preparavano

Preparavano is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb preparare, meaning to prepare. It is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or set as background in a narrative.

In the imperfect tense, the forms are io preparavo, tu preparavi, lui/lei preparava, noi preparavamo, voi preparavate, loro preparavano. The imperfect expresses ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as opposed to completed past actions often conveyed by the passato prossimo or the passato remoto.

Preparavano frequently appears in storytelling to describe what a group was doing at a certain time or what they used to do regularly. Examples: “Loro preparavano la cena quando arrivò il direttore” (They were preparing the dinner when the director arrived). “I ragazzi preparavano i documenti ogni settimana” (The boys were preparing the documents every week).

Etymology: preparare derives from Latin praepārāre, formed from prae- (before) and parāre (to prepare). The Italian form reflects the regular evolution of Latin verb patterns into the present-day imperfect.

See also: preparare, imperfetto (imperfect tense) in Italian, Italian verb conjugation.