peggiorava

Peggiorava is the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb peggiorare, meaning to worsen or become worse. It describes a state or condition that was deteriorating in the past, as in La situazione peggiorava.

Etymology and form: The verb peggiorare is built from the stem peggior- with the infinitive suffix -are. The stem is related to the adjective peggiore, meaning worse, which in turn derives from the comparative form peggio and ultimately has Latin origins in peior (worse). The imperfect ending for this -are verb is -ava, giving peggiorava for he/she/it was worsening.

Conjugation and usage: In the imperfect, the forms are: io peggioravo, tu peggioravi, lui/lei peggiorava, noi peggioravamo, voi peggioravate, loro peggioravano. Peggiorare is commonly used to describe gradual or ongoing deterioration of conditions, health, finances, or opinions. The passato prossimo uses essere: la situazione è peggiorata (the situation has worsened).

Related forms: The noun pegioramento (deterioration) is used to name the process or result of worsening. The past participle is peggiorato, used with essere in compound tenses (La malattia è peggiorata).

Examples: La maltempo peggiorava le condizioni; La situazione peggiorava continuamente. For contrast, migliorare means to improve, while peggiorare denotes to become worse. This verb is standard in formal and informal Italian and appears in journalism, writing, and everyday speech.