The trapassato remote is formed by using either the passato remote of avere or essere, plus the past participle of the verb. The trapassato remote has the same meaning as the trapassato prossimo when expressed in English. Just like other compound tenses, the past participle of verbs conjugated with essere must agree with the subject in gender and number. Have a look at the following table to see how two example verbs are conjugated.
The trapassato remote is used almost exclusively in literary and historical texts. It is not used in conversation and it is not written in most contemporary Italian, where the passato remote or the trapassato prossimo usually take its place.
In the following examples you can see how it is used in a variety of literary contexts, most of them written around or long before the turn of the last century.
Verbs conjugated with | Verbs conjugated with |
| ebbi parlato | fui andato/a |
| avesti parlato | fosti andato/a |
| ebbe parlato | fu andato/a |
| avemmo parlato | fummo andati/e |
| aveste parlato | foste andati/e |
| ebbero parlato | furono andati/e |
The trapassato remote is used almost exclusively in literary and historical texts. It is not used in conversation and it is not written in most contemporary Italian, where the passato remote or the trapassato prossimo usually take its place.
In the following examples you can see how it is used in a variety of literary contexts, most of them written around or long before the turn of the last century.
| Appena Lodovico ebbe potuto raccogliere i suoi pensieri, chiamato un frate confessore,
lo pregò che cercasse della vedova di Cristoforo. --Alessandro Manzoni, I promessi sposi As soon as Lodovico was able to collect his thoughts, he called a confessor and implored him to look for Cristoforo’s widow. A poco a poco, quando ebbe segretamente detto addio ad ogni più piccola cosa, ad ogni albero, ad ogni pietra, alle bestie ed agli uomini, le idee gli si rischiararono e cominciò a vedere nell’avvenire. --Grazia Deledda, Elias Portolu Little by little, when he had secretly said goodbye to each little thing--to each tree, to each rock, to the animals and the men--ideas became clear to him and he began to see the future. Ma poi che messer Mazzone ebbe avuto / Monteficalli, e nel castello entrato, / fu lietamente dentro ricevuto... --Giovanni Boccaccio, Ninfale fiesolano But when sir Mazzone had taken Monteficalli / and entered the castle / he was joyfully received therein.... ...gli sferrò un gran calcio sulle spalle, un calcio che risuonò come su di un tamburo, eppure Malpelo non si mosse, e soltanto dopo che l’operaio se ne fu andato, aggiunse: --Lo vedi? Non mi ha fatto nulla! E ha picchiato più forte di me, ti giuro!-- --Giovanni Verga, Rosso Malpelo ...he launched a tremendous kick to his shoulders, a kick which resounded like a drum, and yet Malpelo did not move. Only after the workman had gone away did he add: “You see? It did not hurt me at all! And he hit harder than I did, I swear to you!” Poi ch’a notizia agli altri fu venuto, / Che questo era Ruggier, di cui l’ardire, / La cortesia e ‘l valore alto e profondo / Si facea nominar per tutto il mondo... --Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso And as the news had come to the others / that this was Ruggier, whose daring / courtesy and valor were tremendous and profound / that his name was known throughout the world. |