chiedessimo

Chiedessimo is the first‑person plural imperfect subjunctive form of the Italian verb chiedere, which means “to ask” or “to request”. It belongs to the second‑conjugation group, whose infinitives end in ‑ere, and it is used to express hypothetical, doubtful, or non‑real actions in the past, often in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions such as “se” (if) or “quando” (when). The form combines the stem of the verb (chied‑) with the imperfect subjunctive endings for the first plural: ‑essimo, resulting in chiedessimo.

In standard Italian, the imperfect subjunctive is less common in spoken language than in written or formal contexts, where it may be replaced by the present subjunctive or the indicative. Nevertheless, chiedessimo appears in literary works, formal letters, and certain set phrases. Typical constructions include: “Se lo chiedessimo al professore, forse otterremmo una risposta” (If we asked the professor, we might get an answer) and “Era importante che chiedessimo chiarimenti prima di procedere” (It was important that we asked for clarification before proceeding).

The conjugation of chiedere in the imperfect subjunctive is as follows: io chiedessi, tu chiedessi, egli/ella chiedesse, noi chiedessimo, voi chiedeste, essi chiedessero. Chiedessimo therefore matches the pattern of the first‑person plural. Its usage reflects the speaker’s attitude toward the action as uncertain, desirable, or contrary to fact, distinguishing it from the indicative imperfect chiedevamo, which states a factual past action. Familiarity with chiedessimo aids learners in recognizing nuanced mood distinctions in Italian syntax and in appreciating the richer expressive possibilities of older or more formal registers.