evitavamo

Evitavamo is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb evitare, meaning to avoid. It denotes a habitual or ongoing action in the past, and is commonly translated as “we were avoiding” or “we used to avoid.” Like other verbs in Italian, its imperfect form is used to set background or describe states and repeated actions in narrative prose.

Usage and syntax

Evitare is often used with di + infinitive to indicate avoiding doing something, as in evitate di parlare troppo. In this construction, evitavamo di fare rumore or evitavamo di discutere quel tema illustrate the idea of avoiding a particular action. The verb can also take a direct object in phrases such as evitavamo gli errori (we avoided the mistakes). The negative form is non evitavamo. The imperfect contrasts with the passato prossimo avere evitato or abbiamo evitato, which expresses a completed avoidance.

Context and nuance

Evitavamo is typical in descriptive or reflective writing, where the author portrays routines, habits, or ongoing circumstances in the past. It indicates that avoidance was a regular or continuing tendency rather than a single completed event. The tense is part of standard Italian grammar and is widely used in literature, journalism, and everyday speech when recounting past experiences.

See also

Evitare, Imperfetto, Italian verbs, Italian grammar.