Sometimes thinking about the past is not a simple thing. Imagine talking about it in Italian! Scary, isn't it?
Just kidding.
In case you were wondering, Italians juggle three main past tenses when talking about the past: the passato prossimo, the passato remoto, and the imperfetto. Let's forget about the first two today (by the way I have written an article about passato prossimo if you’re curious to know more about this tense) and just focus on the imperfetto.
In this article, I am going to tell you:
1. What Imperfetto is
2. When to use it
3. How to use it
4. Key adverbs that introduce Imperfetto
And finally, I am also going to challenge you with a Final Quiz!
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
1. What Imperfetto is
First of all, have you ever wondered why this tense is called this way? Is it really “imperfect” as it seems?
You must know that this tense describes past actions in their unfolding, without indicating a definite beginning or end, thus presenting the action as unfinished (“imperfect”) in contrast to perfective tenses such as the passato prossimo or the passato remoto, which describe actions that are completed and confined to a specific timeframe.
e.g.
• Diego guardava fuori dalla finestra quando suonarono alla sua porta. (Diego was looking out the window when someone knocked at his door.)
2. When to use it
Thus, you will mostly use it:
1) To describe past events or dreams
e.g.:
• La signora indossava un vestito verde e aveva i capelli biondi. (The lady was wearing a green dress and had blonde hair.)
• Ho sognato che partivo e mi dimenticavo il cellulare a casa. (I dreamt that I was leaving and had left my phone at home.)
2) To tell stories. Indeed, each and every fairy tale in Italian starts with C’era una volta (once upon a time) and it continues using Imperfetto.
e.g.:
• C’era una volta una principessa che viveva in un castello incantato. (Once upon a time, there a princess who lived in an enchanted castle.)
3) To talk about past habits or actions that we used to repeatedly do in the past.
e.g.:
• Quando ero bambino, andavo sempre al mare. (When I was a kid, I would always go to the sea.)
4) To soften a request in the present
e.g.:
While walking into a shop you would probably find yourself saying something like: • Buongiorno, cercavo una borsa di pelle. (Good morning, I am looking for a leather bag).
This is actually happening right now! You are not describing what you were looking for in the past. You want that bag in this right moment.
3. How to use it
Ok, let’s now see the conjugation of this tense.
As you know, in Italian we have 3 main conjugations of verbs.
One ending in –ARE in the infinitive form, the second one ending in –ERE and the third one ending in –IRE.
Let's see how to conjugate a regular verb of the 1st kind of conjugation
(-ARE)! • Amare (to love)
Io am-avo
Tu am-avi
Lui/lei am-ava
Noi am-avamo
Voi am-avate
Loro am-avano
The vowel prevailing, as you can see, is “a”.
In the second conjugation, instead, it prevails the vowel “e”
(-ERE). • Leggere (to read)
Io legg-evo
Tu legg-evi
Lui/lei legg-eva
Noi legg-evamo
Voi legg-evate
Loro legg-evano
And lastly, in the third conjugation, it prevails the vowel “i”
(-IRE). • Dormire (to sleep)
Io dorm-ivo
Tu dorm-ivi
Lui/lei dorm-iva
Noi dorm-ivamo
Voi dorm-ivate
Loro dorm-ivano
A typical feature of the Imperfetto is that you can always recognize its form by the consonant “v”, which appears together with the so-called thematic vowel we have already seen (a, e, i).
What about the backbone verbs of the Italian language: essere and avere, instead?
• Essere (to be)
Io ero
Tu eri
Lui/lei era
Noi eravamo
Voi eravate
Loro erano
• Avere (to have)
Io avevo
Tu avevi
Lui/lei aveva
Noi avevamo
Voi avevate
Loro avevano
Don't be surprised by the stems of the verbs in the conjugation, they derive directly from Latin, so you will simply need to learn them by heart.
4. Key adverbs that introduce Imperfetto
The Imperfetto is often introduced (or strongly suggested) by adverbs and time expressions that indicate:
• habit
• repetition
• duration
• background description
They don’t automatically require the Imperfetto, but they very often trigger it.
Adverbs of habit / repetition
These are the most typical ones:
• sempre (always)
• spesso (often)
• di solito (usually)
• ogni giorno / ogni estate / ogni anno (every day / summer / year)
Time expressions indicating an ongoing period in the past
• mentre (while)
• quando (when – background situation)
• all’epoca / a quel tempo (at the time)
These adverbs and expressions don’t “cause” the Imperfetto, but they often signal background, repetition, or ongoing situations, which is exactly what the Imperfetto expresses.
5. Final Quiz
It is now your time to practice what you have learned!
Are you ready?
You will find 10 questions to answer and don’t forget to respond in the comment section down below!
1. Da bambino, Sergio ______ (scrivere) tante lettere alla mamma.
2. Ho sognato che ______ (andare) a vivere a New York per lavoro.
3. Mia nonna mi ______ (dire) sempre di essere gentile con gli altri bambini.
4. Quando ______ (io, vivere) a Madrid, ______ (io, mangiare) spesso tortillas.
5. Nel 1995, Camilla ______ (lavorare) come cameriera per pagarsi gli studi.
6. Mio nonno ______ (spedire) moltissime lettere d’amore a mia nonna quando ______ (essere) fidanzati.
7. Salve, ______ (io, cercare) un vestito da cerimonia.
8. Mia mamma ______ (vestirsi*) sempre di giallo quando ______ (io, ero) bambina. *Pay attention: this verb is reflexive
That is all for today’s lesson!
I hope you found this article useful and that it clarified some of your doubts about the Imperfetto.
Of course, if you have any questions or other topics you would like me to cover, let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for reading this article!
If you want to learn more about me, feel free to check out my profile. Ciao!
Germana
