Tutto sul TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO in italiano | Impara l'italiano (livello B1)

Summary

In this engaging video, the host humorously recounts a personal anecdote about misplacing car keys in the dishwasher, setting the stage for a lesson on the past tense of verbs in Italian. The video offers a comprehensive PDF guide, accessible via a link in the description, which delves into the theoretical aspects and practical examples of the past tense. The host explains the use of the past perfect tense, illustrating it with examples from the story and further clarifying its formation and usage with additional sentences. The lesson highlights the importance of the past perfect as a compound tense, often indicating an action prior to another in the past, and emphasizes the grammatical nuances that can alter meaning. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to practice by writing sentences in the comments, fostering an interactive learning experience.

Takeaways

• 😅 The speaker often misplaces their car keys and found them in the dishwasher after an extensive search.
• 📚 The video is focused on explaining the past tense of verbs, specifically the past perfect tense, in Italian.
• 🔗 A PDF document with a full explanation and examples is available through a link in the video description.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.
• 🕒 The past perfect is formed using the imperfect form of the auxiliary 'to be' or 'to have' and the past participle of the verb.
• 👥 The speaker uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the use of the past perfect tense in conversation.
• 🎬 Examples provided include scenarios where the past perfect is used to explain why something happened in the past.
• 🤔 The past perfect can be used even when the subsequent action is not explicitly stated, relying on context for understanding.
• 📉 The difference between 'has never been' (present perfect) and 'had never been' (past perfect) is highlighted to show how tense can change meaning.
• 📚 The importance of agreement between the past participle and the subject in compound tenses is discussed, especially when 'to be' is the auxiliary.
• 📝 The video encourages viewers to practice using the past perfect tense by writing sentences in the comments section.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the past tense of verbs, specifically focusing on the use and formation of the past perfect tense in Italian.

Why might someone misplace their car keys in unusual places?

The person might misplace their car keys in unusual places due to forgetfulness or absent-mindedness, as illustrated in the anecdote shared at the beginning of the video.

What is the purpose of the PDF document mentioned in the video?

The PDF document provides a full explanation of the past perfect tense, including theoretical explanation and examples that will be discussed in the video.

How is the past perfect tense used in the context of the story about the car keys?

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past. In the story, it is used to say that before finding the keys, they were put in the dishwasher.

What is the function of the past perfect tense in the sentence 'I told Giulia what had happened'?

In this sentence, the past perfect tense 'had happened' indicates that the action of the keys being misplaced occurred before the speaker told Giulia about it.

Can you explain the formation of the past perfect tense in Italian?

The past perfect tense in Italian is a compound tense formed with the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb 'to be' or 'to have' and the past participle of the main verb.

What does the video say about the auxiliary verb used with the past participle in compound tenses?

The video explains that when the auxiliary verb is 'to be', the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, even when a pronoun precedes the verb.

How does the past perfect tense differ from the present perfect tense?

The past perfect tense indicates an action that happened before another action in the past, while the present perfect tense refers to an action that happened at an unspecified time before now.

What is the significance of the phrase 'point of observation' in the context of the past perfect tense?

The 'point of observation' refers to the moment in the past that is being referred to, and the past perfect tense is used to describe actions that occurred before this point.

Why might the past perfect tense be used without an explicit subsequent action?

The past perfect tense can be used without an explicit subsequent action because the reference to the past can be implicit, allowing the listener or reader to understand the context and the sequence of events.

What is the difference between 'Giulia has never been to Prague' and 'Giulia had never been to Prague'?

The first sentence uses the present perfect tense, indicating that Giulia has not been to Prague up until now. The second sentence uses the past perfect tense, implying that there was an event or action that happened after Giulia had never been to Prague.

Outlines

00:00

🔑 The Past Tense of Verbs in Italian

This paragraph introduces the topic of the past tense of verbs in Italian, using a personal anecdote about misplacing car keys and finding them in an unexpected place - the dishwasher. The speaker humorously connects this to the concept of the past tense, specifically the past perfect tense, which is the focus of the video. The past perfect is explained as a compound tense used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past, or before a point of observation in the past. The formation of the past perfect tense is also discussed, involving the use of the auxiliary verbs 'to be' or 'to have' in the imperfect form, combined with the past participle of the main verb. Examples are provided to illustrate the concept, such as finding keys after having put them somewhere, telling someone about an event that happened before, and the thief running away because he was seen. The paragraph concludes with an invitation for viewers to download a PDF document for a more in-depth explanation and examples.

