Aspettavi

Aspettavi is the second person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb aspettare, meaning to wait or to expect. In ordinary usage it translates as you were waiting or you used to wait, and it can also express a past sense of expectation in contexts where the action is viewed as ongoing or repeated.

Usage and nuances: The imperfect is used to describe past actions without specifying their beginning or end, to set a scene, or to describe habitual behavior. Aspettavi often appears with time expressions or subordinate clauses: for example, aspettavi il treno (you were waiting for the train) or aspettavi una risposta che non arrivava (you were waiting for an answer that never came). It is transitive and commonly takes a direct object, such as aspettavi una risposta or aspettavi qualcuno.

Forms and related forms: The verb aspettare belongs to the first-conjugation group ending in -are. Beyond aspettavi, other imperfect forms include aspettavo (io), aspettavi (tu), aspettava (lui/lei), aspettavamo (noi), aspettavate (voi), aspettavano (loro). The related reflexive form aspettarsi exists in a different sense, meaning to expect or to anticipate something, as in mi aspettavo una migliore sorpresa.

Etymology: Aspettare derives from Latin exspectare, meaning to look out for or to await. The Italian form retains the sense of awaiting, with the consonant cluster reflecting historical phonetic developments from Latin.

See also: Aspettare, Aspettarsi, Italian imperfect indicative.