Sognasse

Sognasse is the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of the Italian verb sognare, which means to dream. The imperfect subjunctive, or congiuntivo imperfetto, is used in dependent clauses to express hypotheticals, wishes, uncertainty, or reported speech in the past. For -are verbs like sognare, the forms include io sognassi, tu sognassi, lui/lei sognasse, noi sognassimo, voi sognaste, loro sognassero.

In usage, sognasse appears in conditional or hypothetical clauses, or in indirect speech. Examples include: “Se lui sognasse qualcosa di più grande, cambierebbe vita.” (If he dreamt of something bigger, he would change his life.) and “Mi chiese che cosa sognasse.” (He asked me what he dreamt about.) The form signals a past or non-real nuance within a sentence, and aligns with other imperfect-subjunctive forms such as sognassi for first or second person.

Notes: sognasse is a conjugated form, not a separate word with a standalone meaning. The imperfect subjunctive has two common series in Italian—ending in -assi (io/tu) and -asse (lui/lei)—with corresponding forms for the other persons. While standard in formal writing and literary Italian, the imperfect subjunctive can be less common in casual speech, where alternative constructions are often used.