piegavano

Piegavano is the third person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb piegare, which means to bend or to fold. It is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, or to set scenes in narrative prose. As a regular -are verb, piegare follows a predictable stem-and-ending pattern in the imperfect tense: io piegavo, tu piegavi, lui/lei piegava, noi piegavamo, voi piegavavate, loro piegavano.

In practical use, piegavamo forms describe situations that were happening over a period of time or habits in the past. For example, "I rami piegavano sotto il peso della neve" conveys a continuous bending of the branches under snow, rather than a single completed action. Another example might be, "Durante l’esercizio, i bambini piegavano i fogli per creare figure" to depict a repeated or habitual action.

Piegavano can also appear in descriptive narration to provide background detail, helping to paint a scene or convey mood. It is commonly found in literature, journalism, and everyday speech when the speaker wants to emphasize the progressive or habitual nature of past events. The form contrasts with the passato prossimo, which expresses completed actions, and with other tenses that may shift the nuance of past time.

Overall, piegavano functions as a standard imperfect form of piegare, enabling nuanced descriptions of bending, folding, or bowing actions in the past.