Italiano — Absolute participle
The past participle can open a clause on its own, expressing an action completed before the main one, as in finito il lavoro or uscita di casa. It agrees in gender and number with its subject.
How it works
The participle stands at the head of the clause and the noun that would be its subject or object follows it: finito il lavoro, siamo usciti (once the work was finished, we went out). The participle agrees with that noun in gender and number — finito il lavoro (masc. sing.), finita la cena (fem. sing.), arrivati gli ospiti (masc. pl.), lette le lettere (fem. pl.).
Examples
| Construction | Agreement | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| finito il lavoro | masc. sing. | once the work was finished |
| finita la cena | fem. sing. | once dinner was over |
| arrivati gli ospiti | masc. pl. | once the guests had arrived |
| lette le lettere | fem. pl. | once the letters had been read |
| uscita di casa, Maria... | fem. sing. (subject Maria) | having left the house, Maria... |
| partiti i ragazzi | masc. pl. | once the boys had left |
Good to know
With a transitive participle the noun that follows is its object, but the participle still agrees with it: lette le lettere, non letto le lettere. With intransitive verbs of movement the noun is the subject: partiti i ragazzi, arrivata la nave. A frequent mistake is leaving the participle invariable, as in *finito la cena — Italian requires finita la cena.