The infinito passato (perfect infinitive) is Italian's way of saying "to have done" something. It is formed by combining the infinitive of the auxiliary (avere or essere) with the past participle of the main verb. It expresses an action completed before the action of the main clause — a kind of "past perspective" within the infinitive system.
Once you understand the passato prossimo, the infinito passato is a small step: same auxiliary selection, same participle agreement, just put the auxiliary in the infinitive instead of conjugating it.
Formation
| Auxiliary | Infinitive form |
| Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avere verbs | avere | parlato, mangiato, visto | avere parlato (to have spoken) |
| essere verbs | essere | andato/a/i/e, partito/a/i/e | essere andato (to have gone) |
| reflexive verbs | essere + reflexive enclitic | past participle (agrees) | essersi alzato (to have gotten up) |
Avere verbs — the most common pattern
Most transitive verbs take avere as auxiliary. The participle does not agree with the subject of the implied action.
Penso di aver capito.
I think I've understood.
Mi dispiace di averti svegliato.
I'm sorry to have woken you up.
È bello aver finito gli esami.
It's nice to have finished exams.
(Note on participle agreement with avere: it agrees with a preceding direct-object clitic, not with the subject. Mi dispiace di averti svegliato — invariable; but if "you" were feminine, averti svegliata with feminine agreement on the participle.)
Essere verbs — agreement applies
Verbs that take essere in compound tenses (movement verbs, reflexives, certain "change of state" verbs) keep that auxiliary in the infinito passato. The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the implied action.
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | essere andato | Marco crede di essere arrivato in tempo. |
| feminine singular | essere andata | Maria crede di essere arrivata in tempo. |
| masculine plural | essere andati | I ragazzi credono di essere arrivati in tempo. |
| feminine plural | essere andate | Le ragazze credono di essere arrivate in tempo. |
Sono contenta di essere venuta a questa festa.
I'm glad I came to this party. (female speaker)
Dopo essere usciti dal cinema, abbiamo cenato insieme.
After leaving the cinema, we had dinner together.
Mi pento di essere stata troppo dura con lui.
I regret having been too harsh with him. (female speaker)
The auxiliary selection follows exactly the same rules as the passato prossimo: if the verb takes essere there, it takes essere here.
Reflexive verbs — the enclitic si
For reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of essere as an enclitic, and -e of essere drops:
- alzarsi → essersi alzato/a/i/e
- lavarsi → essersi lavato/a/i/e
- divertirsi → essersi divertito/a/i/e
The participle agrees with the subject as usual for essere verbs.
Dopo essersi alzato, ha preparato il caffè.
After getting up, he made coffee.
Maria è uscita senza essersi pettinata.
Maria left without having combed her hair.
Ci scusiamo per esserci comportati male.
We apologize for having behaved badly.
The reflexive enclitic must agree with the implied subject of the infinitive (essermi for io, esserti for tu, essersi for lui/lei/loro, esserci for noi, esservi for voi). The structure is essere + reflexive pronoun (attached) + participle (agreeing).
| Subject | Form (alzarsi) |
|---|---|
| io (m.) | essermi alzato |
| tu (f.) | esserti alzata |
| lui | essersi alzato |
| lei | essersi alzata |
| noi (m./mixed) | esserci alzati |
| voi (f.) | essersi alzate |
| loro | essersi alzati/e |
Elision: aver and esser
In spoken and written Italian, the final -e of avere and essere is very commonly dropped before the participle, especially when the participle begins with a vowel. This is purely a spoken/written stylistic choice — the meaning does not change.
| Full form | Elided form |
|---|---|
| avere mangiato | aver mangiato |
| avere parlato | aver parlato |
| essere andato | esser andato |
| essere arrivata | esser arrivata |
The elided forms (aver, esser) are if anything more common than the full forms in everyday speech — they sound more natural, less stiff. Both are correct.
Penso di aver fatto bene.
I think I did the right thing.
Sono felice di esser tornato a casa.
I'm happy to be home.
Usage 1: After dopo (after) — required
This is the most common context. Dopo + infinito passato means "after doing something." It is the structural equivalent of English "after V-ing."
Dopo aver mangiato, sono uscito.
After eating, I went out.
Dopo essere arrivati a casa, abbiamo cenato.
After getting home, we had dinner.
Dopo essersi vestita, è scesa per colazione.
After getting dressed, she came down for breakfast.
The infinito passato is required after dopo — never dopo mangiare, dopo arrivare. The reason: dopo by definition refers to a completed prior action, so the verb form must be perfect.
Important constraint: dopo + infinito passato only works when the subject is the same in both clauses. If the subjects differ, use dopo che + finite verb:
Dopo aver mangiato, sono uscito.
After eating (I ate), I went out. — same subject.
Dopo che mio fratello è arrivato, siamo usciti.
