Estendavamo

Estendavamo is a form found in Italian that is often discussed in relation to the verb estendere, meaning to extend, stretch, or widen. In standard Italian, the first-person plural imperfect indicative is estendevamo. The spelling estendavamo is generally considered nonstandard or dialectal, arising from a mistaken analogy with the imparfait endings of -are verbs. The standard conjugation for the imperfect of estendere follows the pattern estendevamo, estendevate, estendevano.

Etymology and conjugation: Estendere comes from Latin extendere. The imperfect forms in standard Italian are: io estendevo, tu estendevi, lui/lei estendeva, noi estendevamo, voi estendevate, loro estendevano. The imperfect expresses ongoing or habitual action in the past.

Usage: The form estendevamo is used to describe actions that were in progress or recurring in the past. It is used in narration to set a past scene, or to convey repeated past activity. Because estendavamo is not the normative spelling, writers and editors typically prefer estendevamo in formal contexts.

Examples:

- Noi estendevamo la tovaglia sul tavolo per preparare la cena.

- Mentre camminavamo, estendevamo la mano per indicare la direzione.

Variant and notes: In some regional dialects or informal speech, estendavamo may appear, but it is generally encountered as an observed nonstandard form. When teaching or documenting standard Italian grammar, the correct form to use is estendevamo. The distinction mirrors broader patterns between -ere and -are verb conjugations in the imperfect.

See also: Italian verbs, estendere, imperfect indicative.