entravi

Entravi is an Italian verb form, specifically the second-person singular imperfect indicative of the verb entrare, meaning to enter. It translates to “you were entering” or “you used to enter” in English. The imperfect mood is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past and to set scenes in narrative prose.

Etymology and formation: Entrare derives from Latin intrare, with entravi formed by attaching the standard imperfect ending for -are verbs to the stem entr-. In the imperfect, the endings are -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano, so the second-person singular is entravi.

Usage: Entravi appears in past-tense narration or description, where the speaker describes actions that occurred over a period of time or repeatedly in the past. It agrees with the subject in both person and number and is typically accompanied by time references or contextual clues that anchor the action in the past.

Examples: Tu entravi spesso dalla porta secondaria quando tornavi a casa. (You were often entering through the back door when you returned home.) Quando entravi nel cortile, sentivi l’odore di pavimenti bagnati. (When you were entering the courtyard, you could smell the wet floors.) These examples illustrate the habitual or background character of the action rather than a single completed event.

Related terms: Entrare, the infinitive; the imperfect forms of other -are verbs follow the same pattern. The term is primarily a grammatical form rather than a separate lexical entry in standard dictionaries.