piangevano

Piangevano is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb piangere, which means to cry or to weep. In usage, piangevano describes crying that occurred over an extended period in the past or as a background action in narrative, rather than a single completed instance.

The imperfect forms of piangere follow the regular -ere verb pattern. The key forms for the imperfect are: io piangevo, tu piangevi, lui/lei piangeva, noi piangevamo, voi piangevate, loro piangevano. Therefore, piangevano corresponds to “they were crying” or “they cried (over a period)” depending on context. In English, it can convey ongoing past action or habitual past behavior.

In usage, piangevano often appears in descriptive or narrative passages to set the emotional tone. Examples include: “Durante il funerale, i familiari piangevano silenziosamente” (During the funeral, the relatives were crying silently) and “Da bambini, piangevano per ogni piccola ferita” (As children, they cried for every small wound). The imperfect can also express simultaneous or overlapping actions in the past when combined with other imperfect verbs.

Compared with the passato prossimo like hanno pianto, piangevano emphasizes the duration or repetition of crying rather than a completed act. The verb derives from Latin plangere, meaning to lament or to strike the chest, and reflects the broader Romance-language family’s expressive repertoire for describing emotion and time in narrative.