Introduction

Partire means “to leave”, and this page covers exactly one thing: partire 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 partire, 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 partire in the passato prossimo. It means to leave and to depart, especially on a journey, and it takes essere in the passato prossimo. It is completely regular, and it is different from lasciare, which means to leave something behind. For example: “Lui è partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “He has left for Rome.” Everything on this page uses the forms of partire exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Partire in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io sono partito
tu sei partito
lui/lei è partito
noi siamo partito
voi siete partito
loro sono partito
Gerund: partendo · Past participle: partito
The gerund is partendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Partendo per Roma, imparo molto.” — “While leaving for Rome, I learn a lot.” The past participle is partito, which you use with essere in the perfect tenses: sono partito 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 partire is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for partire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passato prossimo of partire is formed

The passato prossimo of partire is formed with the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle partito: io sono partito, tu sei partito, lui è partito, noi siamo partito, voi siete partito, loro sono partito. 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 partire are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that partire 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 partito never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of partire 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 partire

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use partire 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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “I have left for Rome.”

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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “He has left for Rome.”

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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “We have left for Rome.”

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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “You have left for Rome.”

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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “They have left for Rome.”

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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “He has left for Rome”
  • Imperfect: “Lui partiva per Roma una volta.” — “He used to leave for Rome”
  • 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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “I have left for Rome”
  • Imperfect: “Io partivo per Roma una volta.” — “I used to leave for Rome”
  • 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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “You have left for Rome”
  • Imperfect: “Tu partivi per Roma una volta.” — “You used to leave for Rome”
  • 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: partire 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 partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “I have left for Rome”
  2. “Tu sei partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “You have left for Rome”
  3. “Lui è partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “He has left for Rome”
  4. “Noi siamo partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “We have left for Rome”
  5. “Voi siete partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “You have left for Rome”
  6. “Loro sono partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “They have left for Rome”
  7. “Io sono partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “I have left for Rome”
  8. “Lui è partito per Roma questa settimana.” — “He has left for Rome”

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

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 partire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does partire mean in English?

partire means “to leave”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb.

How is the passato prossimo of partire formed?

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

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 partire?

The gerund is partendo and the past participle is partito. The perfect tenses use essere + partito.

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