When forming the passato prossimo, which auxiliary verb should be used—avere or essere? How do you decide? Compound tenses such as the passato prossimo are formed with the present indicative of the auxiliary verb avere or essere and the past participle (participio passato).

Transitive Verbs Take Avere

Transitive verbs are those that take a direct object. For instance:

Io ho mangiato una pera. (I ate a pear.)

Loro hanno già studiato la lezione. (They already studied the lesson.)

Non ho mai visto Genova. (I