"Essere" (to be) and "Avere" (to have)
are called auxiliary verbs; they are called so because they help in the
formation of compound tenses ("essere" + the past
participle of a verb, "avere" + the past participle of a verb) and the
passive construction ("essere" + a verb)
Generally speaking, "avere" is used with Transitive verbs (verbs which take an object) while "essere" is used with Reflexive and Intransitive verbs (verbs of motion, position, physical or mental condition, etc.). Examples:
- Abbiamo venduto la casa » We have
sold the house
- Si è frenata » She restrained
herself
- Voi siete arrivati a tempo » You
arrived on time
"Stare" (to stay, to be) is used as an auxiliary verb with adverbial
participles (so-called gerunds) to form Progresive Tenses:
The present progressive uses the present tense of "stare":
Sto parlando
» I am speaking
The past progressiveuses the imperfect tense of "stare":
Stava leggendo » He
was reading
"Andare" is used in a similar fashion as
an auxiliary verb: Example:
- Andava cantando » He went
around singing
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