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The Imperfetto — Setting the Scene

A second past tense — for descriptions, backgrounds, and things that used to happen.

The passato prossimo tells you WHAT happened. The imperfetto tells you what things WERE LIKE while it was happening — the weather, someone's mood, what was going on in the background. Think of it as the camera panning across the scene before the action starts.

Regular endings

  • -are: parlavo, parlavi, parlava, parlavamo, parlavate, parlavano
  • -ere: vendevo, vendevi, vendeva…
  • -ire: dormivo, dormivi, dormiva…

Pioveva e faceva freddo. Ero stanco.

It was raining and it was cold. I was tired.

Pure description, no single completed event — this is exactly where imperfetto lives.

Essere is irregular: ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, erano. It's worth memorizing on its own — you'll use it constantly for description.

Vocabulary in this lesson

  • ero

    I was

    Ero felice.

  • pioveva

    it was raining

    Pioveva tutto il giorno.

  • c'era

    there was

    C'era molta gente.

  • faceva freddo/caldo

    it was cold/hot

    Faceva molto freddo ieri.

Check yourself

Instant feedback as you answer each question.

Which tense do you use to describe the weather in the background of a story?
How do you say "I was" (essere, imperfetto)?

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