iniziavo

Iniziavo is the first-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb iniziare, meaning to begin or to start. It can translate to “I was starting” or “I used to start,” depending on the context.

Grammar and formation: Iniziave is a regular -are verb, with imperfect endings typical of this conjugation: -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano. The form iniziavo is built from the stem inizi- plus the ending -avo. The subject pronoun io is commonly omitted in Italian, so iniziavo may stand alone as “I was starting.”

Usage: The imperfect tense describes actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or not completed at a past reference point. Iniziavo is used for ongoing starting actions (Io iniziavo a studiare quando arrivò la campana) or for recurring past habits (Da ragazzo, iniziavo ogni giorno con una corsa). It contrasts with the passato prossimo form ho iniziato, which marks a completed action or a single onset of the action.

Examples:

- Io iniziavo a leggere quando la luce si spegneva. (I was starting to read when the light went out.)

- Da giovane, iniziavo ogni giornata con una corsa. (As a young man, I used to start every day with a run.)

Etymology: iniziare comes from the same root as the noun inizio, meaning beginning, which in turn derives from Latin initium. The verb and noun share this common origin.