The imperfetto (imperfect tense) is used to describe actions or situations in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or descriptive. Think of it as the “background” tense in Italian. For English speakers, it’s like saying “I was doing something” or “I used to do something.” Here’s how to use it, step by step:
1. When to Use the Imperfetto
The imperfetto is used in these situations:
- Describing ongoing or repeated actions in the past
- When something was happening over a period of time:
- Io leggevo un libro. (I was reading a book.)
- Ogni giorno andavamo a scuola. (Every day we went to school.)
- When something was happening over a period of time:
- Describing habits in the past
- Actions you used to do:
- Da bambino, giocavo sempre a calcio. (As a child, I always played soccer.)
- Mangiava sempre tardi. (He used to eat late.)
- Actions you used to do:
- Setting the scene or describing conditions in the past
- Describing what the weather, people, or places were like:
- Era una giornata soleggiata. (It was a sunny day.)
- La casa era grande e bella. (The house was big and beautiful.)
- Describing what the weather, people, or places were like:
- When something was happening and another action interrupted it
- Use imperfetto for the ongoing action and passato prossimo for the interruption:
- Io studiavo quando lui è arrivato. (I was studying when he arrived.)
- Use imperfetto for the ongoing action and passato prossimo for the interruption:
2. How to Form the Imperfetto
The imperfetto is easy to form because it’s regular for almost all verbs.
Steps to Conjugate the Imperfetto
- Take the verb’s root (remove -are, -ere, or -ire).
- Add these endings:
| Subject | -are | -ere | -ire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io | -avo | -evo | -ivo |
| Tu | -avi | -evi | -ivi |
| Lui/Lei | -ava | -eva | -iva |
| Noi | -avamo | -evamo | -ivamo |
| Voi | -avate | -evate | -ivate |
| Loro | -avano | -evano | -ivano |
3. Examples
-ARE Verb: Parlare (to talk)
- Io parlavo (I was talking)
- Tu parlavi (You were talking)
- Lui/Lei parlava (He/She was talking)
- Noi parlavamo (We were talking)
- Voi parlavate (You all were talking)
- Loro parlavano (They were talking)
-ERE Verb: Leggere (to read)
- Io leggevo (I was reading)
- Tu leggevi (You were reading)
- Lui/Lei leggeva (He/She was reading)
- Noi leggevamo (We were reading)
- Voi leggevate (You all were reading)
- Loro leggevano (They were reading)
-IRE Verb: Dormire (to sleep)
- Io dormivo (I was sleeping)
- Tu dormivi (You were sleeping)
- Lui/Lei dormiva (He/She was sleeping)
- Noi dormivamo (We were sleeping)
- Voi dormivate (You all were sleeping)
- Loro dormivano (They were sleeping)
4. Irregular Verbs
A few verbs are irregular in the imperfetto, but they’re easy to memorize:
Essere (to be)
- Io ero (I was)
- Tu eri (You were)
- Lui/Lei era (He/She was)
- Noi eravamo (We were)
- Voi eravate (You all were)
- Loro erano (They were)
Fare (to do/make)
- Io facevo (I used to do)
- Tu facevi (You used to do)
- Lui/Lei faceva (He/She used to do)
- Noi facevamo (We used to do)
- Voi facevate (You all used to do)
- Loro facevano (They used to do)
5. Practice Sentences
- Io giocavo con i miei amici ogni pomeriggio. (I used to play with my friends every afternoon.)
- Noi stavamo a casa quando ha iniziato a piovere. (We were at home when it started to rain.)
- Da bambino, mangiavo molti dolci. (As a child, I used to eat a lot of sweets.)
- Lei era molto gentile con tutti. (She was very kind to everyone.)
6. Common Time Expressions with Imperfetto
These phrases often go with the imperfetto:
- Sempre = Always
- Di solito = Usually
- Ogni giorno = Every day
- Spesso = Often
- Da bambino/a = As a child
