In Italian the commonest way of expressing past action (I had, I was, I went, etc.) is to use the Past Perfect, which is made up of the Present Tence of avere (to have) or essere (to be) plus the Past Participle of the verb:
Ho avuto – I had
Sono stato – I was
Sono andato – I went
AVERE - to have
Present Tense
ho
hai
ha
abbiamo
avete
hanno