Italian C1: Storytelling: the passato remoto · Grammar

The passato remoto narrates finished events in history, literature and fairy tales, and in everyday speech in much of the south: Dante nacque a Firenze nel 1265. Regular forms: parlai, parlasti, parlò, parlammo, parlaste, parlarono; credei (or credetti); partii. Many verbs are irregular only in io, lui and loro: ebbi, ebbe, ebbero; fui, fu, furono; feci, fece, fecero; venni, venne, vennero.

• nacque — was born
• morì — died
• fu — was
• ebbe — had
• fece — did, made
• disse — said
• scrisse — wrote
• vissero — they lived

• C'era una volta un re. — Once upon a time there was a king.
• Vissero felici e contenti. — They lived happily ever after.
• Colombo arrivò in America nel 1492. — Columbus reached America in 1492.
• Fu un giorno indimenticabile. — It was an unforgettable day.