desiderava

Desiderava is the imperfect tense of the Italian verb desiderare, meaning to desire or to want. It is used to describe past, ongoing, or habitual desires and states, and it often appears in narrative or descriptive passages to set the mood or background. The imperfect form signals that the wishing or wanting was not necessarily completed or realized at the time.

Conjugation of desiderare in the imperfect tense:

io desideravo, tu desideravi, lui/lei desiderava, noi desideravamo, voi desideravate, loro desideravano. Desiderare is a regular -are verb, so its imperfect forms follow the standard endings for this class.

Usage and nuance:

Desiderava commonly takes a direct object to specify what was desired, for example, "desiderava una casa più grande" (he/she desired a larger house) or "desiderava diventare medico" (he/she wished to become a doctor). It can also describe repeated or customary wishes in the past, contributing to setting a scene or explaining characters’ motivations in stories.

Etymology and related forms:

The Italian verb desiderare derives from Latin desiderare, from desiderium, meaning longing or longing for. The imperfect desiderava shares its root with cognates in other Romance languages, reflecting a common Latin origin for forms of desire and want.

In usage, desiderava sits among common narrative verbs that express past states or intentions, providing a flexible way to convey how someone felt or what they hoped for in earlier times.