Lesson 19 of 40 · win the Time Traveller badge
Ieri ho mangiato — il passato prossimo
Talking about yesterday
The photo album is glowing and yesterday is playing inside it. Tell the story before the pictures fade.
🎯 By the end you can…
- Say what you did yesterday
- Choose avere or essere
- Ask about someone's weekend
🎬 Listen to the scene
Tap a line to hear it, then say it back louder than Luna barks.
What did you do at the weekend?
I went to the seaside and ate a piadina.
Lucky you!
🔑 Two pieces: helper + participle
- -are → -ato: parlare → parlato
- -ere → -uto: credere → creduto
- -ire → -ito: dormire → dormito
- Irregulars to learn now: fatto, detto, letto, scritto, preso, visto, stato
🧩 avere or essere?
- Most verbs: ho mangiato, ho visto, abbiamo giocato
- Movement and change verbs use essere and agree: sono andato / andata, siamo usciti / uscite
- Essere group: andare, venire, uscire, entrare, partire, arrivare, restare, nascere, essere, stare
🤯 Wow fact
Verbs of movement use essere and the ending changes: «sono andato» if you're a boy, «sono andata» if you're a girl.
🗣️ Say it fast, say it silly
Ho mangiato, sono andato, abbiamo visto!
Three times in a row without tripping = you win.
🧠 Puzzle time
Answer in your head first, then tap to check. 0 of 5 checked
Put into the passato prossimo.
😂 Barzelletta — Luna's joke
Cosa hai fatto ieri?
🚀 Your mission today
Tell someone three things you did today, in Italian, before bed.
🎲 Play it with someone
Weekend chain interview
Every student asks the next one «Cosa hai fatto sabato?» and must add one follow-up question (Dove? Con chi? Ti è piaciuto?).
Alibi game
Two students are suspects; they agree on last night's story in a breakout room, then the class questions them separately in the past tense.
For teachers & grown-ups
The best A1 past-tense activity there is; allow ten minutes for planning.
🧪 End-of-lesson quiz
Eight quick questions. Get 6 right to win the Time Traveller badge.
This lesson belongs to Unit 7 — Real conversations. Pass every quiz in the unit — and know 1000 words — to be promoted to the next level.
💪 Keep the streak going
- Type it, Set 8 — write what you hear in the past
- Tell someone three things you did today, in Italian
Word sets for this lesson
