Trasformai

Trasformai is the first-person singular form of the Italian verb trasformare in the passato remoto, a narrative past tense used mainly in literary or formal historical writing. It translates as “I transformed” and denotes a completed action in the distant past. In contemporary speech, the passato prossimo (ho trasformato) is far more common for past actions.

Etymology and morphology: The verb trasformare comes from Latin transformare, formed from trans- “across” and formare “to shape.” The passato remoto form trasformai is regular for -are verbs, following the pattern io trasformai, tu trasformasti, lui trasformò, noi trasformammo, voi trasformaste, loro trasformarono.

Usage notes: The passato remoto, including trasformai, is primarily used in literary contexts, historical narratives, and some regional writing. It signals a sequence of events within a past timeline. In everyday Italian, speakers typically prefer the passato prossimo or imperfect for past actions, so trasformai may sound formal or archaic outside of literature.

Examples: Io trasformai il ramo in una bacchetta luminosa. Nella leggenda, egli trasformò la pietra in gioiello.

See also: Trasformare; Passato remoto; Italian grammar.