by the Passato Prossimo in everyday language. 

Examples: 

Dopo aver scoperto il tradimento di suo marito, ebbe una crisi nervosa. 
After she found out her husband cheated on her,  she had a mental breakdown. 

Qualche anno fa si sposarono ed ebbero due splendide bambine. 
Some years ago they got married and had two beautiful little girls. 

Avere Conjugation – Trapassato Remoto 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian
Io ebbi avuto 
Tu avesti avuto 
Lui / Lei ebbe avuto 
Noi avemmo avuto 
Voi aveste avuto 
Loro ebbero avuto 

Similarly, although it has almost disappeared in the spoken language, Italian Trapassato Remoto still occurs in the written language, especially in documentaries, novels and newspapers. Being a compound tense, it is formed by avere conjugated in the Passato Remoto and its past participle.  

Examples: 

Dopo che ebbe avuto modo di scusarsi, decise di restare. 
After she had had the chance to apologize, she decided to stay. 

Ci ringraziarono solo dopo che avemmo avuto quella brillante idea.
They thanked us only after we had had that brilliant idea.   

Avere Conjugation – Futuro Semplice 

On the other hand, Italian Futuro is mainly applied when you aim to report events that have yet to happen (Futuro Semplice) or a fact that will be finished before another one takes place (Futuro Anteriore).   

Io avrò 
Tu avrai 
Lui / Lei avrà 
Noi avremo 
Voi avrete 
Lo avranno 

Examples: 

Avrete tutto quello che avete chiesto, non vi preoccupate!
You will have everything you asked for, don’t worry! 

Mi sa che nessuno di noi avrà le ferie quest’estate. 
I think none of us will go on holiday this summer.    

Avere Conjugation – Futuro Anteriore 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian
Io avrò avuto 
Tu avrai avuto 
Lui / Lei avrà avuto 
Noi avremo avuto 
Voi avrete avuto 
Loro avranno avuto 

Examples: 

Melinda avrà avuto le sue buone ragioni per aver rotto con Milton.
Melinda will have had her reasons for breaking up with Milton.   

Avranno avuto tutto quello di cui hanno bisogno? Chissà!
Will they have had everything they need? Who knows! 

Avere Conjugation – Congiuntivo Presente 

Congiuntivo is mainly used when talking about something you are not sure of or expressing your opinion. Anyway, its main feature is the conjunction che preceding the conjugated verb. In addition, the simple and compound tenses of Congiuntivo can be translated with the tenses of present and past simple.   

Che io abbia 
Che tu abbia 
Che lui / lei abbia 
Che noi abbiamo 
Che voi abbiate 
Che loro abbiano 

Examples: 

Tuo padre vuole solo che tu abbia le stesse opportunità dei tuoi coetanei. 
Your dad just wants you to have the same chances as your peers. 

Ho paura che non abbia voglia di venire in vacanza con noi quest’anno. 
I fear he doesn’t feel like coming on holiday with us this year.  

Avere Conjugation – Congiuntivo Passato 

Che io abbia avuto 
Che tu abbia avuto 
Che lui / lei abbia avuto 
Che noi abbiamo avuto 
Che voi abbiate avuto 
Che loro abbiano avuto 

Examples: 

Nonostante abbia avuto un buon voto, Mason era ancora triste.
Although he got a good grade, Mason was still unhappy. 

Spero che abbiate avuto un buon motivo per non essere venute alla mia mostra.
I hope you had a good reason for not coming to my exhibition.    

Avere Conjugation – Congiuntivo Imperfetto 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian
Che io avessi
Che tu avessi 
Che lui / lei avesse 
Che noi avessimo 
Che voi aveste 
Che loro avessero 

Examples: 

Credeva che avesse torto dopo quello che aveva detto. 
He thought she was wrong after what she said.

Se aveste più fiducia in me, mi lascereste lavorare in santa pace!
If you had more faith in me, you would let me work in peace!   

Avere Conjugation – Congiuntivo Trapassato 

Che io avessi avuto 
Che tu avessi avuto 
Che lui / lei avesse avuto 
Che noi avessimo avuto 
Che voi aveste avuto 
Che loro avessero avuto 

Examples: 

Se avesse avuto modo di aiutarla, non le avrebbe lasciato fare una simile stupidaggine. 
If she had had the chance to help her, she wouldn’t have let her do such a silly thing. 