05:00

📚 Implicit References and Differences in Tenses

In this paragraph, the discussion continues with the use of the past perfect tense, emphasizing its implicit nature in certain sentences where the subsequent action or point of reference is not explicitly stated. Examples are given to show how the past perfect can stand alone, such as expressing surprise at having never seen a great movie before. The paragraph also explores the difference between the present perfect and the past perfect tenses, using the example of Giulia's travels to Prague. The present perfect implies an action that has relevance to the present, while the past perfect indicates that something else happened afterward. The explanation also reviews the agreement of the past participle with the subject when the auxiliary verb is 'to be', as seen in the sentence 'Giulia had never been to Prague'. The paragraph ends with an encouragement for viewers to practice using the past perfect tense in the comments section and a thank you note for watching the video on Vaporetto Italiano, with a promise of more lessons to come.

Keywords

💡Past tense

The past tense is a verb form used to describe actions or states that occurred in the past. In the video, the past tense is central to the theme as it discusses the usage and formation of the past perfect tense in Italian. For example, the script mentions, 'After 40 minutes I found them and do you know where I put them?', illustrating the use of the past tense to narrate a past event.

💡Present Perfect

The present perfect is a tense that links the past and the present, often used to describe actions that have been completed at some point before now. In the script, 'I found them' is an example of the present perfect, indicating the speaker's discovery of the keys as a past event that has relevance to the present.

💡Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action or time. The video script provides several examples, such as 'I had put them in the dishwasher', which occurred before the speaker found the keys. The past perfect is integral to the video's educational content, as it is the main tense being explained.

💡Auxiliary verb

An auxiliary verb, also known as a helping verb, is used to form compound tenses in various languages, including Italian. In the context of the video, the auxiliary verbs 'to be' or 'to have' are used in the past perfect tense, as in 'I had put them', where 'had' is the auxiliary verb 'to have' in the past.

💡Imperfect

The imperfect is a past tense used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. In the video, the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb is combined with the past participle to form the past perfect tense, as mentioned in 'the auxiliary, to be or to have, is in the imperfect'.

💡Point of observation

The point of observation refers to the specific moment in the past that is being referred to or observed. In the script, 'I found them' serves as the point of observation, with the action of 'I had put them in the dishwasher' occurring prior to this moment.

💡Theoretical explanation

The theoretical explanation in the video pertains to the grammatical rules and concepts behind the usage of the past perfect tense. The script mentions a PDF document with 'the full explanation of today's topic', indicating that theoretical knowledge is essential for understanding the practical application of the past perfect tense.

💡Participle

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, verb, or another sentence element. In the video, the past participle is used with auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses, such as in 'I had put them in the dishwasher', where 'put' is the past participle.

💡Agreement

Agreement in grammar refers to the correspondence in number, gender, or person between words in a sentence. The script explains that in compound tenses with 'to be' as the auxiliary, the past participle agrees with the subject, as seen in 'Giulia had never been to Prague', where 'been' agrees with the feminine singular noun 'Giulia'.

💡Context

Context is the situation or set of circumstances in which something is said or happens. The video uses the context of the speaker's personal story about misplacing car keys to introduce and illustrate the grammatical concepts of the past perfect tense. This contextual approach helps to make the language point more relatable and easier to understand.

💡Compound tense

A compound tense is a tense formed by combining an auxiliary verb with a main verb in a particular form, such as the past participle. The script explains that the past perfect is a compound tense, as it is formed with the imperfect form of 'to be' or 'to have' and the past participle of the main verb.

Highlights

The speaker shares a personal anecdote about misplacing car keys in unusual places, like the dishwasher with a coffee cup.

Introduction to the topic of the past tense of verbs in Italian.

A complete PDF document with an explanation of the past tense is available for download through a link in the video description.

Explanation of the use of the past tense in Italian, illustrated with the story of finding car keys.

The concept of the present perfect and past perfect tenses, with examples from the speaker's story.

The past perfect tense indicates an action that is prior to another action in the past or a point of observation.

Formation of the past perfect tense is explained as a compound tense using the imperfect form of 'to be' or 'to have' plus the past participle.

Examples provided to illustrate the use of the past perfect tense in various sentences.

Explanation of how the past perfect tense is often used with an implicit reference to a past action.

The difference between 'Giulia has never been to Prague' (present perfect) and 'Giulia had never been to Prague' (past perfect) is clarified.

The past perfect tense implies an action that happened afterwards, changing the meaning of a sentence.

Review of the present perfect tense, which can have the auxiliary 'to be' or 'to have', and the agreement of the past participle with the subject.

The participle agreement is explained, even when there is a pronoun before the verb.

