Introduction

Salire means “to go up”, and this page covers exactly one thing: salire 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 salire, 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 salire in the passato prossimo. It is the verb for going up, climbing stairs or getting on a train, and its present is irregular: the io form is salgo, the tu form is sali and the loro form is salgono, while noi saliamo and voi salite keep the plain stem. It takes essere in the passato prossimo, and its opposite is scendere. For example: “Lui è salito questa settimana.” — “He has gone up.” Everything on this page uses the forms of salire exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Salire in the Passato prossimo — full table

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

How the passato prossimo of salire is formed

The passato prossimo of salire is formed with the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle salito: io sono salito, tu sei salito, lui è salito, noi siamo salito, voi siete salito, loro sono salito. 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 participle is salito, and the auxiliary is essere: io sono salito. The irregularity of salire lives in the present, not in the passato prossimo, so this tense is regular once the auxiliary is fixed.

Two things about the passato prossimo of salire are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that salire 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 salito never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of salire 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 salire

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use salire 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 salito questa settimana.” — “I have gone up.”

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 salito questa settimana.” — “He has gone up.”

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 salito questa settimana.” — “We have gone up.”

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 salito questa settimana.” — “You have gone up.”

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 salito questa settimana.” — “They have gone up.”

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 salito questa settimana.” — “He has gone up”
  • Imperfect: “Lui saliva una volta.” — “He used to go up”
  • 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 salito questa settimana.” — “I have gone up”
  • Imperfect: “Io salivo una volta.” — “I used to go up”
  • 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 salito questa settimana.” — “You have gone up”
  • Imperfect: “Tu salivi una volta.” — “You used to go up”
  • 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: salire 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 salito questa settimana.” — “I have gone up”
  2. “Tu sei salito questa settimana.” — “You have gone up”
  3. “Lui è salito questa settimana.” — “He has gone up”
  4. “Noi siamo salito questa settimana.” — “We have gone up”
  5. “Voi siete salito questa settimana.” — “You have gone up”
  6. “Loro sono salito questa settimana.” — “They have gone up”
  7. “Io sono salito questa settimana.” — “I have gone up”
  8. “Lui è salito questa settimana.” — “He has gone up”

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

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 salire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does salire mean in English?

salire means “to go up”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ire verb.

How is the passato prossimo of salire formed?

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

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 salire?

The gerund is salendo and the past participle is salito. The perfect tenses use essere + salito.

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