accoglievamo

Accoglievamo is the imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb accogliere, in the first person plural. It translates to “we were welcoming” or “we used to welcome” and is used to describe past actions that were ongoing or repeated.

The verb accogliere means to receive, welcome, or host someone or something. As a regular -ere verb, its imperfect forms follow the standard pattern for this conjugation, with the ending -evamo for the noi form in the imperfect. The spelling preserves the hard sound of the root, hence accoglievamo rather than a simplified form.

In usage, accoglievamo is employed to set a scene in the past, to indicate a continuous or habitual action, or to describe how guests, visitors, or newcomers were received. It can appear in narrative passages, reports, or descriptions of past hospitality, events, or routines. The imperfect contrasts with the perfect tense (abbiamo accolto) which would indicate a completed action.

Examples:

- Quando arrivavano gli ospiti, noi accoglievamo calorosamente.

- Da bambini accoglievamo spesso i viaggiatori nel villaggio.

Related forms include accolgono (present), accolgo (first-person singular present), and abbiamo accolto (passato prossimo). The imperfect form, like accoglievamo, emphasizes the process or repetition rather than a single completed act.