Italian Language Lessons
Grammar, spelling, and usage
Choosing The Auxiliary Verb
Workbook Exercises About This Topic
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Some Verbs Take Either
How could it be that some verbs take EITHER essere or avere as the auxiliary verb in compound tenses? It depends on the context of the sentence. Here are a few examples of verbs functioning both transitively and intransitively:
bruciare (to burn)
Hai bruciato la torta? (Did you burn the cake?)
Durante la notte scorsa la cascina è bruciata. (During the night, the dairy burned.)
diminuire (to reduce, decrease)
Abbiamo diminuito il consumo d'energia in casa. (We reduced energy consumption at home.)
I prezzi della carne sono diminuiti questa settimana. (The price of meat has decreased this week.)
finire (to finish)
Il professore ha finito la conferenza alle tre. (The professor finished the conference at three o'clock.)
La conferenza è finita alle tre. (The conference finished at three o'clock.)
The following table lists commonly used verbs that can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on their use.
| VERBS THAT MAY BE TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE |
|---|
| affogare | (to drown) |
| aumentare | (to increase) |
| bruciare | (to burn, to sting) |
| finire | (to finish, to complete) |
| incominciare | (to begin, to start) |
| iniziare | (to begin, to initiate) |
| mutare | (to change, to alter) |
| passare | (to pass, to go by) |
| raddopppiare | (to double) |
| salire | (to ascend, to climb) |
| sfuggire | (to avoid, to escape) |
| terminare | (to finish, to end) |
| vivere | (to live, to be alive) |
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