Rispondeva

Rispondeva is the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb rispondere, meaning "to answer." It translates to "he/she/it was answering" or "he/she/it used to answer" and is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or customary in the past.

The form comes from the stem rispond- plus the imperfect ending -eva, characteristic of -ere verbs in Italian. In this form, rispondeva is identical for masculine and feminine subjects. The corresponding full conjugation in the imperfect is: io rispondevo, tu rispondevi, lui/lei rispondeva, noi rispondevamo, voi rispondevate, loro rispondevano.

Usage-wise, rispondeva appears in narrative or descriptive contexts to set background, describe habitual behavior, or indicate an action in progress at a point in the past. It contrasts with passato prossimo rispose (or ha risposto), which marks a completed action.

Examples include: durante la lezione, Marco rispondeva alle domande del professore; ogni volta che lo chiamavano, Maria rispondeva con cortesia. These sentences illustrate ongoing or habitual response rather than a single completed answer.

Etymology and related forms: rispondere derives from Latin respondēre, and the verb shares a common pattern with other -ere verbs in the imperfect. See also rispondere for the infinitive, and imperfetto as a mood/tense category in Italian grammar.