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Register shift: passato remoto in southern/written Italian

Register shift: passato remoto in southern/written Italian

Structure:

In formal/literary or southern Italian, passato remoto replaces passato prossimo for remote events

In northern Italian speech, passato prossimo is used even for distant past; passato remoto is more common in formal writing and in southern Italy.

Example:

Dante nacque a Firenze nel 1265. **Translation:** Dante was born in Florence in 1265.

Examples

Dante nacque a Firenze nel 1265.

Dante was born in Florence in 1265.

Practice

Question 1 of 20 correct

Which grammar pattern does this sentence use? "Dante nacque a Firenze nel 1265."

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