Insegnare il trapassato prossimo a madrelingua polacchi
Teaching the Italian "Trapassato Prossimo" Tense to Polish Native Speakers

Summary/Abstract: The Italian pluperfect (trapassato prossimo) differs from other past tenses due to the fact that it implies a point of reference situated in the past. Although it is frequently used in both written and spoken language, little space is devoted to this tense in textbooks of Italian for foreigners. This can be explained by taking into consideration the following two factors: on the one hand, the Italian pluperfect usually can be substituted by other tenses (like the present perfect, passato prossimo, and preterite, passato remoto); on the other hand, the choice of the speaker to use this tense is often difficult to explain. In other words, the abovementioned point of reference is sometimes difficult to locate. A full comprehension of the Italian pluperfect can be problematic for a Polish speaker, as contemporary Polish does not have tenses with similar functions. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the teaching of the Italian pluperfect to Polish students, highlighting some linguistic issues that should be considered by the teacher.

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