mettevano

Mettevano is the third-person plural form of the Italian verb mettere in the imperfect tense (imperfetto). It translates to “they were putting” or “they used to put.” The imperfect is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, to set scenes, or to provide background information in narrative discourse.

Conjugation and usage: In the imperfect of mettere, the forms are io mettevo, tu mettevi, lui/lei metteva, noi mettevamo, voi mettevate, loro mettevano. The stem for the imperfect is mettev-, and the endings are -o, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano. The form mettevano is typically used when referring to multiple subjects as the past ongoing action.

Etymology and meaning: Mettere comes from Latin mittere, meaning “to send” or “to put/place.” In Italian, mettere covers a broad range of meanings related to placing, placing objects, or incorporating something into a broader context. The imperfect form mettevano emphasizes that the action was in progress or habitual in the past rather than completed at a specific moment.

Examples of use: “I ragazzi mettevano le sedie fuori” (The boys were putting the chairs outside). “Durante la festa, mettevano spesso la spunta del nastrino, come originariamente facevano.” The imperfect can coexist with other past tenses to sequence events, or to describe habitual past actions.

See also: Italian verb conjugation, imperfetto, language evolution from Latin mittere.