Language/Italian/Grammar/Simple-Past-Subjunctive

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◀️ Imperative Form — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Conditional Subjunctive ▶️

Italian Grammar - Subjunctive and Imperative Moods > Simple Past Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood is commonly used in Italian to express desires, doubts, possibilities, and emotions. In this lesson, we will focus on the simple past subjunctive tense, which is used to express conditions that are contrary to reality in the past.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Present Tense & Futuro Semplice.

Formation

The simple past subjunctive is formed by taking the third person plural of the past tense of the relevant verb, dropping the -rono ending, and adding the following endings:

Person	Ending
Io	-assi
Tu	-assi
Lui/Lei	-asse
Noi	-assimo
Voi	-aste
Loro	-assero

For example, the conjugation of the verb "essere" (to be) in the simple past subjunctive tense is as follows:

Person	Ending	Verb form
Io	-assi	fossi
Tu	-assi	fossi
Lui/Lei	-asse	fosse
Noi	-assimo	fossimo
Voi	-aste	foste
Loro	-assero	fossero

Usage

The simple past subjunctive is used to express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations in the past. It can be used in various types of subordinate clauses, such as:

If-clauses expressing a hypothetical situation in the past:

 * Se io avessi saputo che era malato, sarei andato a trovarlo. (If I had known he was ill, I would have gone to visit him.)

Expressions of doubt or uncertainty:

 * Dubitavo che fosse stato lui ad inviarmi il messaggio. (I doubted that it was him who sent me the message.)

Wishes and hopes:

 * Speravo che venisse alla festa. (I hoped he would come to the party.)

Suppositions or assumptions:

 * Immaginavo che avesse studiato molto per l'esame. (I assumed he had studied a lot for the test.)

Note that the conjunction "che" is always used in the subordinate clause.

Irregular verbs

There are some irregular verbs in the simple past subjunctive tense. Here are a few examples:

Verb	Stem	Ending
Avere	Foss-	-i
Essere	Foss-	-e
Dare	D-	-i
Stare	Stess-	-e
Fare	Fac-	-essi
Sapere	Sapess-	-i

For example, with the verb "fare" (to do), the simple past subjunctive is formed as follows:

Person	Ending	Verb form
Io	-essi	facessi
Tu	-essi	facessi
Lui/Lei	-esse	facesse
Noi	-essimo	facessimo
Voi	-este	faceste
Loro	-essero	facessero

Examples

Here are some examples of the simple past subjunctive tense in context:

Se avessi saputo che era malato, sarei andato a trovarlo. (If I had known he was ill, I would have gone to visit him.)
Dubitavo che avesse vinto la gara. (I doubted that he had won the race.)
Speravo che tu avessi portato il vino. (I hoped you had brought the wine.)
Immaginavo che avessero finito tutto il lavoro entro ieri. (I assumed they had finished all the work by yesterday.)

Exercises

Conjugate the verb "essere" (to be) in the simple past subjunctive tense for the first person singular.
Complete the sentence: Se avessi saputo la verità, _____. (If I had known the truth, _____.)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses: Non credevo che ____ (essere) così complicato.
Rewrite the sentence using the simple past subjunctive tense: Spero che passerai un bel weekend. (I hope you will have a nice weekend.)

Sources

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

Daily Life Expressions

Italian Culture and Tradition

Past and Future Tenses

Social and Work Life

Italian Literature and Cinema

Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

Science and Technology

Italian Politics and Society

Compound Tenses

Arts and Design

Italian Language and Dialects

Other Lessons

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