To talk about how much time an action took in the past, use the passato prossimo of either volerci or metterci. The one you choose changes the grammar completely!
Volerci: The time is the subject
When you use volerci (it takes), the amount of time is the subject of the sentence. It uses the auxiliary verb essere, and the past participle (voluto) must agree with the time in gender and number.
- For a singular amount of time, use c'è voluto (masculine) or c'è voluta (feminine):
| How much time did it take to prepare for the theoretical exam? | Quanto tempo c'è voluto per preparare l'esame teorico? |
- For plural amounts of time, use ci sono voluti (masculine) or ci sono volute (feminine):
| It took three months to pass the theoretical quizzes. | Ci sono voluti tre mesi per superare i quiz teorici. |
| It took two weeks to find a new instructor. | Ci sono volute due settimane per trovare un nuovo istruttore. |
Metterci: The person is the subject
When using metterci (to spend/take time), the subject is the person who spent the time. It uses the auxiliary verb avere.
Because it uses avere, the past participle messo is invariable—it always ends in -o, regardless of who the subject is or how much time passed.
| I took two months to finish the driving school. | Ci ho messo due mesi per finire l'autoscuola. |
| My instructor took an hour to explain the practical exam. | Il mio istruttore ci ha messo un'ora per spiegare l'esame pratico. |
| We took a week to repair the car's clutch. | Ci abbiamo messo una settimana per riparare la frizione della macchina. |
Driving school vocabulary
When talking about learning to drive, note that verbs like imparare (to learn) and insegnare (to teach) are linked to the following infinitive with the preposition a:
| It took a lot of time to learn to brake and accelerate. | C'è voluto molto tempo per imparare a frenare e ad accelerare. |
And be careful! If you take too long, the examiner (l'esaminatore) might fail you (bocciare):
| The examiner failed me because I took too much time. | L'esaminatore mi ha bocciato perché ci ho messo troppo tempo. |
