prendevo

Prendevo is the first-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb prendere, which means to take, seize, or catch. The imperfect tense describes past actions that were ongoing or habitual, or a background situation in narrative. Therefore, prendevo can translate as “I was taking” or “I used to take,” depending on context. The form is regular for -ere verbs in the imperfect: io prendevo, tu prendevi, lui/lei prendeva, noi prendevamo, voi prendevate, loro prendevano.

Prendere encompasses a wide range of uses and idioms, but prendevo is not used for completed past actions, which are typically expressed with the passato prossimo (ho preso) or other past tenses. In practice, prendevo appears in descriptions of routines, states, or ongoing past events: for example, “Quando lavoravo in città, ogni giorno prendevo il tram per andare in ufficio” (When I worked in the city, I used to take the tram to the office). It can also help set a scene in narrative by indicating what the subject was doing or about to do.

Related forms of the verb prender include: presente prendo, prendi, prende; participio passato preso; gerundio prendendo. The imperfect form prendevo shares the same regular -ere conjugation pattern and is commonly used in spoken and written Italian to convey past habituality or ongoing action.