When we express opinions, doubts, or emotions (like joy or disappointment) in the present about an action that has already happened, we use the past subjunctive (congiuntivo passato). This is incredibly useful when leaving reviews, discussing bad service, or making customer complaints.
Forming the Past Subjunctive
The past subjunctive is a compound tense. You form it by taking the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb (avere or essere) and adding the past participle of your main verb.
| Pronoun | Avere | Essere |
|---|---|---|
| io, tu, lui/lei | abbia | sia |
| noi | abbiamo | siamo |
| voi | abbiate | siate |
| loro | abbiano | siano |
Complaining about Past Actions
Verbs and expressions that trigger the subjunctive in the present—like credere che (to believe that), dubitare che (to doubt that), or è inaccettabile che (it is unacceptable that)—continue to trigger the subjunctive when talking about the past.
Most verbs use avere as their auxiliary.
| I believe that the courier damaged the package before the delivery. | Credo che il corriere abbia danneggiato il pacco prima della consegna. |
| I doubt that they ignored the complaint, but I demand an answer. | Dubito che abbiano ignorato il reclamo, ma pretendo una risposta. |
Using "Essere" and Making Agreements
Just like in the passato prossimo, verbs of motion, changes of state, and all reflexive verbs (like lamentarsi, to complain) take essere as their auxiliary.
When you use essere, remember that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
| It is strange that he hasn't complained to the support. | È strano che lui non si sia lamentato con l'assistenza. |
This agreement rule also applies when the main verb is essere itself! Its past participle is stato. Notice how stato changes to match the subject in the examples below (e.g., il servizio sia stato vs. l'assistenza sia stata).
| I am very disappointed. It is unacceptable that the service was terrible. | Sono molto deluso. È inaccettabile che il servizio sia stato pessimo. |
| I am sorry that the support was rude. | Mi dispiace che l'assistenza sia stata scortese. |