Invitation for viewers to write sentences using the past perfect in the comments section.

The speaker thanks the viewers for their trust and presence and promises a new lesson soon.

Transcripts

«I absolutely have to tell you this. So, yesterday morning I couldn't find my car keys,

which happens quite often actually. I looked for them everywhere, even in the refrigerator,

but nothing. Mystery! After 40 minutes of incessant searching, I found them, and do you know where I

put them? In the dishwasher, together with the coffee cup! When I told Giulia what

had happened, she laughed like crazy and told me that I had already done something similar

in the past. Well, I don't remember. It will be old age!» Well yes, it's like me to leave my

keys in strange and unlikely places, but that's not the topic of today's video. Today

we're talking about the past tense of verbs, a verb tense that perhaps you noticed in the story just

now. For this video I have prepared a complete pdf document with the full explanation

of today's topic. Click on the link in the description of this video to immediately receive the

pdf document with the theoretical explanation and all the examples we will do together. Before focusing on

its formation, let's look at its use. Why do we use the past tense in Italian?

"After 40 minutes I found them and do you know where I put them?". Here we have a verb in the present perfect,

I found them, - this is our point of observation, it is the moment in the past that

we are referring to, the moment in which I found them - and then we have another action (where I had them

harvest). The action of putting, I had put them, is prior to our point of observation,

to the moment in which I found them, which is why it is called past perfect: I found them and before that

I had put them in the dishwasher. We also find its use in other sentences of the story: when

I told Giulia (point of observation) what had happened (before), Giulia laughed

(and we return to the point of observation, present perfect; Giulia told me that I had done a

similar thing in the past. So the past perfect indicates an action that is prior to

another action in the past or which is our reference, our point of observation.

Before continuing to analyze the uses of the past perfect, let's see its formation,

which is very simple. It is a compound tense, so there is the auxiliary and the past participle of the verb,

but the auxiliary, to be or to have, is in the imperfect: I had put them in the dishwasher, I told

Giulia what had happened, I had already done a similar thing in

the past

remote past. For example,

Luisa arrived late because she woke up late (earlier). Past perfect,

past perfect. Maurizio didn't speak because he had argued with his wife. He didn't speak

(we are describing Maurizio's behavior), he didn't speak because he had argued with his wife

before. The thief ran away because someone had seen him. In all these sentences we have an action

in the past, which is our reference, but very often this reference in the past is implicit

and you will find sentences in which there is only the verb in the past perfect. What a great movie! I had never

seen it before! Here we use the past perfect, but where is the subsequent action, which is our

reference? It's implicit. How beautiful is this film (which we saw: moment in the past)! I had never

seen it (before seeing it with you). See how here the reference to the past, the observation point,

is implicit. You promised me a vacation in the Caribbean! Oh well, patience. You promised me

before what? What happened next? Eh, you told me we're not going, you canceled your

holiday plans. Something happened, but first you promised me a vacation in the Caribbean.

Now look at these two sentences: Giulia has never been to Prague; Giulia had never been to Prague.

What is the difference between these two sentences? There is a grammatical difference, obviously, but also a difference in

meaning. If I say "Giulia has never been to Prague", with the present perfect, it means that until today

Giulia has never been to Prague, she doesn't know the city. But if I say "Giulia had never been to

Prague", past perfect, it means that something happened afterwards, so it means that

we went to Prague, but Giulia had never been there before. See how two sentences with a verb in

two different tenses changes the meaning? The past perfect always implies that there is

an action that happened afterwards. Last piece of information, which is actually review information, is not

new information: the present perfect is a compound tense, it can have the auxiliary 'to be'

or the auxiliary 'to have', and remember that in all compound tenses, when the auxiliary is 'to be', the

past participle agrees with the masculine, the feminine, the singular, the plural. This is why we say "Giulia

had never been to Prague": Giulia is a woman, therefore the past participle is feminine because we have

the auxiliary 'to be'. The participle always agrees even when there is a pronoun before it. "I found the

keys, I had put them in the dishwasher": we have the direct pronoun, which replaces the keys

(feminine, plural) before the verb and therefore the past participle agrees, even if the auxiliary

is 'to have'. Enough, the important information in this video therefore concerns the use

of the past perfect: we always have a point of reference in the past and the previous action

is in the past perfect (imperfect of 'to be' or 'to have' plus the past participle

. Now It's your turn

: write some sentences using the past perfect below

in the comments. I'll wait for you! Thank you for your trust and for your precious

presence here on Vaporetto Italiano. We'll see you very soon with a new lesson

!