Verbs: Imperfect Tense

01

Forming the Regular Imperfect

To form the imperfect, you remove the -re from the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate ending. The endings are the same for all three verb groups (-are, -ere, -ire), but the vowel preceding the ending changes.

The endings are: -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

-ARE Verbs (e.g., parlare - to speak)

The stem vowel is -a-.

• io parlavo
• tu parlavi
• lui/lei/Lei parlava
• noi parlavamo
• voi parlavate
• loro parlavano

-ERE Verbs (e.g., leggere - to read)

The stem vowel is -e-.

• io leggevo
• tu leggevi
• lui/lei/Lei leggeva
• noi leggevamo
• voi leggevate
• loro leggevano

-IRE Verbs (e.g., dormire - to sleep)

The stem vowel is -i-.

• io dormivo
• tu dormivi
• lui/lei/Lei dormiva
• noi dormivamo
• voi dormivate
• loro dormivano

02

Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

Unlike other tenses, the imperfect has very few irregular verbs. The most common ones are essential to know.

Essere (to be)

• io ero
• tu eri
• lui/lei/Lei era
• noi eravamo
• voi eravate
• loro erano

• Quando ero piccolo, la mia casa era in campagna.

  When I was little, my house was in the countryside.

Fare (to do/make)

The stem comes from the Latin facere.

• io facevo
• tu facevi
• lui/lei/Lei faceva
• noi facevamo
• voi facevate
• loro facevano

• Cosa facevi ieri sera?

  What were you doing last night?

Dire (to say/tell)

The stem comes from the Latin dicere.

• io dicevo
• tu dicevi
• lui/lei/Lei diceva
• noi dicevamo
• voi dicevate
• loro dicevano

• Mi diceva sempre la verità.

  He always used to tell me the truth.

Bere (to drink)

The stem comes from the Latin bevere.

• io bevevo
• tu bevevi
• lui/lei/Lei beveva
• noi bevevamo
• voi bevevate
• loro bevevano

• Al bar, bevevamo sempre un caffè.

  At the café, we always used to drink a coffee.

03

When to Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect is used in several key situations to describe the past.

1. Habitual or Repeated Actions ("used to")

Use the imperfect for actions that were done regularly or habitually over a period of time.

• Da bambino, giocavo a calcio ogni sabato.

  As a child, I used to play soccer every Saturday.

• Andavamo in Italia tutte le estati.

  We used to go to Italy every summer.

2. Ongoing Past Actions ("was/were -ing")

Use it for an action that was in progress in the past, often when it was interrupted by another event.

• Mentre leggevo, il telefono ha suonato.

  While I was reading, the phone rang.

• Parlavamo del film quando è entrato il professore.

  We were talking about the movie when the professor came in.

3. Descriptions and Setting the Scene

The imperfect is the primary tense for describing background details in the past. This includes:

• Weather: Pioveva e faceva molto freddo. - It was raining and it was very cold.
• Time and Age: Erano le dieci di sera. - It was ten at night. / Avevo diciannove anni. - I was nineteen years old.
• Physical Appearance: Maria aveva i capelli lunghi e biondi. - Maria had long, blonde hair.
• General Setting: La stanza era buia e silenziosa. - The room was dark and silent.

4. Mental, Emotional, and Physical States

Use the imperfect to describe feelings, thoughts, beliefs, or conditions in the past.

• Ero molto felice di vederti.

  I was very happy to see you.

• Pensavo che l'esame fosse difficile.

  I thought the exam was difficult.

• Non sapevo cosa fare.

  I didn't know what to do.

04

Imperfect vs. Passato Prossimo

Choosing between the imperfect (imperfetto) and the present perfect (passato prossimo) is a common challenge. The key is to think about their function in a story.

Imperfetto = The Background

It describes the ongoing situation, the setting, and the state of things. It answers the question: "What was going on?"

• Il sole splendeva e gli uccelli cantavano.

  The sun was shining and the birds were singing. (Description of the scene)

Passato Prossimo = The Main Action

It describes a specific, completed event that happened at a point in time and moved the story forward. It answers the question: "What happened?"

• All'improvviso, ho sentito un rumore.

  Suddenly, I heard a noise. (A specific event)

Often, they are used together in the same sentence to provide context (imperfect) for a specific action (passato prossimo).

• Mentre camminavo nel parco, ho incontrato un vecchio amico.

  While I was walking in the park (background), I met an old friend (action).

• Faceva freddo, così ho chiuso la finestra.

  It was cold (background), so I closed the window (action).