esagerava

Esagerava is the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb esagerare, meaning to exaggerate or to overstate. The imperfect is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, to set scenes, or to report past habitual behavior. In narrative or descriptive contexts, esagerava can convey that someone regularly overemphasized details or claims, or that a past situation involved exaggerated descriptions.

Usage notes: As a regular -are verb, esagerare follows standard conjugation patterns. The forms include esageravo, esageravi, esagerava, esageravamo, esageravate, esageravano. In addition to denoting habitual past exaggeration, the imperfect can appear in indirect speech or memory, where the speaker recounts what someone claimed or did over a period of time. The nuance depends on context and tone, ranging from harmless storytelling to mild criticism.

Etymology: esagerava derives from esagerare, which comes from the Latin exaggerare, formed with ex- meaning “out” or “beyond” and a root related to aggerare “to heap up,” later extended to the figurative sense of “overstate.”

See also: esagerare, Italian grammar, verb conjugation.

Examples: Da bambino, esagerava spesso le sue avventure per rendere le storie più interessanti. Quando raccontava i fatti, esagerava sempre, secondo gli ascoltatori, e questo alimentava dubbi sulla veridicità delle sue parole.