Vorrei che avessimo avuto più tempo per stare insieme ieri sera.
I wish we had had more time to be together yesterday evening.  

Avere Conjugation – Condizionale Presente 

Io avrei 
Tu avresti 
Lui / Lei avrebbe 
Noi avremmo 
Voi avreste 
Loro avrebbero 

You resort to Italian Condizionale when you intend to express wishes, intentions, hypotheses, and polite requests. 

Examples: 

In realtà avrei qui con me qualcosa che fa al caso tuo. 
Actually, I’d have something here with me that’s right for you.  

Signor Draghi, quei ragazzi lì avrebbero una proposta da farle. 
Mr. Draghi, those guys there would like to lay a proposition before you. 

Avere Conjugation – Condizionale Passato 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian
Io avrei avuto 
Tu avresti avuto 
Lui / Lei avrebbe avuto 
Noi avremmo avuto 
Voi avreste avuto 
Loro avrebbero avuto 

Examples: 

Sapevano che avrebbero avuto presto sue notizie.
They figured they’d be hearing from him soon. 

Si dice che avrebbe avuto una relazione con una famosa bulgara.
They say he would have a love affair with a famous Bulgarian actress.    

Avere Conjugation – Imperativo 

You build sentences in the Imperativo in case you want to give orders, instructions, or advice to somebody. Seen as it is an irregular verb, avere has its own forms, too.  

Abbi (tu) 
Abbia (lui / lei) 
Abbiamo (noi) 
Abbiate (voi) 
Abbiano (loro) 

Examples: 

Abbi pazienza e aspetta il tuo turno, per favore! 
Please be patient and get in line!   

Abbiate il coraggio di prendervi le vostre responsabilità, ragazzi!
Guys, be brave enough to take on your own responsibilities!  

Avere Conjugation – Infinito 

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian
Present tense Past tense 
avere aver avuto 

Examples: 

La maggior parte delle persone aspira ad avere una vita felice. 
Most people aim to live happy life. 

Devi aver avuto una giornata molto impegnativa, vero? 
It must have been a busy day for you, mustn’t it? 

Avere Conjugation – Participio 

Present tense Past tense 
avente avuto 

While avente is less common, avuto is basically employed in the compound tenses of avere, as you have seen until now.  

Examples: 

Sta cercando un appartamento avente tre stanze e due bagni.
He’s looking for an apartment having three rooms and two bathrooms.  

Avuto quello che desiderava, Mike non si è fatto più vivo.
After he had what he demanded, Mike didn’t show up anymore.   

Avere Conjugation – Gerundio 

Gerundio is another tense Italians don’t use very often. Anyway, you can easily find it in sentences in the present progressive.  

Present tense Past tense 
avendo avendo avuto 

Examples: 

Avendo tante cose da fare non ho tempo di andarlo a trovare.
Having a lot of things to do, I’m too busy to visit him. 

Avendo avuto l’influenza sono rimasto a casa la scorsa settimana.
Having had the flu, I stayed at home last week. 

Different uses of Avere in Italian

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian

Expressing feelings

Avere in Italian is widely applied in lots of expressions to express a feeling, a sensation, or a desire to be accomplished. Here is a list of the most important statements you probably could hear during a conversation with Italians:

Italian English 
avere voglia di to feel like 
avere freddo / caldo to be cold/hot 
avere sete / fame to be thirsty/hungry 
avere paura di to be scared/afraid of 
avere sonno to be sleepy 
avere fretta to be in a hurry 
avere bisogno di to need 
avere torto / ragione to be wrong/right 
avere piacere di to be pleased 

Examples: 

Si sa che tutti i bambini hanno paura del buio. 
Everyone knows that kids are afraid of the dark.  

Sai perfettamente che questa volta hai torto marcio.
You know exactly you are dead wrong this time.  

Devi dirmi qualcosa? Sbrigati che ho fretta! 
Is there anything you need to tell me? Come on, I’m in a hurry! 

