English · Türkçe · Deutsch · Français
Mastering the Past: The Imperfetto
Welcome to l'imperfetto (the imperfect tense)! In Italian, we use this tense to talk about past habits, ongoing actions in the past, and background descriptions (like age, weather, or feelings).
How to Form the Imperfetto
To form the imperfect, drop the ending of the infinitive (-are, -ere, -ire) and add the appropriate endings for each subject.
| Pronoun | -are (giocare) | -ere (vedere) | -ire (dormire) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io | giocavo | vedevo | dormivo |
| Tu | giocavi | vedevi | dormivi |
| Lui/Lei | giocava | vedeva | dormiva |
| Noi | giocavamo | vedevamo | dormivamo |
| Voi | giocavate | vedevate | dormivate |
| Loro | giocavano | vedevano | dormivano |
Common Uses
- Habits: Da bambino, giocavo sempre in cortile. (As a child, I always used to play in the courtyard.)
- Descriptions: La casa era grande e vecchia. (The house was big and old.)
Common Mistakes
Don't confuse the imperfect with the passato prossimo! Use imperfetto for background habits and ongoing states, not for single completed actions.
Words
da bambino
as a child
Da bambino, amavo leggere.As a child, I loved reading.
giocare
to play
Giocavamo sempre fuori.We always used to play outside.
essere
to be
La mia scuola era piccola.My school was small.
avere
to have
Avevo un gatto bianco.I had a white cat.
abitare
to live
Abitavamo a Roma.We lived in Rome.
leggere
to read
Leggevi molti libri.You used to read many books.
mangiare
to eat
Mangiavano la pizza ogni domenica.They ate pizza every Sunday.
il cortile
the courtyard
Il cortile era molto silenzioso.The courtyard was very quiet.
la nonna
the grandmother
La nonna cucinava sempre.Grandma always cooked.
il ricordo
the memory
Ho un bel ricordo.I have a nice memory.
Lessons are prepared with the help of AI.
Patterns
Da bambino, ___
As a child, I used to... (used for past habits)
Da bambino, giocavo con i trenini.As a child, I used to play with toy trains.
Quando ero piccolo, ___
When I was little, I used to... (used for childhood memories)
Quando ero piccolo, abitavo in campagna.When I was little, I lived in the countryside.