Italian · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 33
Ieri ho mangiato…Yesterday I ate…
The band's milestone: YESTERDAY. The passato prossimo is built from two pieces you already own — present-tense avere + the past participle: ho mangiato, hai dormito, abbiamo venduto. The three verb families stamp three participles: -are→-ato, -ere→-uto, -ire→-ito. CILS demands it at A1 («ho fatto un corso di cucina» sits in its cloze tests), so no postponing: from today you can tell yesterday's story. The movement verbs — sono andato — wait for chapter 34.
Dialogue
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Che cosa hai fatto ieri?— What did you do yesterday?
- GiuliaMike, che cosa hai fatto ieri?Mike, what did you do yesterday?
- MikeIeri ho mangiato una pizza con Marco e ho ascoltato musica!Yesterday I ate a pizza with Marco and listened to music!
- GiuliaE dopo?And after that?
- MikeDopo ho dormito fino alle dieci!After that I slept until ten!
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Ieri al mercato— Yesterday at the market
- MarcoGiulia, hai comprato la camicia al mercato?Giulia, did you buy the shirt at the market?
- GiuliaNo, non ho comprato la camicia — ho trovato una giacca! Prima ho guardato tutto, poi ho parlato con la signora del banco.No, I didn't buy the shirt — I found a jacket! First I looked at everything, then I talked with the stall lady.
- MarcoE dopo? Avete preso un caffè, tu e Anna?And afterwards? Did you and Anna have a coffee?
- GiuliaSì, abbiamo preso due cappuccini e abbiamo parlato un'ora. Una giornata perfetta — e non ho pagato molto: dieci euro!Yes, we had two cappuccinos and talked for an hour. A perfect day — and I didn't pay much: ten euros!
Vocabulary
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- ieri
adverbyesterday (the word that turns on the passato prossimo; ieri sera = last night)
- scorso / scorsa
adjectivelast (la settimana scorsa, l'anno scorso — yesterday's bigger siblings)
- prima / poi / dopo
adverbfirst / then / afterwards (the story-sequencing trio: prima ho guardato, poi ho comprato, dopo ho mangiato)
- fatto
verbdone, made (fare's irregular participle — ho fatto colazione, che cosa hai fatto?; the CILS cloze's «ho fatto un corso»)
- preso
verbtaken, had (prendere's irregular participle — abbiamo preso un caffè; the -ere family's favorite rebellion)
- visto
verbseen (vedere's irregular participle — hai visto Ulisse?; another -ere rebel)
- trovare
verbto find (regular: trovato — ho trovato una giacca; also «to visit»: andare a trovare i nonni)
- fa
adverbago (due giorni fa, un'ora fa — it FOLLOWS the time span; yes, it looks like fare's fa: context tells them apart)
- stamattina
adverbthis morning (stasera's sibling from chapter 30 — sta- «this» + mattina)
Grammar
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The passato prossimo I — avere + participle
Explanation
To tell yesterday you need two pieces, and both are already yours. PIECE ONE: present-tense avere — ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno (chapters 6 and 11). PIECE TWO: the past participle, a stamp on the verb's tail: -are→-ATO (mangiare→mangiato), -ere→-UTO (vendere→venduto), -ire→-ITO (dormire→dormito). Together: ho mangiato, hai dormito, abbiamo venduto. MIND the junction with chapter 30: after a modal goes the INFINITIVE (voglio mangiare), after past-tense avere goes the PARTICIPLE (ho mangiato) — «ho mangiare» mixes the two machines. The negative is the usual one: non ho pagato. The question is the usual one: hai comprato? — with P6's rise. Some participles are rebels, almost all in -ere: fatto (fare), preso (prendere), visto (vedere), letto (leggere), scritto (scrivere) — learn them as photos, one by one. The words that switch the past on: ieri, ieri sera, la settimana scorsa, due giorni fa, stamattina. And a note for chapter 34: movement verbs (andare, arrivare) do NOT use avere — you will see.
Examples
- Ieri ho mangiato una pizza e ho dormito fino alle dieci.Yesterday I ate a pizza and slept until ten.
- Che cosa hai fatto sabato? Ho fatto un corso di cucina!What did you do on Saturday? I took a cooking course!
- Non abbiamo comprato niente, ma abbiamo visto tutto.We didn't buy anything, but we saw everything.
- Due giorni fa Marco ha lavorato dodici ore: oggi vuole dormire!Two days ago Marco worked twelve hours: today he wants to sleep!
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