Sospendevi

Sospendevi is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb sospendere, meaning to suspend or to interrupt. It expresses an action that was ongoing or habitual in the past and is commonly used in narrative to set background or describe repeated past actions. The full imperfect paradigm of sospendere is: io sospendevo, tu sospendevi, lui/lei sospendeva, noi sospendevamo, voi sospendevate, loro sospendevano. Therefore sospendevi translates to “you were suspending” or “you used to suspend.”

Etymology and meaning: sospendere derives from Latin suspendere, formed from sub- ‘under’ and pendere ‘to hang.’ In modern Italian it retains senses related to pausing, postponing, or interrupting an activity, service, or decision.

Usage notes: sospendevi is a regular form for -ere verbs in the imperfect, and it is not inherently reflexive. It appears in written and spoken Italian to describe past actions that were ongoing or habitual for the subject. It can introduce or coexist with other imperfect forms to establish a past scene, or appear in dialogues and recollections.

Examples: In a narrative, one might write: “Quando arrivò la notizia, tu sospendevi i lavori e restavi in silenzio.” This indicates a pause in activity triggered by the news. The imperfect contrasts with other past tenses (such as passato prossimo) to convey duration or repetition.

See also: sospendere, imperfetto (italian grammar), verb conjugation.