Article / Updated 12-14-2022
Of the 14 verb tenses in Italian, four are compound. A compound verb tense means that more than one verb is involved: You form them with a helping verb (essere, to be, or avere, to have), which is conjugated, and the past participle of another verb (mangiato, eaten; stato, was; dormito, slept). You translate Italian compound tenses according to the tense of the helping verb.