Il dipinto autentico è stato acquistato all'asta.
The authentic painting was acquired at the auction.
Breakdown of Il dipinto autentico è stato acquistato all'asta.
essere
to be
a
to / at
il dipinto
painting
autentico
authentic
acquistare
to acquire
l'asta
auction
Questions & Answers about Il dipinto autentico è stato acquistato all'asta.
Why are there three parts to the verb ("è stato acquistato") in this sentence?
This is the passive voice in a compound tense (the passato prossimo). In the passive voice, the auxiliary verb is always essere (to be). To say "was", we use the passato prossimo of essere, which is è stato. Then, we add the past participle of the main verb, acquistato (acquired).
Does the past participle acquistato need to agree with the subject?
Yes! Because this is a passive sentence built with the auxiliary verb essere, the main past participle (acquistato) must agree in gender and number with the subject, il dipinto (masculine singular). If the subject were plural, like i dipinti, the whole verb phrase would become sono stati acquistati. Notice that stato also changes to match!
In some passive sentences we can use venire instead of essere. Can we say "è venuto acquistato"?
No, you cannot use venire here. While venire can often replace essere in the passive voice to emphasize the action, it can only be used in simple tenses (like the present or imperfect). Because this sentence uses a compound tense (the passato prossimo), you must use essere.
Why does "at the auction" translate to all'asta?
Asta is a feminine noun starting with a vowel, so "the auction" is l'asta. To say "at the", you combine the preposition a (at/to) with the definite article l'. a + l' combines to form the articulated preposition all'.
Could I use comprato instead of acquistato?
Yes, absolutely. Acquistato comes from acquistare, and comprato comes from comprare. They both mean "bought" or "purchased". Acquistare sounds slightly more formal, which fits well with buying authentic paintings at an auction, but they are practically interchangeable in everyday Italian.
Learn Il dipinto autentico è stato acquistato all'asta and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free