seduceva

Seduceva is the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb sedurre, meaning to seduce. In Italian, the imperfect tense describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past, as opposed to completed past actions expressed by the passato prossimo. Sedurre itself is used in various registers, from literary to everyday language, to describe attracting or enticing someone, often with emotional or romantic implications.

Etymology and sense: Sedurre derives from Latin seducere, formed from se- (aside, apart) and ducere (to lead). The underlying idea is to lead someone away from their usual path or judgment, which in modern usage translates to “to seduce” in the sense of attracting or persuading someone.

Usage: Seduceva can appear in narrative prose to portray a past act of seduction or manipulation by a subject. It is commonly translated into English as “he/she was seducing” or “he/she used to seduce,” depending on context. Example: «Egli la seduceva con parole gentili» (He was seducing her with gentle words).

Conjugation note: While seduceva is the third-person singular imperfect, Italian verbs of the same family share related forms across persons. Related nouns include seduzione (seduction) and seduttore/seduttrice (seducer, seductress).

See also: seduzione, seduttore, seduttrice, sedurre.