Ricevevamo

Ricevevamo is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb ricevere, meaning “we were receiving” or “we used to receive.” It is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene in narrative prose.

In the imperfect, regular -ere verbs form as ricevevo, ricevevi, riceveva, ricevevamo, ricevevate, ricevevano. The stem is riceve-, to which the imperfect endings -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano are added. This yields the characteristic -ve- before the endings in the first-person plural form, with no spelling change beyond the standard endings.

Usage notes: ricevevamo conveys imperfect aspect, signaling that the action of receiving was in progress, repeated, or customary in the past. It frequently appears with temporal expressions such as “quando,” “ogni settimana,” or in descriptive passages to establish background. It contrasts with the present perfect “abbiamo ricevuto” and with the passato remoto form “ricevemmo,” which can sound more literary in everyday speech.

Examples:

- Ogni settimana ricevevamo molte lettere dai lettori.

- Durante l’estate, noi ricevevamo visite quasi ogni giorno.

- Quando lavoravamo in quell’ufficio, ricevevamo aggiornamenti regolari.

Etymology: ricevere derives from Latin recipere, and the imperfect forms preserve the regular -ere verb conjugation pattern in Italian.

See also: ricevere, Italian grammar, verb conjugation, imperfect tense.