Italian conjugation explanation

Which auxiliary verb to use for 'correre'?

<p>The verb

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/correre/" title="Click to see conjugations for correre" target="_blank">correre</a>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/avere/" title="Click to see conjugations for avere" target="_blank">avere</a>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ita/essere/" title="Click to see conjugations for essere" target="_blank">essere</a>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/123/" target="_blank">Passato prossimo</a>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Emphasis on the Goal (Essere)</div>

<p>The auxiliary <span style="font-style: italic;">essere</span> is used when the sentence indicates motion towards a <strong>destination</strong> or a specific <strong>goal</strong>. In this context, the focus is on the result of the movement (i.e., changing location).</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Mio padre <span class="green_emphasis">&egrave; corso</span> gi&ugrave; per le scale <span class="brown_emphasis">fino al seminterrato</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">My father ran down the stairs to the basement.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Noi <span class="green_emphasis">siamo corsi</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">a prendere l'ultimo treno</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We ran to catch the last train.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Appena hanno saputo la notizia, <span class="green_emphasis">sono corsi</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">a casa</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">As soon as they heard the news, they ran home.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Note: When using <span style="font-style: italic;">essere</span>, the past participle of the verb must agree in gender and number with the subject (e.g., <span style="font-style: italic;">lei &egrave; cors<strong>a</strong></span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">noi siamo cors<strong>i</strong></span>).</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Emphasis on the Action (Avere)</div>

<p>The auxiliary <span style="font-style: italic;">avere</span> is used when the emphasis is on the <strong>action itself</strong> (the physical act of running, duration, or manner) rather than the destination.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Io <span class="green_emphasis">ho corso</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">pi&ugrave; veloce che potevo</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I ran as fast as I could.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">I bambini <span class="green_emphasis">hanno corso</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">tutto il pomeriggio</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The children ran all afternoon.</span>)</div>

<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Avere</span> is also used whenever <span style="font-style: italic;">correre</span> has a <strong>direct object</strong> (transitive use).</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Lei <span class="green_emphasis">ha corso</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">il rischio</span> di fare un incidente. (<span style="font-style: italic;">She ran the risk of having an accident.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Lui <span class="green_emphasis">ha corso</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">la maratona</span> di Roma. (<span style="font-style: italic;">He ran the Rome marathon.</span>)</div>

<p>You can learn more about other verbs that behave this way in our guide to

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/italian_wrong_variable_auxiliary_verb/" target="_blank">variable auxiliary verbs</a>