Quick Guide: Mastering the Imperfetto in Italian

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Understanding the Imperfetto

The imperfetto is one of the most commonly used tenses in Italian to describe actions in the past. It is especially handy when talking about habitual actions, descriptions, or ongoing actions in the past that don’t have a clear beginning or end.

When to Use the Imperfetto:

• Habitual actions in the past (something you used to do regularly).
• Descriptions (of weather, time, people, feelings).
• Ongoing actions in the past (when something else happened).

Formation of the Imperfetto

To form the imperfetto, take the root of the verb (from the infinitive form, remove the “-are,” “-ere,” or “-ire” ending) and add the appropriate endings.

General Rule for the Imperfetto & Choosing Between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo

General Rule for the Imperfetto

The Imperfetto tense in Italian is used to describe actions that were ongoing, habitual, or repeated in the past without a specific beginning or end. It is often used to provide background details, describe situations, or talk about emotions, weather, or time in the past. It is the equivalent of “used to” or “was/were + -ing” in English.

General Rule for Using Imperfetto:

• Use Imperfetto for actions that happened repeatedly or were habitual in the past.
• Use it to set the scene or describe a background situation in a story.
• Use it to describe emotional or physical states in the past.

Examples:

• Quando ero bambino, giocavo sempre nel parco.
  → “When I was a child, I used to always play in the park.”
• Faceva molto caldo quel giorno.
  → “It was very hot that day.”

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Focus: Choosing Between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo

Now that we understand the general rule for Imperfetto, let’s focus on how to choose between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo: