Past Tense

Italian Lesson 14 (Past Tense & Colors)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons Italian Lessons
Linguistic Italian Vocabulary
Culture Italian Phrases
Structure Italian Grammar

This 14th lesson deals with the past tense in Italian. In addition I included a vocabulary list about colors, as well as some basic phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Italian Classes.

Past

The past is one of the 3 tenses (present, past, and future) we will be discussing in the next 3 lessons. So it is recommended not to skip any of them because they are all related.

Below is a list of 15 sentences conjugated into the past tense. I focused on the examples you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Italian, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Past Tense in Italian

Past Italian Audio
I saw youTi ho visto / Ti vidi
I wrote with a penHo scritto con una penna / Scrissi con una penna
You loved applesTi piacevano le mele
You gave moneyHai dato del denaro / Desti del denaro
You played tennisGiocavi a tennis
He read (past tense) a bookLeggeva un libro / ha letto un libro (he finished it)
He understood meLui mi capiva / Lui mi ha capito
She had a catLei aveva un gatto
She knew my friendLei conosceva il mio amico
We wanted to learnVolevamo imparare
We thought Spanish is easyPensavamo che lo spagnolo fosse facile
You (plural) worked hereVoi avete lavorato qui / Voi lavoravate qui
You (plural) spoke FrenchVoi avete parlato Francese / Voi parlavaste francese
They drove a carLoro guidavano una macchina
They smiledEssi sorrisero

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Italian contact form on the header above.

List of Colors in Italian

Below is a list of 18 words and expressions related to colors.

Colors in Italian

Colors Italian Audio
BlackNero
BlueBlu
BrownMarrone
ColorsColori
Dark colorColore scuro
GrayGrigio
GreenVerde
Light colorColore chiaro
OrangeArancione
RedRosso
WhiteBianco
YellowGiallo

Daily Conversation in Italian

Finally, here are some common sentences to strengthen your conversation skills. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Italian Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Italian

English Italian Audio
Black is his favorite colorIl nero è il suo colore preferito
I have black hairHo i capelli neri
Red is not his favorite colorIl rosso non è il suo colore preferito
She drives a yellow carLei guida una macchina gialla
The sky is blueIl cielo è blu
Your cat is whiteIl tuo gatto è bianco
I enjoyed myself very muchMi sono divertito molto (m.); Mi sono divertita molto (f.)
I agree with youSono d'accordo con te
Are you sure?Sei sicuro? (m., informal); Sei sicura? (f., informal); è sicuro? (m., formal); è sicura? (f., form
Be careful!Fai attenzione (informal); Faccia attenzione (formal)
Cheers!Salute!
Would you like to go for a walk?Vuoi fare una passeggiata? (informal); Vuole fare una passeggiata? (formal)

Fun Facts

Language Quote: ❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞ ‒Charlemagne

Congratulations! You finished your 14th lesson in Italian about the past tense, and a vocabulary list about colors. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Italian Lesson 15. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Italian homepage.

Lessons Italian Lessons
Linguistic Italian Vocabulary
Culture Italian Phrases
Structure Italian Grammar