difendevate

Difendevate is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb difendere. It translates as “you were defending” or “you used to defend” and is used to describe an action in the past that was ongoing or habitual for the subject voi (you all).

Etymology and morphology: The verb difendere comes from Latin defendere. In Italian, the imperfect endings for -ere verbs yield forms such as -evate for voi; therefore difendevate is built from the stem difend- plus the ending -evate. The imperfect describes actions in the past without specifying a definite endpoint. In compound tenses, the auxiliary is avere, as in avete difeso (you have defended).

Usage: Difendevate is common in narrative, historical, or descriptive prose to set background, show a recurring stance, or indicate ongoing defense of a position, person, or rights. It contrasts with the present tense difendete (you defend) and with other past tenses that express different nuances of time and aspect.

Examples:

- Durante la discussione, voi difendevate la vostra posizione.

- Da ragazzi difendevate spesso i vostri diritti.

Related forms and notes: Difendete is the present indicative for voi. The imperfect subjunctive form is difendeste (che voi difendeste), used in subordinate clauses after certain verbs of the past. Difendere has related forms across tenses and moods, but difendevate specifically marks a past, ongoing action by “you all.”