Talking about your age 

One of the first things Italian students learn when studying English is talking about their age. Actually, you are required to use avere in Italian to say how old you are instead of essere as it happens in English. 

Example: 

Maria ha 15 anni e viene da Milano. 
Maria is 15 years old and comes from Milan. 

Italian idioms with Avere  

Avere Conjugation - Learn the verb avere in Italian

The verb avere also occurs in lots of Italian idiomatic expressions. 

Since there are so many, we are going to mention the most used and popular ones:

Italian English 
avere l’aria di to seem 
avere (o non avere) a che fare con qualcosa o qualcunoto have something to do with something or someone 
avere a mente to remember 
avere importanza to be important 
avere luogoto take place 
avere inizio to begin 
avere da fare to be busy 
avere cura di qualcosa o qualcunoto take care of somebody and something 
avere un diavolo per capello to be furious 

Examples: 

Ha l’aria di sapere quello che sta facendo. Fidati di me!
He seems to know what he is doing. Trust me!  

Il concerto non ha avuto luogo a causa del maltempo.
The concert didn’t take place due to bad weather.  

Lasciami stare! Oggi ho un diavolo per capello! 
Leave me alone! I’m so furious today!   

Regional uses: Tenere vs Avere 

In some regions of Italy, especially in the South, avere is sometimes replaced by the verb tenere meaning to hold, maintain or keep. 

Example: 

Papà, tengo fame! Mi porti qualcosa da mangiare? 
Dad, I’m hungry! Can you bring me anything to eat? 

At the end of this article, you should have learned the full conjugation of avere and its main uses according to the cases seen before.

Therefore, why don’t you open up a conversation with a simple question like “quanti anni hai?” or “hai fratelli o sorelle?“.



Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Italian Past Tenses

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One of the most frequent problems English speakers have when studying Italian is choosing between Passato Prossimo vs Imperfetto.

Passato Prossimo and Imperfetto are Italian Past Tenses used to talk about something that happened in the past, but they have different uses and purposes. Passato prossimo is made by the verb avere or essere in the present tense plus the past participle and it is used to indicate past events that happened once, but still have effects on the present. Imperfetto is formed dropping the -re of the infinitive and adding -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano and it is used to talk about past habits or repetitive actions that are no longer happening.

As you can see it is not very difficult to understand. In this article, we will focus on the main differences existing between these two tenses and when to use them in the right context. In particular we will see:

  1. One time vs Habit
  2. Description of the conditions and states
  3. Duration of the past actions
  4. Parallel Actions
  5. Interrupted Actions
  6. Storytelling
  7. Time Expressions

But, first, let’s quickly refresh the forms of these two tenses:

Passato Prossimo

Passato prossimo is made by the verb avere or essere in the present tense plus the past participle. You obtain the  past participle by changing the final endings of the infinitive form, in this way:

-are → -ato,

-ere → -uto,

-ire → -ito.

Remember that when you use the auxiliary essere, you need to change the final endings according to the subject.

Examples:

Ho mangiato una torta buonissima.
I ate a very good cake.

Siamo andati in palestra.
We went to the gym.

Imperfetto

Imperfetto is easy in its formation. You drop -re of the infinitive and simply add -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

Examples:

Da piccola mangiavo tante caramelle.
When I was little, I used to eat a lot of candy.

Non dormiva mai quando la bambina piangeva.
She never slept when the baby cried.

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Common Uses

In order to understand the main differences between the Passato Prossimo and the Imperfetto, I’m going to show you some of the most common uses of the two tenses in everyday life, compared to each other and explained through various examples.

Before proceeding, I also suggest you some useful books you can use to repeat Italian Grammar and Italian Tenses:

1. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – One time vs habit

We use the Imperfetto to talk about past habits or repetitive actions that are no longer happening. On the contrary, the Passato Prossimo is required when you want to indicate past events that happened once, but still have effects on the present. Look at the following examples.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Da bambina andavo in piscina due volte a settimana.
When I was a child, I used to go to the swimming pool twice a week. 		La scorsa settimana sono andata in piscina.
Last week I went to the swimming pool. 
Dopo ogni viaggio gli portava sempre un souvenir.
After each trip he always used to bring him a gift. 		Antonio mi ha portato un souvenir dal Canada.
Antonio brought me a gift from Canada.
Mangiava tanto perché si annoiava.
He was eating a lot because he was getting bored.   		L’altro giorno ha mangiato tanto e si è sentito male.
The other day he ate a lot and he got sick.

