🇮🇹 Ruth Shepard Phelps — The Verb Avere ('to have')
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| Ruth Shepard Phelps — The Verb Avere ('to have') |
✏️ 120. Conjugation of Avere
INFINITIVE
Present: avere — ah-veh-reh
Past: avere avuto
Future: —
INDICATIVE
Present: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno — oh, hah-ee, ah, ahb-byah-moh, ah-veh-teh, ahn-noh
Past Absolute: ebbi, avesti, ebbe, avemmo, aveste, ebbero — ehb-bee, ah-veh-stee, ehb-beh, ah-vem-moh, ah-veh-steh, ehb-beh-roh
Imperfect: avevo, avevi, aveva, avevamo, avevate, avevano — ah-veh-voh, ah-veh-vee, ah-veh-vah, ah-veh-vah-moh, ah-veh-vah-teh, ah-veh-vah-noh
Future: avrò, avrai, avrà, avremo, avrete, avranno — ah-vroh, ah-vrah-ee, ah-vrah, ah-vreh-moh, ah-vreh-teh, ah-vrahn-noh
Past Perfect: avevo avuto, etc.
Present Perfect: ho avuto, etc.
Future Perfect: avrò avuto, etc.
CONDITIONAL
avrei, avresti, avrebbe, avremmo, avreste, avrebbero — ah-vray-ee, ah-vreh-stee, ah-vreh-beh, ah-vrem-moh, ah-vreh-steh, ah-vreh-beh-roh
Past Future Perfect: avrei avuto, etc.
SUBJUNCTIVE
Present: abbia, abbiamo, abbiate, abbiano — ahb-byah, ahb-byah-moh, ahb-byah-teh, ahb-byah-noh
Past: avessi, avessimo, aveste, avessero — ah-veh-see, ah-veh-see-moh, ah-veh-steh, ah-veh-seh-roh
Present Perfect: abbia avuto, etc.
Past Perfect: avessi avuto, etc.
IMPERATIVE
abbi, abbia, abbiamo, abbiate, abbiano — ahb-bee, ahb-byah, ahb-byah-moh, ahb-byah-teh, ahb-byah-noh
✏️ Key Notes on Irregular Verbs
- The irregular past absolute of avere serves as a model for many other irregular verbs. Notice: the 2nd person singular and 1st & 2nd plural forms are often regular. Example — leggere (to read): lessi, leggesti, lesse, leggemmo, leggeste, lessero
- For many verbs, the past participle is also irregular. Learn three key forms for each: infinitive → 1st person past absolute → past participle. Example: leggere → lessi → letto
✏️ 121. When to Use Avere as Helping Verb
All transitive verbs and some intransitive verbs form their compound tenses with avere.
Common intransitive verbs that use avere:
bollire — boil; dimorare — dwell; dormire — sleep; passeggiare — take a walk; sbadigliare — yawn; starnutire — sneeze; tremare — tremble; viaggiare — travel
Verbs that take either avere or essere:
Some verbs like tacere (be silent) and vivere (live) may use avere when emphasizing the action, or essere when emphasizing a state or condition.
✏️ 122. Past Participle Agreement with Avere
The past participle normally agrees in gender and number with a preceding direct object, especially when that object is a pronoun:
- Ho scritto due lettere OR Ho scritte due lettere — I have written two letters
- Ne ho scritte due — I have written two of them
- Vedi questi cavalli? Li abbiamo comprati oggi — See these horses? We have bought them today
- La catena che mi hai prestata — The chain you lent me
✏️ 123. Special Uses of Avere
Avere da + infinitive = to have to / must
- Ho da scrivere tre lettere — I have to write three letters
- Ho tre lettere da scrivere — I have three letters to write
Common Idioms with Avere
Remember: in Italian you have a feeling — you don't are it.
- aver caldo — to be too warm
- aver freddo — to be too cold
- aver fame — to be hungry
- aver sete — to be thirsty
- aver sonno — to be sleepy
- aver paura (di) — to be afraid (of)
- aver soggezione — to be nervous, ill at ease
- aver ragione — to be right
- aver torto — to be wrong
- aver fretta / aver furia — to be in a hurry
Examples:
- Ha fame? — Are you hungry?
- Avevano sonno? — Were they sleepy?
- Non ho freddo — I am not cold
- Ha ragione — You are right
- Abbiamo paura — We are afraid
- Ho fretta — I am in a hurry
💡 A Gem Worth Remembering:
"In Italian you don't say 'I am hungry' — you say 'I have hunger.' Many feelings are something you carry, not something you simply are."
📌 Source:
From: An Italian Grammar — Ruth Shepard Phelps
Status: ✅ Public domain — shared here for educational purposes
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