Decidessi

Decidessi is the Italian verb form of decidere (to decide) in the congiuntivo imperfetto, the imperfect subjunctive mood. It serves to express hypothetical, uncertain, or non-real actions in subordinate clauses, often linked to past-time contexts or to expressions of doubt, emotion, possibility, or necessity. The form is used in writing and formal speech, and appears in literature more frequently than in everyday casual conversation.

Morphology and forms: The imperfect subjunctive endings for decidere yield decidessi for io and tu, decidesse for lui/lei, decidessimo for noi, decideste for voi, and decidessero for loro. Therefore, the common forms include io decidessi, tu decidessi, lui decidesse, noi decidessimo, voi decideste, loro decidessero. The form you use depends on the subject of the subordinate clause and the main clause’s tense.

Usage notes: In contemporary Italian, speakers often prefer the congiuntivo presente in many present-time contexts, but the congiuntivo imperfetto remains standard in past-time scenarios, literary writing, or more formal registers. It appears after verbs and expressions of doubt, hope, opinion, necessity, or after conditional or hypothetical clauses.

Examples:

- Sperava che decideste di unirvi al progetto. (He hoped that you all would decide to join the project.)

- Se decidessi di partire, te lo direi. (If I were to decide to leave, I would tell you.)

- Era improbabile che decidesse subito. (It was unlikely that he would decide immediately.)

- Non credevo che decidessi di farlo. (I didn’t believe that you would decide to do it.)

Decidessi thus functions as a specific, past-oriented subjunctive form, essential for expressing nuanced hypothetical or subordinate meanings in Italian.