cercavano

Cercavano is the imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb cercare. Cercare is a transitive verb meaning to search for, to look for, or to seek something. It is a regular -are verb, whose stem is cerc- and which follows the standard imperfect endings of -are verbs.

In the imperfect tense, cercare conjugates as: io cercavo, tu cercavi, lui/lei cercava, noi cercavamo, voi cercavate, loro cercavano. This form is used to describe actions that were ongoing, habitual, or background in the past. It can also express repeated attempts or ongoing searches within a narrative context. For example: Loro cercavano una soluzione per settimane, senza successo.

The imperfect cercavano is commonly found in storytelling, journalism, and everyday speech when describing past scenarios where the action of searching was in progress or repeated over time. It contrasts with the passato prossimo cercato/ha cercato, which places the action as completed from a more recent or definite point of view, and with the passato remoto cercarono, which is typically used in formal or literary past narration.

Etymology-wise, cercare derives from Latin circāre, related to going around or around in search of something. Over time, the sense narrowed to the act of seeking or looking for an object, idea, or solution, which is the core meaning preserved in Italian.

See also: cercare, conjugation of -are verbs, imperfect tense in Italian.