inseguimmo

Inseguimmo is the first-person plural form of the Italian verb inseguire in the passato remoto tense. It translates as “we pursued” or “we chased” and is used primarily in literary or historical narration. In contemporary spoken Italian, the passato prossimo “abbiamo inseguito” is far more common for describing past actions.

Etymology: Inseguire derives from the Latin insequi, meaning “to follow,” with the prefix in- contributing to the sense of pursuing. The verb entered Italian with the sense of following closely until capture or attainment. In the passato remoto, inseguire follows regular -ire conjugation patterns for the noi form, yielding inseguimmo.

Conjugation and usage: In the passato remoto the forms are: io inseguì, tu inseguisti, egli inseguì, noi inseguimmo, voi inseguiste, essi inseguirono. Example: “Inseguimmo i sospetti per ore, ma sfuggirono.” This tense is characteristic of narrative prose and historical writing, rather than everyday speech.

Modern context: While inseguimmo remains correct in literature and set in a past narrative, everyday Italian typically relies on the passato prossimo for completed actions: “abbiamo inseguito.” The verb inseguire also appears in various idiomatic constructions and compound tenses, with the past participle “inseguito.”

See also: inseguire, Italian verbs, passato remoto.