- The passato remoto, like the passato prossimo, is used to convey an action that was definitively completed during a certain time in the past. It differs from the imperfetto in the same ways as the passato prossimo.
Era una bella giornata quando nacque il poeta.
It was a beautiful day when the poet was born.
Dante aveva più di trenta anni quando scrisse la Divina Commedia.
Dante was more than thirty years old when he wrote the Divine Comedy. - The general rules governing the use of the passato prossimo are as follows.
- If the action took place in a period of time which has not yet been completed (a day, a month, even a year), or if the action still somehow affects the present, the passato prossimo must be used.
Ieri ho comprato delle mele buonissime.
Yesterday I bought some really good apples.
- If the action took place in a period of time which has not yet been completed (a day, a month, even a year), or if the action still somehow affects the present, the passato prossimo must be used.