Introduction

Piangere means “to cry”, and this page covers exactly one thing: piangere 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 piangere, 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 piangere in the passato prossimo. It means to cry and to weep, and it is irregular in the passato remoto and the past participle: the participle is pianto, while the present is regular. For example: “Lui ha pianto questa settimana.” — “He has cried.” Everything on this page uses the forms of piangere exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Piangere in the Passato prossimo — full table

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

How the passato prossimo of piangere is formed

The passato prossimo of piangere is formed with the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle pianto: io ho pianto, tu hai pianto, lui ha pianto, noi abbiamo pianto, voi avete pianto, loro hanno pianto. 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 piangere are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that piangere 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 pianto never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of piangere 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 piangere

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use piangere 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 pianto questa settimana.” — “I have cried.”

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 pianto questa settimana.” — “He has cried.”

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 pianto questa settimana.” — “We have cried.”

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 pianto questa settimana.” — “You have cried.”

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 pianto questa settimana.” — “They have cried.”

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 pianto questa settimana.” — “He has cried”
  • Imperfect: “Lui piangeva una volta.” — “He used to cry”
  • 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 pianto questa settimana.” — “I have cried”
  • Imperfect: “Io piangevo una volta.” — “I used to cry”
  • 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 pianto questa settimana.” — “You have cried”
  • Imperfect: “Tu piangevi una volta.” — “You used to cry”
  • 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: piangere 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 pianto questa settimana.” — “I have cried”
  2. “Tu hai pianto questa settimana.” — “You have cried”
  3. “Lui ha pianto questa settimana.” — “He has cried”
  4. “Noi abbiamo pianto questa settimana.” — “We have cried”
  5. “Voi avete pianto questa settimana.” — “You have cried”
  6. “Loro hanno pianto questa settimana.” — “They have cried”
  7. “Io ho pianto questa settimana.” — “I have cried”
  8. “Lui ha pianto questa settimana.” — “He has cried”

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

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 piangere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does piangere mean in English?

piangere means “to cry”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb.

How is the passato prossimo of piangere formed?

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

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 piangere?

The gerund is piangendo and the past participle is pianto. The perfect tenses use avere + pianto.

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