As you can see, it’s not very complicated! Let’s see other examples:

Mio padre mi portava con sé in ufficio ogni volta che poteva.
My father used to take me with him to his office every time he could.   		Ieri mattina mio padre mi ha portato con sé in ufficio.
Yesterday morning my father took me with him to his office.  
Da piccolo io e i miei parenti ci riunivamo a Natale.
When I was young, my relatives and I used to meet on Christmas.   		Un anno fa io e i miei parenti ci siamo riuniti a Natale.
One year ago my relatives and I met on Christmas.  
A volte tornava dalla Sicilia con un vassoio di cannoli.
Sometimes, he used to come back from Sicily with a tray of cannoli. 		Il mese scorso è tornato dalla Sicilia con un vassoio di cannoli.
Last month he came back from Sicily with a tray of cannoli.

2. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Description of conditions and states

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

Also, we need to look at the typology of the description you provide when speaking about past conditions and states. Specifically, we employ the Imperfetto to describe the weather and physical or emotional states in the past. On the contrary, we apply the Passato Prossimo to point out physical and mental changes happened in a specific moment in the past, as events.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Era una giornata fredda e nuvolosa.
It was a cold and cloudy day. 		Oggi ha piovuto e non sono potuto andare al parco.
Today it rained so I didn’t manage to go to the park.
Dopo la caduta sentiva dolore alla caviglia.
After falling down, he felt pain in his ankle.    		Ha sentito dolore quando si è fatto male alla caviglia.
He was in pain when he hurt his ankle. 
Mi innervosiva il suo atteggiamento sfacciato.
His brush attitude made me nervous. 		Mi ha davvero innervosito il suo modo di fare.
His way of acting really made me nervous.

3. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Duration of past actions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

In the third place, we focus on the duration of past actions . According to this principle, we resort to the Imperfetto when we relate to past actions or events whose start and end are basically unclear. Otherwise, we need the Passato Prossimo in case of past facts that started and ended at a specific point in time.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Andava in Europa, più precisamente in Portogallo.
He was flying to Europe, more precisely to Portugal. 		Sei anni fa sono andato in Europa, più precisamente in Portogallo.
Six years ago, I flew to Europe, more precisely to Portugal.  
Beveva con gli amici in un locale vicino la stazione.
He was drinking with his friends in a pub next to the station. 		Ieri sera è andato a bere con gli amici.
Yesterday evening he went out for a drink with his friends.
Il fratello di Andrea veniva a trovarmi ogni volta che poteva.
Andrea’s brother used to come to visit me every time he could. 		L’altro ieri mi è venuto a trovare il fratello di Andrea.
The day before yesterday, Andrea’s brother came to visit me.

4. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Parallel Actions 

Generally, we use the Imperfetto to mention concurrent events, meaning facts that happened in the same moment or period of time in the past.

Instead, we apply the Passato Prossimo in case of actions in succession whose duration or moment of occurance in the past are not so relevant.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Mentre pranzava, mio madre guardava “Un posto al sole”.
While having lunch, my mother was watching “Un posto al sole”. 		Mia madre ha pranzato e poi ha guardato “Un posto al sole”.
My mother had lunch and then watched “Un posto al sole”.
All’università studiava e lavorava in un ristorante per pagarsi gli studi.
When she was at university, she used to study and work in a restaurant to pay her istruction. 		Dopo l’università, si è laureata e in seguito ha trovato lavoro in uno studio medico.
After university, she graduated and later found a job in a doctor’s office.  
Lidia ascoltava “Resta in ascolto” di Laura Pausini, mentre pelava le patate.
Lidia was listening to “Resta in ascolto” by Laura Pausini, while peeling potatoes.    		Lidia ha pelato prima le patate e poi dopo ha ascoltato “Resta in ascolto” di Laura Pausini.
Firstly, Lidia peeled potatoes; after that she listened to “Resta in ascolto” by Laura Pausini.

5. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Interrupted actions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

There are some occasions where we require both the Imperfetto and the Passato Prossimo in a sentence built in the past. For this reason, we make reference to actions interrupted by others, namely reporting what we were doing when something occurred and interrupted what we were doing. In this specific case, you can find the presence of quando (when) and mentre (while).

Examples:

Facevamo i compiti quando improvvisamente sono ritornati i nostri genitori.
We were doing our homework when suddenly our parents came back home.

Mentre mi preparavo per la scuola, mi ha chiamato Paolo.
While I was getting ready for school, Paolo called me.

Quando Maria viveva in Spagna, ha visitato sia Barcellona sia Madrid.
When Maria lived in Spain, she visited both Barcelona and Madrid.   

6. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Storytelling

Finally, we find the last difference regarding the act of reporting something in a consequential way. Actually, you are asked to employ the Imperfetto to give information about the background, like the location or the context where the event takes place.  On the contrary, you make use of Passato Prossimo to let the story proceed onwards. 

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
I bambini facevano il bagno in piscina e i genitori prendevano il sole.
Kids were taking a swim in the pool, while their parents were sunbathing. 		Stamattina in spiaggia i bambini hanno fatto il bagno in piscina e i genitori hanno preso il sole.
This morning kids have taken a swim in the pool, while their parents have sunbathed.
Continuamente mi diceva che gli avrebbe parlato di quella faccenda quanto prima.
He was continually telling me he would talk to him about that matter as soon as possible.   		Mi ha detto che gli avrebbe parlato di quella faccenda quanto prima.
He told me he would talk to him about that matter as soon as possible.
Nel bosco di solito si imbatteva in cerbiatti e conigli.
In the woods he usually used to bump into fawns and rabbits. 		Andando nel bosco, si è imbattuto in cerbiatti e conigli.
Going into the woods, he bumped into fawns and rabbits.  

7. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Time expressions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

Another way to distinguish cases where the Imperfetto is employed from situations where the Passato Prossimo is applied is by looking at time expressions. These ones are normally used to give more information about the type of action existing in the sentence in order to provide help when you are asked to choose between the two tenses.

Time expressions used with the Imperfetto

da piccolo / giovane (when I was a child / young )
sempre (always)
tutti i giorni / ogni giorno (every day)
mentre (while)
spesso (often)
continuamente (continually)
a volte (sometimes)
normalmente (normally)
solitamente (usually)
ogni volta che (every time that)
ogni tanto (once in a while)

Time expressions used with the Passato Prossimo

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses
ieri (yesterday)
ieri mattina / ieri pomeriggio / ieri sera (yesterday morning) / (yesterday afternoon) / (last night)
l’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
due giorni fa (two days ago)
una settimana fa (one week ago)
mercoledì scorso (last Wednesday)
un anno fa (one year ago)
Il mese scorso (last month)
l’anno scorso (last year)
un’ora fa / alcuni giorni fa (one hour ago) / (some days ago)

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Da piccolo giocava a scacchi con gli amici della chiesa.
When he was a child, he used to play chess with his friends from the church. 		L’anno scorso ha giocato a scacchi con gli amici della parrocchia.
Last year he played chess with his friends from the church.  
Normalmente usciva nel weekend, non in settimana.
He normally used to go out on the weekend, not during the week. 		Mercoledì scorso è uscito nel weekend, non in settimana.
Last Wednesday he went out on the weekend, not during the week. 
Tutti i giorni le regalava un cioccolatino per dimostrarle il suo affetto.
Every day he used to give her a chocolate as a present to prove that he was fond of her. 		Alcuni giorni fa le ha regalato un cioccolatino per dimostrarle il suo affetto.
Some days ago he gave her a chocolate as a present to prove that he was fond of her.

Wrapping Up

After reading this article until the end, you should be able to understand when to use the Imperfetto or the Passato Prossimo according to the cases and tricks mentioned above. What you are suggested to do first is to look for time expressions in the Italian sentence you are about to translate. These indicators make you understand which tense is required in that specific context or situation.

Second, you can analyse the type of event that occured in the past, mostly focusing on the certainty or uncertainty related to the time of action.

Now that you have this further information, start speaking about events in the past in Italian and do not forget to make the best choice!