portavamo

Portavamo is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb portare, meaning to carry or to bring. It is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or set as background in a narrative. The form reflects the imperfect conjugation pattern for -are verbs, which in the first person plural ends in -avamo.

Etymology and usage context

Portare comes from Latin portare and has cognates in several Romance languages. In the imperfect, portavamo signals a continuing or repeated activity in the past, rather than a single completed moment. It can also set the scene for a description or relate ongoing circumstances.

Conjugation and related forms

The imperfect conjugation of portare includes: io portavo, tu portavi, lui/lei portava, noi portavamo, voi portavate, loro portavano. The past participle is portato and is used with avere to form compound tenses, such as abbiamo portato. Distinctions between passato prossimo (abbiamo portato) and imperfect (portavamo) affect nuance: the former indicates a completed action, the latter an ongoing or habitual one.

Examples

- Quando eravamo bambini, portavamo sempre libri nello zaino.

- Ogni giorno, portavamo la spesa dalla macchina fino alla cucina.

See also

In Italian, the imperfect forms are often contrasted with the aoristic passato prossimo for aspectual nuance, and with other tenses that indicate past time. Portavamo, as a conventional imperfect form, is common in narrative and descriptive writing.