cucinavamo

Cucinavamo is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb cucinare, meaning "we were cooking" or "we used to cook." In Italian grammar, it marks ongoing or habitual actions in the past and is widely used in narratives and dialogue.

Grammatical notes: It is formed from the stem cucin- plus the imperfect ending -avamo, derived from -are verb conjugation: io cucinavo, tu cucinavi, lui cucinava, noi cucinavamo, voi cucinavate, loro cucinavano.

Usage: It describes background actions in the past, actions that were in progress when another event occurred, or repeated past actions. It contrasts with passato prossimo. Example: "Cucinavamo insieme quando è arrivato l'ospite."

In Italian language use, cucinavamo can convey a sense of continuity and communal activity in scenes about family or friends cooking, and it appears in everyday conversation as well as in formal grammar explanations. It is one of the standard imperfect forms taught to illustrate past actions without focusing on their completion.

See also cucinare, imperfect (grammatical mood), passato prossimo.