After my brother arrived, we went out. — different subjects.
This is one of those rules that seems fussy but is genuinely categorical: you cannot use dopo + infinitive across different subjects.
Usage 2: After per (because of / for having)
Per + infinito passato expresses a causal relationship — "for having done" or "because of having done" something. The action in the infinitive is the cause; the main clause is the consequence.
È stato multato per essere passato col rosso.
He was fined for running a red light. (literally: for having passed with red)
Ti ringrazio per avermi aiutato.
Thank you for helping me. (literally: for having helped me)
Mi sono scusata per essere arrivata in ritardo.
I apologized for arriving late. (female speaker)
This is closely parallel to English "for V-ing" expressing cause: thanked for helping, fined for speeding. Italian uses per + infinito passato.
Usage 3: After verbs of opinion / declaration
When you say I think I've done X, I'm sorry I did X, I believe I've understood, Italian uses di + infinito passato:
Credo di aver capito.
I believe I've understood.
Mi dispiace di averti deluso.
I'm sorry to have disappointed you.
Sono sicura di aver chiuso la porta.
I'm sure I closed the door. (female speaker)
The structure is verb + di + infinito passato when the subjects of both clauses are the same. (When they differ, you switch to che + finite verb: Credo che lui abbia capito.)
Usage 4: After certain adjectives expressing emotion
Adjectives expressing reaction or emotion often take di + infinito passato:
Sono contento di averti rivisto.
I'm glad to have seen you again.
È pentito di essersi comportato così.
He regrets having behaved that way.
Siamo orgogliosi di aver vinto.
We're proud to have won.
When to use infinito passato vs presente
The choice between infinito presente and infinito passato is one of time relation to the main verb:
- Infinito presente: action simultaneous with or after the main verb. Spero di vederti (I hope to see you — future).
- Infinito passato: action completed before the main verb. Spero di averti aiutato (I hope I helped you — past).
Penso di partire domani.
I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow. (future relative to main verb)
Penso di aver fatto un errore.
I think I made a mistake. (past relative to main verb)
The choice is not about absolute time — it is about whether the infinitive's action is before or not before the main clause's action.
Common mistakes
❌ Dopo mangiare, sono uscito.
Incorrect — dopo always requires the perfect infinitive.
✅ Dopo aver mangiato, sono uscito.
Correct — dopo + infinito passato.
❌ Penso di ho capito.
Incorrect — after di you need an infinitive, not a conjugated verb.
✅ Penso di aver capito.
Correct — di + infinito passato to express completed action.
❌ Maria crede di essere arrivato in tempo.
Incorrect — with essere, the participle must agree with the subject (Maria = feminine).
✅ Maria crede di essere arrivata in tempo.
Correct — feminine singular agreement on arrivata.
❌ Dopo aver alzato, ho preparato il caffè. (intended meaning: after I got up)
Incorrect — alzarsi is reflexive; you need essersi alzato.
✅ Dopo essermi alzato, ho preparato il caffè.
Correct — reflexive infinito passato is essersi + agreeing participle.
❌ Dopo aver tu mangiato, siamo usciti.
Incorrect — different subjects (you ate, we went out) cannot use dopo + infinitive.
✅ Dopo che hai mangiato, siamo usciti.
Correct — different subjects require dopo che + finite verb.
❌ Ti ringrazio per aiutarmi.
Incorrect for a thank-you about a completed action — the help has already happened, so the infinitive must be perfect.
✅ Ti ringrazio per avermi aiutato.
Correct — per + infinito passato to express the completed cause (thank-you for having helped me).
Key takeaways
The infinito passato = avere or essere (in infinitive) + past participle. Auxiliary choice and participle agreement follow exactly the passato prossimo rules.
It is required after dopo (after) when the subject is the same as the main clause. It is the natural choice after per for causation, and after verbs of opinion/emotion + di when the action being thought/regretted/described is completed.
Reflexive verbs use essersi + agreeing participle, with the reflexive pronoun varying by subject (essermi, esserti, essersi, esserci, esservi).
The elided forms aver and esser are extremely common in everyday speech and writing — they are not informal or sloppy, just the natural flow of spoken Italian. Use them freely.
Now practice Italian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- L'Infinito: OverviewA1 — The infinito is Italian's most flexible verb form — it serves as the dictionary entry, the second verb in chains, the form after prepositions, a noun in its own right, and the negative tu imperative. Here's the whole landscape.
- Infinitive after PrepositionsA2 — Italian uses the infinitive — never the gerund — after every preposition. Which preposition each verb takes is lexical and must be memorized verb by verb.
- Infinitive: Clitic AttachmentA2 — Clitic pronouns attach to the end of the infinitive, with the infinitive's final -e dropping: vederlo, dirmi, alzarsi. With modal verbs, the clitic can also climb to before the modal — both positions are correct.