insegnato

Insegnato is the past participle of the Italian verb insegnare, which means to teach. It is used to form compound tenses with the auxiliary avere, as in ho insegnato, hai insegnato, ha insegnato, abbiamo insegnato, avete insegnato, hanno insegnato. It also appears in passive constructions with the auxiliary essere, for example è stato insegnato, sono stati insegnati.

Etymology and meaning: The verb insegnare derives from Latin insignare, related to insigne meaning a sign or badge. Over time the sense broadened from marking or designating to imparting knowledge, giving the current meaning of teaching in Italian. The past participle insegnato reflects this verb’s meaning in completed teaching actions.

Usage and grammar: When insegnare is used with the auxiliary avere, the participle generally does not change to agree with the subject; agreement occurs only if a direct object precedes the verb. For example: Ho insegnato matematica. La matematica l’ho insegnata. In the first sentence, insegnato stays in masculine singular; in the second, the preceding direct object “la matematica” requires the feminine singular form “insegnata.” In passive voice, the participle agrees with the subject: La lezione è stata insegnata; Gli studenti sono stati insegnati.

Notes: In everyday Italian, insegnato commonly appears in education-related contexts and in phrases describing completed teaching acts. Its use spans all simple and compound tenses, with the usual considerations for agreement in the presence of a preceding direct object and in passive constructions. See also insegnare, Italian verb conjugation, and education terminology in Italian.