Introduction

Valere means “to be worth”, and this page covers exactly one thing: valere 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 valere, 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 valere in the passato prossimo. It is the verb for being worth something, and it is mostly used in the third person, as in asking what something is worth. Its present is irregular with a velar stem, so the io form is valgo, its future stem is varr-, so the future is varrò, and its participle is valso. It takes essere in the passato prossimo. For example: “Lui è valso molto questa settimana.” — “He has been worth a lot.” Everything on this page uses the forms of valere exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Valere in the Passato prossimo — full table

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

How the passato prossimo of valere is formed

The passato prossimo of valere is formed with the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle valso: io sono valso, tu sei valso, lui è valso, noi siamo valso, voi siete valso, loro sono valso. 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 valso — not a regular -uto form — and the auxiliary is essere: io sono valso. The irregularity of valere lives in the present and the future, but the passato prossimo needs only the participle valso and the auxiliary essere.

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

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use valere 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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “I have been worth a lot.”

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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “He has been worth a lot.”

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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “We have been worth a lot.”

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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “You have been worth a lot.”

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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “They have been worth a lot.”

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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “He has been worth a lot”
  • Imperfect: “Lui valeva molto una volta.” — “He used to be worth a lot”
  • 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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “I have been worth a lot”
  • Imperfect: “Io valevo molto una volta.” — “I used to be worth a lot”
  • 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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “You have been worth a lot”
  • Imperfect: “Tu valevi molto una volta.” — “You used to be worth a lot”
  • 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: valere 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 valso molto questa settimana.” — “I have been worth a lot”
  2. “Tu sei valso molto questa settimana.” — “You have been worth a lot”
  3. “Lui è valso molto questa settimana.” — “He has been worth a lot”
  4. “Noi siamo valso molto questa settimana.” — “We have been worth a lot”
  5. “Voi siete valso molto questa settimana.” — “You have been worth a lot”
  6. “Loro sono valso molto questa settimana.” — “They have been worth a lot”
  7. “Io sono valso molto questa settimana.” — “I have been worth a lot”
  8. “Lui è valso molto questa settimana.” — “He has been worth a lot”

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

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 valere in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does valere mean in English?

valere means “to be worth”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb.

How is the passato prossimo of valere formed?

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

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 valere?

The gerund is valendo and the past participle is valso. The perfect tenses use essere + valso.

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