Raccontavo

Raccontavo is the first-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb raccontare, meaning to tell or to recount. It corresponds to the English “I was telling” or “I used to tell,” and is used to describe actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or background to a narrative.

Morphology and forms: For regular -are verbs, the imperfect endings are -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano. Therefore, insieme a raccontare, the forms include raccontavo (io), raccontavi (tu), raccontava (lui/lei), raccontavamo (noi), raccontavate (voi), raccontavano (loro). The infinitive is raccontare; the present participle is raccontando; the past participle is raccontato.

Usage and function: The imperfect is used to set scenes, describe ongoing past actions, or indicate habitual behavior. It often appears in narrative contexts to provide background before switching to the passato prossimo or other tenses. Example: “Quando ero bambino, raccontavo storie ai miei amici” translates as “When I was a child, I used to tell stories to my friends.” The imperfect can also convey repetition or customary states in the past.

Etymology: The verb raccontare derives from the Latin narrare (“to tell, to relate”), adapted into Italian through historical development of -are verbs. Raccontare and its forms, including racconto and raccontava, are standard components of Italian verb conjugation.

See also: Italian verb conjugation, imperfect indicative, raccontare.