scusavo

Scusavo is the first-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb scusare, meaning to excuse or apologize. It also appears as the imperfect of the reflexive form scusarsi when used with a reflexive pronoun, as in io mi scusavo, meaning I was apologizing or I used to apologize. The imperfect tense conveys ongoing or habitual past action, or serves to set a scene in narration.

Etymology traces scusare to Latin excusare, from ex- “out” and causa “cause,” originally meaning to remove the cause of blame or fault. Through standard Italian development, the sense narrowed to “to excuse” or “to apologize.”

Usage notes: scusavo is transitive when used with a direct object (to excuse someone or something) and can be used with a prepositional phrase to indicate to whom the apology is directed, for example with con or a. The reflexive form scusarsi is commonly used to express apologizing to someone, as in mi scuso, mi scusavo, etc. The imperfect form emphasizes that apologizing was habitual, repeated, or happening over a period in the past, rather than a single completed act.

Examples: Mi scusavo spesso con i colleghi quando arrivavo in ritardo. (I used to apologize often with my colleagues when I arrived late.) Quando sbagliavo qualcosa, mi scusavo subito. (When I made a mistake, I apologized immediately.)

See also: scusare, scusarsi.