Usavamo

Usavamo is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb usare, meaning to use. It is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set a background state in which an action occurred.

Conjugation and form. Usiamo la forma regolare del verbo usare, che appartiene alla prima coniugazione (-are). In the imperfect tense, the full paradigm is: io usavo, tu usavi, lui/lei usava, noi usavamo, voi usavate, loro usavano. The infinitive is usare, the past participle is usato, and the present participle is usando. The imperfect is contrasted with the passato prossimo (abbiamo usato, avete usato, ecc.), which indicates a completed action.

Usage notes. Usavamo expresses actions that were habitual or ongoing in the past. It can be accompanied by time markers such as quando, da giovane, spesso, sempre, o durante una certa periodo. It is commonly used to describe routines, repeated experiences, or setting the scene in narrative past. The imperfect form may imply that the action was in progress when another event occurred.

Examples. “Quando eravamo bambini, usavamo spesso giochi di società.” “Noi usavamo la vecchia auto finché non fu sostituita.” In contrasto, “abbiamo usato” (passato prossimo) signals a completed use of something.

See also. Italian verbs, usare, imperfect indicative mood, passato prossimo.