lavoravo

Lavoravo is the first person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb lavorare, meaning "to work." It describes an ongoing action in the past or a past habit, as opposed to the passato prossimo form ho lavorato, which denotes a completed action.

Etymology: from Latin laborare; related to lavoro (noun) and lavoratore.

Usage and sense: Lavoravo is used to describe actions that were in progress in the past or that occurred regularly in the past. It sets background details in narratives and is often accompanied by time expressions such as quando, mentre, da ragazzo, or ogni giorno. It contrasts with the passato prossimo, which marks a completed event.

Examples: Quando avevo dieci anni, lavoravo nel negozio di mia zia. Prima di laurearmi, lavoravo come apprendista in una bottega.

Conjugation and related forms: For -are verbs, the imperfect endings are -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano. Therefore, io lavoravo; tu lavoravi; lui/lei lavorava; noi lavoravamo; voi lavoravate; loro lavoravano.

Notes: The form is standard in Italian; regional varieties may differ in usage or in preferred tenses for past narration.