Fatto

Fatto is an Italian word with two main uses. As the past participle of the verb fare, it means “done” or “made” and is used to form compound tenses such as ho fatto or avevo fatto. When it appears before a noun as an adjective, fatto can express that something is completed, as in un lavoro fatto or una casa fatta. It also exists as a masculine noun meaning “fact” or “event” (i fatti).

Origin and cognates: fatto derives from Latin facere, through the development of the Romance languages. It is cognate with French fait and Spanish hecho, and the English word fact ultimately comes from the same Latin root factum. The Italian form shows the common -tto participial suffix used on many past participles.

Grammar and usage: as an adjective, fatto agrees with the noun in gender and number: un fatto (masc. sing.), una cosa fatta (fem. sing.), fatti (masc. pl.), fatte (fem. pl.). As a noun, fatto is masculine and plural i fatti, meaning “fact” or “event.” Examples include “È successo un fatto importante” and “che fatto è stato…” In everyday language, phrases such as “fatto in casa” (homemade) or “fatto su misura” (tailor-made) are common.

Common expressions: a frequent construction is “Il fatto è che…” meaning “The fact is that…” The term also appears in media and literature in titles or headlines, reflecting its dual sense as both an action-related participle and a factual event.

In Italian usage, fatto thus covers both grammatical forms and semantic zones, connecting actions with their outcomes and with information about reality. A well-known example in contemporary Italian is Il Fatto Quotidiano, a publication whose name echoes this sense of fact.