Verbi ausiliari in inglese

Verbi ausiliari in inglese: gli aiutanti dei verbi

The verbs ausiliari in inglese sono un po’ as degli assistenti speciali. Non hanno un significato proprio se usati da soli, ma sono fondamentali per costruire domande, phrases negative, tempi composti e forme passive.

Immagina un verb ausiliare as un partner che si affianca al verb principale per dargli una mano. Senza di loro, la grammatica inglese sarebbe molto più complicata!

The three main auxiliaries so no:

Let's see them one by one.

The auxiliary verb to be

To be it is the king of auxiliaries. We use it to create progressive times (those who end up in -ing) e la passive form.

Progressive times (continuous tentses)

Questi tempi servono per descrivere azioni in corso in un momento specifico.

Present continuous

Azione che sta accadendo now.

Soggetto + am/is/are + verb principale + -ing

Examples:

  • The am reading a book. (I'm reading a book.)
  • She is watching TV. (You are watching TV.)
  • They are playing football. (They are thu can do to football.)
Past continuous

Azione che era in corso nel passato.

Soggetto + was/were + verb principale + -ing

Examples:

  • The was sleeping when you called. (I was sleeping when you called.)
  • They were having dinner at 7 pM (They were having dinner at 19:00.)

Passive form (passive voice)

The passive form si usa quando l’attenzione è sull’azione subita dal soggetto, non su chi la compie.

Subject + to be (married) + past participle of main verb

Examples:

  • The so ng wAS written by him. (The can zone was written by him.)
  • This house is be ing built right now. (This house is built right now.)

The auxiliary verb to have

To have è l’ausiliare che crea i tempi perfetti, per parlare di azioni completate o che hanno un legame con il this.

Perfect times (Perfect tenses)

Present perfect

Azione iniziata nel passato che ha un risultato o un legame con il this.

Soggetto + have/has + past participle of main verb

Examples:

  • The have finished my homework. (I finished my homework.)
  • She has never be en to London. (You have never been to London.)
Past perfect

Azione che si è conclusa prima di un’altra azione passata.

Subject + had + past participle of main verb

Examples:

  • He had left before I arrived. (Era già andato via prima che arrivassi.)
  • They had eaten all the cake. (Avevano mangiato tutta la torta.)

The auxiliary verb to do

To do it is a very special auxiliary. It is mainly used to build negative sentences and interrogative in this is in the simple past.

Present simple & past simple

Tipo di phrasePresent simplePast simple
AffirmativeI like coffee.She went to the cinema.
NegativeThe do not (don't) like coffee.She did not (didn't) go to the cinema.
InterrogativeDo you like coffee?Did she go to the cinema?

Attention: in interrogative form and negative, the main verb torna sempre alla sua form base, senza coniugazione.

  • He does not like pizza. (It is not: He does not likes pizza.)
  • Did you if it's hIM? (It is not: Did you saw him?)

Tabella dei verbi ausiliari in inglese

Here is a ta be the summary that helps you to view the function of each auxiliary.

AuxiliaryTime/formExample
To bePresent continuousThe am studying.
Past continuousYou were reading.
Passive formThe car was stolen.
To havePresent perfectWe have bought to new car.
Past perfectHe had seen the movie.
To doPresent simple (Neg/int)Do you work here?
Past simple (Neg/int)She didn't call me.

Ricorda che i verbi ausiliari inglesi sono un po’ as le fondamenta di una casa: all’inizio possono sembrare complicati, ma una volta che capisci a cosa servono, ti accorgerai che rendono la costruzione delle phrases molto più logica e semplice!

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