When talking about awards, interviews, and sudden fame, you often need to explain why someone is being recognized. In Italian, you can express the reason for a past action using per followed by the past infinitive.
The Past Infinitive
The past infinitive (infinito passato) describes an action completed before the main verb. Form it using the infinitive of the helper verb (avere or essere) plus the past participle.
Note: It is standard to drop the final e of avere before the past participle, shortening it to aver.
| The actor became a celebrity for having made an extraordinary debut. | L'attore è diventato una celebrità per aver fatto un esordio straordinario. |
If the verb normally requires essere as its helper (such as verbs of motion), use the infinitive essere. Remember that with essere, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the person who performed the action.
| The actor shocked the whole city for having arrived in pajamas. | L'attore ha scioccato tutta la città per essere arrivato in pigiama. |
Reactions and Awards
Use per + the past infinitive (translating to "for having [done something]") to express praise, nominations, or personal reactions to what artists have accomplished.
| I liked the actor for having answered every question. | L'attore mi è piaciuto per aver risposto a ogni domanda. |
| They acclaimed the author for having written increasingly beautiful novels. | Hanno acclamato l'autore per aver scritto romanzi sempre più belli. |
| They nominated you for having reached an extraordinary milestone! | Ti hanno nominato per aver raggiunto un traguardo straordinario! |
| The revelation won the trophy for having made a great debut. | La rivelazione ha vinto il trofeo per aver fatto un grande esordio. |