nellimperfetto

Nell'imperfetto is the Italian term for the imperfect tense, a past tense used to describe actions or states that were ongoing, habitual, or background in the past. It is one of the two main past tenses in Italian, the other being the passato prossimo, which typically marks completed actions.

Formation and forms

For regular verbs, the imperfect is formed by applying endings to the appropriate stem:

-are verbs: remove -are and add -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano (example: parlare → parlavo, parlavi, parlava, parlavamo, parlavate, parlavano)

-ere verbs: remove -ere and add -evo, -evi, -eva, -evamo, -evate, -evano (example: credere → credevo, credevi, credeva, credevamo, credevate, credevano)

-ire verbs: remove -ire and add -ivo, -ivi, -iva, -ivamo, -ivate, -ivano (example: dormire → dormivo, dormivi, dormiva, dormivamo, dormivate, dormivano)

Irregulars and common forms

Two highly frequent irregulars are essere and avere:

- essere: ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, erano

- avere: avevo, avevi, aveva, avevamo, avevate, avevano

Usage

The imperfect describes:

- ongoing or repeated past actions (habits): "Quando ero bambino, andavo al mare."

- background and setting in narration: "Era una giornata grigia e pioveva."

- states of mind, age, weather, time: "Avevo dieci anni," "pioveva," "era tardi."

It contrasts with the passato prossimo, which emphasizes completed actions or sequences.

In discourse, nell'imperfetto helps establish scene, habitual routines, or parallel actions (often with mentre). Examples illustrate its role in describing past circumstances rather than precise moments of completion.