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:

Focus Article - Mastering Italian Past Participles: The Exception to the Rule

When learning Italian, one of the complexities that students encounter is the agreement of past participles with the auxiliary verb “avere.” While the rule is relatively straightforward, an important exception can often lead to confusion. In this article, we’ll delve into the exception where past participles do agree with the direct object, highlighting how and why this happens, and provide you with clear examples to help you master this aspect of Italian grammar.