Imperfect (imperfetto) in Italian

Lesson outline

1.Definition and usage of the imperfect tense in Italian (imperfetto)
1.1.When to use the imperfetto
1.2.Marker words that indicate the imperfetto
2.Conjugation of the imperfect tense in Italian
2.1.Conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian
2.1.1.Verbs that belong to the -are conjugation
2.1.2.Verbs that belong to the -ere conjugation
2.1.3.Verbs that belong to the -ire conjugation
2.2.Conjugation of irregular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian
3.Auxiliary verbs: essere/avere
4.Exercises
4.1.Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the imperfetto
4.2.Choose the correct form of the imperfetto
4.3.Drag the conjugated verbs in the text to complete the story

Definition and usage of the imperfect tense in Italian (imperfetto)

The imperfect tense (imperfetto) in Italian belongs to the indicative mood.
Imperfetto refers to a continued action that lasted an indefinite time in the past.

Example:

Mentre nuotava, ha visto un pesce (While he was swimming, he saw a fish)
Luigi era un bambino molto timido (Luigi was a very shy child)

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Valentina G.

Giulia T.

Eleonora P.

Sabrina P.

Valentina B.

Michela S.

Sara A.

Martina F.

Alessandra C.

GIULIA P.

When to use the imperfetto

The imperfetto is also used in the following situations:

to describe a habit in the past (imperfetto iterativo)
to emphasise a continued action (imperfetto descrittivo)
to narrate stories (imperfetto narrativo)
to request something politely (imperfetto attenuativo)

	Example	Translation
Imperfetto iterativo	Giocava a carte tutte le sere Mangiava sempre una mela prima di uscire di casa	He used to play cards every evening He used to eat an apple before leaving the house
Imperfetto descrittivo	Camminavo sotto il sole da ore Correva sotto la pioggia da ore	I had been walking in the sun for hours He had been running in the pouring rain for hours
Imperfetto narrativo	Ero al mare e all'improvviso scoppiava un temporale Entrava un tizio nel bar e iniziava a sparare	I was at the seaside and suddenly a storm broke out A guy entered the pub and started shooting
Imperfetto attenuativo	Volevo un po' d'acqua, per favore Volevo chiederle una cosa	I just wanted some water, please I just wanted to ask you something

Marker words that indicate the imperfetto

The following words can help you to understand that you have to use the imperfetto.

Example:

Da piccolo andavo sempre a letto alle 21 (When I was a child I used to go to bed at 9 pm.)
Mentre camminavo, sono inciampato (While I was walking, I stumbled)

Example	Translation
Mentre	While
Da piccolo/Quando ero piccolo	When I was a child
Quando avevo 5/10/20 anni	When I was 5/10/20 years old
Ieri	Yesterday

Conjugation of the imperfect tense in Italian

The imperfetto is formed by adding certain endings to the root of the verb.

Conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian

All regular verbs form the imperfetto based on the conjugation they belong to.

Verbs that belong to the -are conjugation

These verbs add the endings -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, - avano to the root of the verb.

Example mangiare (to eat)

	Root	Ending	Example	Translation
Io	Mangi	avo	Io mangiavo tre biscotti tutti i giorni	I used to eat three biscuits ever day
Tu	Mangi	avi	Tu mangiavi tre biscotti tutti i giorni	You used to eat three biscuits every day
Egli/Ella	Mangi	ava	Egli mangiava tre biscotti tutti i giorni	He used to eat three biscuits every day
Noi	Mangi	avamo	Noi mangiavamo tre biscotti tutti i giorni	We used to eat three biscuits every day
Voi	Mangi	avate	Voi mangiavate tre biscotti tutti i giorni	You used to eat three biscuits every day
Essi/Esse	Mangi	avano	Essi mangiavano tre biscotti tutti i giorni	They used to eat three biscuits every day

Verbs that belong to the -ere conjugation

Such verbs add the endings -evo, -evi, -eva, -evamo, -evate, -evano to the verb root.

Example scrivere (to write)

	Root	Ending	Example	Translation
Io	Scriv	evo	Io scrivevo una lettera	I wrote a letter
Tu	Scriv	evi	Tu scrivevi una lettera	You wrote a letter
Egli/Ella	Scriv	eva	Egli scriveva una lettera	He wrote a letter
Noi	Scriv	evamo	Noi scrivevamo una lettera	We wrote a letter
Voi	Scriv	evate	Voi scrivevate una lettera	You wrote a letter
Essi/Esse	Scriv	evano	Essi scrivevano una lettera	They wrote a letter

Verbs that belong to the -ire conjugation

These verbs add the endings -ivo, -ivi, -iva, -ivamo, -ivate, -ivano to the verb root.

Example mentire (to lie)

	Root	Ending	Example	Translation
Io	Ment	ivo	Da piccolo io mentivo sempre	When I was a child I always lied
Tu	Ment	ivi	Da piccolo tu mentivi sempre	When you were a child you always lied
Egli/Ella	Ment	iva	Da piccolo egli mentiva sempre	When he was a child he always lied
Noi	Ment	ivamo	Da piccoli noi mentivamo sempre	When we were children we always lied
Voi	Ment	ivate	Da piccoli voi mentivate sempre	When you were children you always lied
Essi/Esse	Ment	ivano	Da piccolo essi mentivano sempre	When they were children they always lied

Conjugation of irregular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian

There are few irregular verbs in the imperfetto.
Since they do not follow particular grammatical rules, you have to study their conjugation by heart.
Here is a list of the main irregular verbs:

	Fare (to do)	Dire (to say)	Bere (to drink)
Io	facevo	dicevo	bevevo
Tu	facevi	dicevi	bevevi
Egli/Ella	faceva	diceva	beveva
Noi	facevamo	dicevamo	bevevamo
Voi	facevate	dicevate	bevevate
Essi/Esse	facevano	dicevano	bevevano

Auxiliary verbs: essere/avere

Essere is an irregular verb in the imperfetto, while avere is a regular one.
Here you can find their conjugation:

	Essere (to be)	Avere (to have)
Io	ero	avevo
Tu	eri	avevi
Egli/Ella	era	aveva
Noi	eravamo	avevamo
Voi	eravate	avevate
Essi/Esse	erano	avevano

Example:

Tu eri un bambino molto vivace (You were a lively child)
Voi avevate tre giorni per portare a termine il vostro compito (You had three days to complete your task)

Imperfect (imperfetto) in Italian

Lesson outline

Definition and usage of the imperfect tense in Italian (imperfetto)

Have a question?

Valentina G.

Giulia T.

Eleonora P.

Sabrina P.

Valentina B.

Michela S.

Sara A.

Martina F.

Alessandra C.

GIULIA P.

When to use the imperfetto

Marker words that indicate the imperfetto

Conjugation of the imperfect tense in Italian

Conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian

Verbs that belong to the -are conjugation

Verbs that belong to the -ere conjugation

Verbs that belong to the -ire conjugation

Conjugation of irregular verbs in the imperfect tense in Italian

Auxiliary verbs: essere/avere

Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the imperfetto

Choose the correct form of the imperfetto

Drag the conjugated verbs in the text to complete the story

Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the imperfetto

Choose the correct form of the imperfetto

Drag the conjugated verbs in the text to complete the story

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