comandavamo

Comandavamo is a verb form in Italian, specifically the first person plural imperfect indicative of the verb comandare. It expresses an action that was ongoing or habitual in the past, corresponding to “we were commanding” or “we used to command” in English. In narrative prose, this form helps to set the scene and describe repeated or prolonged activities carried out by a group.

In terms of usage, the imperfect tense, including comandavamo, is employed to describe states, habits, or actions without focusing on their endpoints. It contrasts with passato prossimo or passato remoto, which place more emphasis on the completion of an action. The form is common in historical, descriptive, or didactic contexts where the speaker recounts what a group did over a period of time.

Morphology and conjugation: comandavamo is built from the stem comand- plus the imperfect ending -avamo, which marks the first person plural for -are verbs. This pattern is shared by other verbs in the same conjugation, and the stress falls on the syllable containing the radical vowel (comandoDAmo).

Etymology and related forms: the verb comandare derives from the Latin root command-, through the Romance language lineage. Related forms include the noun comando (command), the verb comandare, and other imperfect forms such as comandavi, comandavi, or comandavano in different persons and numbers.

Examples:

- Durante l’operazione, comandavamo le forze sul terreno e coordinavamo i rifornimenti.

- Da ragazzi, comandavamo i giochi di squadra per accrescere l’organizzazione del gruppo.

See also: Imperfetto (grammar), Comandare (Italian verb).