ILGUR: Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource

The passato prossimo can be conjugated with avere or essere depending upon the verb. The following is a list of common intransitive verbs that take essere in the passato prossimo.

Remember, that with essere, the past participle (il participio passato) agrees with the subject in gender and in number. Also, all reflexives verbs take essere in the passato prossimo (and other compound tenses).

List of verbs that take essere in the passato prossimo (and other compound tenses, such as the trapassato prossimo, futuro anteriore, etc.):

andare = to go
arrivare = to arrive
avvenire = to happen
bastare = to suffice, to be enough
bisognare = to be necessary
cadere = to fall
cambiare = to change, to become different
campare = to live
cominciare = to begin
costare = to cost
dimagrire = to lose weight
dipendere = to depend
dispiacere = to be sorry
diventare = to become
durare = to last
entrare = to enter
esistere = to exist
essere = to be
finire = to finish
fuggire = to run away
ingrassare = to put on weight
morire = to die (participio passato = morto)
nascere = to be born (participio passato = nato)
parere = to seem
partire = to leave, to depart
passare = to stop by
piacere = to like, to be pleasing (to)
restare = to stay
rimanere = to remain (participio passato = rimasto)
ritornare = to return
riuscire = to succeed, to be able to
salire = to go up; to get in
scappare = to run away
scendere = to get off
sembrare = to seem
stare = to stay, to remain (participio passato = stato)
succedere = to happen
uscire = to go out
venire = to come (participio passato = venuto)

Some examples using the passato prossimo with essere:

Sono venuti alla festa? = Did they come to the party?
È morta all’estero. = She died overeas.
Sono nato il 2 dicembre nel 1975. = I was born December 2, 1975.
A che ora siamo arrivate? = What time did we arrive?

REMEMBER: Essere and stare have the same past participle = stato

ALSO REMEMBER…that many intransitive verbs can be transitive in certain contexts and that some intransitive verbs take avere in compound tenses (such as deragliare, traballare, etc.0

Sapere and conoscere have different meanings in the passato prossimo (present perfect) and the l’imperfetto (imperfect).

Sapere means: to know (a fact), to know how to do something

In the imperfect (l’imperfetto), sapere translates as “knew,” retaining the meaning of the present but in the past (knew):

Sapevo che la festa era oggi.

I knew that the party was today.

In the present perfect (il passato prossimo), the meaning changes:

Ho saputo che la festa era oggi.

I found out that the party was today.

Conoscere means: to know in the sense of being familiar or acquainted with someone or something.In the imperfect, conoscere translates as such, retaining the meaning of the present tense with in the past:

Lei conosceva Gianna già.

She knew Gianna already.

In the present perfect, the meaning changes:

Lei ha conosciuto Gianna alla festa.

She met Gianna at the party.