Introduction

Correre means “to run”, and this page covers exactly one thing: correre in the passato prossimo. The passato prossimo is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full passato prossimo table for correre, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about correre in the passato prossimo. It means to run, and it is a dual-auxiliary verb: the tables on this page use essere, the auxiliary for running as movement — io sono corso — while running something, as in running a race, takes avere. Its passato remoto and past participle are irregular, with the participle corso. For example: “Lui è corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “He has run in the park.” Everything on this page uses the forms of correre exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Correre in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io sono corso
tu sei corso
lui/lei è corso
noi siamo corso
voi siete corso
loro sono corso
Gerund: correndo · Past participle: corso
The gerund is correndo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Correndo nel parco, imparo molto.” — “While running in the park, I learn a lot.” The past participle is corso, which you use with essere in the perfect tenses: sono corso is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the passato prossimo is only one part of how correre is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for correre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passato prossimo of correre is formed

The passato prossimo of correre is formed with the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle corso: io sono corso, tu sei corso, lui è corso, noi siamo corso, voi siete corso, loro sono corso. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. The tables here use essere, the auxiliary for correre as a verb of movement — io sono corso — as in running in the park. When correre takes a direct object, as in running a race, Italian uses avere instead: ho corso una gara. The meaning decides the auxiliary.

Two things about the passato prossimo of correre are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that correre takes essere, the rest is the present of essere plus one participle, and the same participle serves all four perfect tenses. Second, the passato prossimo is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ieri, questa settimana and l'anno scorso — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

Because the participle corso never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of correre is cheap to learn once the auxiliary is fixed. Learn the six auxiliary forms, add the participle, and the whole tense is yours.

When to use the passato prossimo of correre

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use correre in the passato prossimo most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The passato prossimo describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Italian. When the action has a clear end, the passato prossimo is the natural choice. Example: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “I have run in the park.”

2. Recent events

Use the passato prossimo for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Lui è corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “He has run in the park.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the passato prossimo. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Noi siamo corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “We have run in the park.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the passato prossimo for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu sei corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “You have run in the park.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the passato prossimo carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Loro sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “They have run in the park.”

Passato Prossimo vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the passato prossimo is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the passato prossimo describes one finished action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the passato prossimo sentences use words such as ieri or questa settimana, while the imperfect sentences use una volta or ogni giorno.

  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui è corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “He has run in the park”
  • Imperfect: “Lui correva nel parco una volta.” — “He used to run in the park”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “I have run in the park”
  • Imperfect: “Io correvo nel parco una volta.” — “I used to run in the park”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu sei corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “You have run in the park”
  • Imperfect: “Tu correvi nel parco una volta.” — “You used to run in the park”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

Example sentences: correre in the passato prossimo

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “I have run in the park”
  2. “Tu sei corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “You have run in the park”
  3. “Lui è corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “He has run in the park”
  4. “Noi siamo corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “We have run in the park”
  5. “Voi siete corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “You have run in the park”
  6. “Loro sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “They have run in the park”
  7. “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “I have run in the park”
  8. “Lui è corso nel parco questa settimana.” — “He has run in the park”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io ho corso nel parco.” Right: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” Why: correre takes essere in the passato prossimo, not the other auxiliary. The io form is sono corso — check the auxiliary before you build the tense.
  • Wrong: “Io corro nel parco ieri.” Right: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono corso for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io sono correndo nel parco.” Right: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” Why: The passato prossimo needs the past participle corso, not the gerund correndo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary.
  • Wrong: “Io correre nel parco.” Right: “Io sono corso nel parco questa settimana.” Why: The infinitive correre never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After io you need the conjugated passato prossimo form sono corso.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei corso
    • B) sono corso
    • C) è corso
    • D) siamo corso

  2. What is the tu form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono corso
    • B) è corso
    • C) sei corso
    • D) siamo corso

  3. What is the lui/lei form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono corso
    • B) sei corso
    • C) siamo corso
    • D) è corso

  4. What is the noi form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) siamo corso
    • B) sono corso
    • C) sei corso
    • D) è corso

  5. What is the voi form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono corso
    • B) siete corso
    • C) sei corso
    • D) è corso

  6. What is the loro form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei corso
    • B) è corso
    • C) sono corso
    • D) siamo corso

  7. What is the io form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei corso
    • B) è corso
    • C) siamo corso
    • D) sono corso

  8. What is the tu form of correre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei corso
    • B) sono corso
    • C) è corso
    • D) siamo corso

Answer key

  1. B) sono corso — the correct form is sono corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) sei corso — the correct form is sei corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) è corso — the correct form is è corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) siamo corso — the correct form is siamo corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) siete corso — the correct form is siete corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sono corso — the correct form is sono corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sono corso — the correct form is sono corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sei corso — the correct form is sei corso. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does correre mean in English?

correre means “to run”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb.

How is the passato prossimo of correre formed?

With the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle corso: io sono corso, tu sei corso, lui è corso, noi siamo corso, voi siete corso, loro sono corso.

When do I use the passato prossimo instead of the imperfect?

Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

What are the gerund and past participle of correre?

The gerund is correndo and the past participle is corso. The perfect tenses use essere + corso.

Related pages