completavano

Completavano is a form of the Italian verb completare and corresponds to the third-person plural of the imperfect indicative. In this tense, it translates to “they were completing” or “they used to complete,” depending on the context. The imperfect is used to describe ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.

Etymology and form: completare derives from Latin completāre, from completus (filled up). In Italian, regular -are verbs in the imperfect take the endings -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano. Therefore, the form completavano follows the standard pattern for this conjugation.

Usage: completavano is used to describe actions in the past without marking a definite endpoint at a specific moment. It often takes a direct object, indicating what was being completed, such as moduli, progetti, or operazioni. It can convey a sense of ongoing activity within a broader narrative or description. It contrasts with the passato prossimo form hanno completato, which signals a completed action with present relevance.

Examples:

- Durante la riunione, i revisori completavano i verbali. (During the meeting, the reviewers were completing the minutes.)

- I tecnici completavano le misurazioni ogni giorno. (The technicians were completing the measurements every day.)

- Loro completavano il modulo prima della scadenza. (They were completing the form before the deadline.)

Related forms: infinitive completare; gerund completando; past participle completato; noun completamento. The verb is widely used in administrative, technical, and narrative contexts where past processes are described as ongoing or habitual.