How to Use the Imperfetto Tense in Italian

What is the Imperfetto Tense?

The imperfetto tense in Italian is primarily used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It often provides the background context to a story or describes the "how things used to be" lens of past events.

When to Use the Imperfetto Tense

The imperfetto is used in various situations:

• Describing past habits or routines (e.g., "Every Sunday, I would visit my grandmother.")
• Providing background information in storytelling or past narratives.
• Setting a scene in the past, such as weather or time.
• Describing age, physical characteristics, states of mind, and feelings.
• To talk about simultaneous ongoing actions in the past.

How to Form the Imperfetto

To conjugate regular verbs in the imperfetto, remove the -are, -ere, or -ire endings, and add the following endings:

• -vo for 'io'
• -vi for 'tu'
• -va for 'lui/lei'
• -vamo for 'noi'
• -vate for 'voi'
• -vano for 'loro'

Irregular Verbs in the Imperfetto

While most verbs follow a regular pattern, there are some common irregular verbs you need to know. Let's look at essere:

Examples of the Imperfetto in Sentences

Here are some examples to clarify the usage of the imperfetto tense:

• Quando ero piccolo, andavo al parco ogni giorno. - When I was little, I went to the park every day.
• Mentre leggevo, mia sorella faceva i compiti. - While I was reading, my sister was doing her homework.
• Era una giornata fredda e pioveva. - It was a cold day and it was raining.