tornavano

Tornavano is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb tornare, meaning to return or to come back. In narrative and descriptive contexts, tornavano expresses a past action that was ongoing or repeated, equivalent to “they were returning” or “they used to return.”

Conjugation and form. Tornare belongs to the first conjugation (-are). In the imperfect tense the endings are -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano: io tornavo, tu tornavi, lui/lei tornava, noi tornavamo, voi tornavate, loro tornavano. In compound tenses the verb uses the auxiliary essere, for example in passato prossimo: sono tornati.

Usage and nuance. The imperfect conveys habitual or continuous action in the past, or a background setting within a story. Tornavano is commonly paired with time expressions such as “ogni giorno,” “spesso,” or “quando eravamo bambini.” It contrasts with forms like tornano or tornarono, which signal completed or punctual past actions rather than ongoing or repeated ones.

Examples. “Quando eravamo giovani, ogni estate tornavamo al paese.” “I viaggiatori tornavano spesso al punto di partenza per riposarsi.” These illustrate how tornavano situates a past pattern or ongoing activity rather than a single event.

Etymology and related forms. Tornavano derives from the Italian verb tornare, itself a standard Romance-language verb with Latin origins. Related forms include the infinitive tornare and other conjugated tenses such as tornavo, tornavi, tornava, and the passato prossimo forms like sono tornato/a.

See also. Related topics include tornare and the imperfect tense (imperfetto) in Italian grammar.