possedevate

Possedevate is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb possedere, meaning you possessed or you used to possess. It expresses a past state of ownership or control over a person or thing, typically indicating habitual or ongoing possession in the past. As a form of possedere, it is used when describing what you and others owned at a time in the past, rather than a one-time action.

Possedere derives from Latin and is used in Italian to denote ownership of property, rights, or attributes. The imperfect form possedevate follows the regular pattern for -ere verbs in the imperfect tense, with the stem possede- or possed- depending on spelling conventions, plus the standard endings for voi. In modern Italian, possessive constructions more commonly use avere to indicate possession in everyday speech, but possedere emphasizes ownership or legal possession and is common in formal, literary, or precise contexts. The related noun is possesso, meaning possession, and possidente or possessore refers to the possessor or owner.

In usage, possedevate can appear in narratives, reports, or descriptions of the past. It contrasts with possessive forms that describe current ownership and with verbs like detenere or avere, which highlight control or possession more broadly. When forming sentences, it is typically paired with explicit objects or property, such as possedete una casa, stato di possesso di un bene, or the like in the past tense: “Quando eravate giovani, possedevate una casa al mare.”

See also: possedere, possesso, possidente, possedere (verb).