Introduction

Finire means “to finish”, and this page covers exactly one thing: finire 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 finire, 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 finire in the passato prossimo. It means to finish and to end, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is finisco. The rest of the conjugation is regular. For example: “Lui ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work.” Everything on this page uses the forms of finire exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Finire in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io ho finito
tu hai finito
lui/lei ha finito
noi abbiamo finito
voi avete finito
loro hanno finito
Gerund: finendo · Past participle: finito
The gerund is finendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Finendo il lavoro, imparo molto.” — “While finishing the work, I learn a lot.” The past participle is finito, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho finito 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 finire is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for finire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passato prossimo of finire is formed

The passato prossimo of finire is formed with the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle finito: io ho finito, tu hai finito, lui ha finito, noi abbiamo finito, voi avete finito, loro hanno finito. 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.

Two things about the passato prossimo of finire are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that finire takes avere, the rest is the present of avere 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 finito never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of finire 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 finire

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use finire 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 ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have finished the work.”

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 ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work.”

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 abbiamo finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “We have finished the work.”

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 hai finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work.”

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 hanno finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “They have finished the work.”

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 ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work”
  • Imperfect: “Lui finiva il lavoro una volta.” — “He used to finish the work”
  • 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 ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have finished the work”
  • Imperfect: “Io finivo il lavoro una volta.” — “I used to finish the work”
  • 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 hai finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work”
  • Imperfect: “Tu finivi il lavoro una volta.” — “You used to finish the work”
  • 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: finire 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 ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have finished the work”
  2. “Tu hai finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work”
  3. “Lui ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work”
  4. “Noi abbiamo finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “We have finished the work”
  5. “Voi avete finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have finished the work”
  6. “Loro hanno finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “They have finished the work”
  7. “Io ho finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have finished the work”
  8. “Lui ha finito il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has finished the work”

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

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 finire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai finito
    • B) ho finito
    • C) ha finito
    • D) abbiamo finito

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

    • A) ho finito
    • B) ha finito
    • C) hai finito
    • D) abbiamo finito

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

    • A) ho finito
    • B) hai finito
    • C) abbiamo finito
    • D) ha finito

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

    • A) abbiamo finito
    • B) ho finito
    • C) hai finito
    • D) ha finito

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

    • A) ho finito
    • B) avete finito
    • C) hai finito
    • D) ha finito

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

    • A) ho finito
    • B) hai finito
    • C) hanno finito
    • D) ha finito

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

    • A) hai finito
    • B) ha finito
    • C) abbiamo finito
    • D) ho finito

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

    • A) hai finito
    • B) ho finito
    • C) ha finito
    • D) abbiamo finito

Answer key

  1. B) ho finito — the correct form is ho finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) hai finito — the correct form is hai finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ha finito — the correct form is ha finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) abbiamo finito — the correct form is abbiamo finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) avete finito — the correct form is avete finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) hanno finito — the correct form is hanno finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ho finito — the correct form is ho finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) hai finito — the correct form is hai finito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does finire mean in English?

finire means “to finish”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb.

How is the passato prossimo of finire formed?

With the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle finito: io ho finito, tu hai finito, lui ha finito, noi abbiamo finito, voi avete finito, loro hanno finito.

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 finire?

The gerund is finendo and the past participle is finito. The perfect tenses use avere + finito.

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