The remote past tense (passato remoto) is a simple tense and is formed by one word. In general, it refers to the historical past or to events that have happened in the distant past relative to the speaker.
Follow this format to form the passato remoto of regular verbs. For -are verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add one of these personal endings to the root: -ai, -asti, -ò, -ammo, -aste, -arono.
CONJUGATING PARLARE IN THE REMOTE PAST
PERSON
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I
(io) parlai
(noi) parlammo
II
(tu) parlasti
(voi) parlaste
III
(lui, lei, Lei) parlò
(loro, Loro) parlarono
For -ere verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add these personal endings to the root: -ei, -esti, -é, -emmo, -este, -erono. Note that many regular -ere verbs have an alternative form in the first person singular, third person singular, and third person plural forms.
CONJUGATING RICEVERE IN THE REMOTE PAST
PERSON
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I
(io) ricevei (ricevetti)
(noi) ricevemmo
II
(tu) ricevesti
(voi) riceveste
III
(lui, lei, Lei) ricevé (ricevette)
(loro, Loro) riceverono (ricevettero)
For -ire verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add these personal endings to the root: -ii, -isti, -í, -immo, -iste, -irono.
CONJUGATING CAPIRE IN THE REMOTE PAST
PERSON
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I
(io) capii
(noi) capimmo
II
(tu) capisti
(voi) capiste
III
(lui, lei, Lei) capí
(loro, Loro) capirono
Here are a few examples of how the remote past is used in Italian:
Dante si rifugiò a Ravenna. (Dante took refuge in Ravenna.)
Petrarca morì nel 1374. (Petrarca died in 1374.)
Michelangelo nacque nel 1475. (Michelangelo was born in 1475.)