Chapter 8 - Imperfect Past Tense

The imperfect past tense describes a past action when that action extended over an unstated time period.
1. the time is not stated: When I was young  =  Quando ero giọvane
2. the action is continuous: While I was watching television  =  Mentre guardavo la televisione
3. it is an habitual past action: I used to swim a lot  =  Io nuotavo tanto.
4. to express a physical or emotional state: He wanted to be a singer  =Volẹva essere un cantante
5. to express the person’s past age: When I was fifteen  =  Quando avẹvo quindici anni
6. to express the past time of day: It was eleven o’clock  = Ẹrano le undici
7. to express past weather conditions: It was raining  = Pioveva
8. to indicate how long an action continued in the past.
            example:          Da quando erava sposato? (How long have you been married?)
                                    Ero sposato da dieci anni. (I have been married ten years.)

This tense is used when the word could is used to mean unable (He could not see the tree), or when the word would is used to mean a continuing action (He would go there often).

This tense is used when the word “did” is used to express an action which continued for some time, such as  I did type the paper or We did read the manual.

In Italian, there is no translation for the word do when it is used in this way.

Usage note:  Because this tense has few irregular forms, it is used more frequently than the simple past tense to express a past action.

Pronunciation note:  In the loro form, the accent falls on the third to last vowel.  All the other forms in the imperfect tense follow pronunciation rules A and B.

These verb forms are made by dropping the letters –re from the infinitive, and adding the endings.

Group 1 verbs end in -are.  The model for this group is comprare, to buy; dropping the “re” leaves compra-

I bought, was buying, used to buy Io compra + vo compravo (cohm-prAH-voh)
You bought, were buying, used to buy Tu compra + vi compravi (cohm-prAH-vee)
He, she, who bought, was buying, used to buy Lei, Lui, Chi compra + va comprava (cohm-prAH-vah)
We bought, were buying, used to buy Noi compra +vamo compravamo (cohm-prah-vAH-moh)
You bought, were buying, used to buy Voi compra + vate compravate (cohm-prah-vAH-tay)
They, who bought, were buying, used to buy Loro, Chi comprà + vano comprạvano (cohm-prAH-vah-noh)

 

In group 1, the following verbs are irregular in the imperfect past tense

fare , to do, make:  facẹvo, facẹvi, facẹva, facevamo, facevate, facẹvano
Like fare: assuefare, to accustom, inure contraffare, to counterfeit disassuefare, to give up a habit
disfare, to undo liquefare, to liquify putrefare, to putrify
rarefare, to rarefy rifare, to do over, repeat sfare, to undo, to thaw, melt
soddisfare, to satisfy soprafare, to overwhelm strafare, to do too much, overdo
stupefare, to stupefy torrefare, to roast tumefare, to swell

Group 2 verbs end in -ere.  The model for this group is vendere, to sell; dropping the “re” leaves vende-

I sold, was selling, used to sell Io vende + vo vendẹvo (vayn-dAY-voh)
You sold, were selling, used to sell Tu vende + vi  vendẹvi (vayn-dAY-vee)
He, she, who sold, was selling, used to sell Lei, Lui, Chi vende + va  vendẹva (vayn-dAY-vah)
We sold, were selling, used to sell Noi vende + vamo vendevamo (vayn-day-vAH-moh)
You sold, were selling, used to sell Voi vende + vate vendevate (vayn-day-vAH-tay)
They, who sold, were selling, used to sell Loro, Chi vendẹ + vano vendẹvano (vayn-dAY-vah-noh)

 

In group 2, the following verbs are irregular in the imperfect past tense

        

addurre, to adduce: adducevo, adducevi, adduceva, adducevamo, adducevate, adducẹvano
Like addure: condurre, to conduct, to lead dedurre, to deduce
indurre, to induce introdurre, to introduce produrre, to produce
reintrodurre, to reintroduce ricondurre, to bring back ridurre, to reduce
riprodurre, to reproduce sedurre, to seduce tradurre, to translate

astrarre,to abstract:  astraẹvo, astraẹvi, astraẹva, astraevamo, astraevate, astraẹvano
Like astrarre: attrarre, to attract contrarre, to contract
decontrarre, to relax detrarre, to detract distrarre, to distract
estrarre, to extract protrarre, to protract ricontrarre, to contract again
ritrarre, to retract sottrarre, to subtract trarre, to pull, draw toward

bere, to drink:  bevevo, bevevi, beveva, bevevamo, bevevate, bevẹvano

cuǫcere, to cook:  cocẹvo, cocẹvi, cocẹva, cocevamo, cocevate, cocẹvano
Like cuǫcere: commuǫvere, to move emotionally muǫvere, to move
nuǫcere, to harm percuǫtere, to strike promuǫvere, to promote
ricuǫcere, to recook rimuǫvere, to remove riscuǫtere, to draw a salary
scuǫcere, to overcook scuǫtere, to shake smuǫvere, to budge
sommuǫvere, to incite, stir up stracuǫcere, to overdo

ęssere, to be:  ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, ęrano
                Like ęssere:            rięssere, to be again

pọrre, to put:  ponẹvo, ponẹvi, ponẹva, ponevamo, ponevate, ponẹvano
Like pọrre: antepọrre, to place or put before appọrre, to append
compọrre, to compose contrappọrre, to contrast contropropọrre, to counterpropose
decompọrre, to decompose depọrre, to put, set, lay down dispọrre, to dispose
espọrre, to expose fotocompọrre, to photocompose frappọrre, to interpose
giustappọrre, to juxtapose impọrre, to impose indispọrre, to irritate; to annoy
interpọrre, to interpose oppọrre, to oppose pospọrre, to postpone
predispọrre, to predispose prepọrre, to place before presuppọrre, to presuppose
propọrre, to propose ricompọrre, to recompose ridispọrre, to rearrange
riespọrre, to expound again ripọrre, to replace ripropọrre, to repropose
scompọrre, to take apart, dismantle sottoespọrre, to underexpose sottopọrre, to place underneath
sovraespọrre, to overexpose sovrappọrre, to superimpose sovrimpọrre, to overlay
suppọrre, to suppose traspọrre, to transpose

Group 3 verbs end in -ire.  The model for this group is cucire, to sew; dropping the “re” leaves cuci-

I sewed, was sewing, used to sew Io cuci + vo cucivo (coo-chEE-voh)
You sewed, were sewing, used to sew Tu cuci + vi cucivi (coo-chEE-vee)
He, she, who sewed, was sewing, used to sew Lei, Lui, Chi cuci + va cuciva (coo-chEE-vah)
We sewed, were sewing, used to sew Noi cuci + vamo  cucivamo (coo-chee-vAH-moh)
You sewed, were sewing, used to sew Voi cuci + vate cucivate (coo-chee-vAH-tay)
They, who sewed, were sewing, used to sew Loro, Chi cucị + vano cucịvano (coo-chEE-vah-noh)

 

In group 3, the following verbs are irregular in the imperfect past tense.

dire, to say:  dicẹvo, dicẹvi, dicẹva, dicevamo, dicevate, dicẹvano
Like dire: benedire, to bless contraddire, to contradict
disdire, to retract interdire, to interdict, prohibit maledire, to curse
predire, to predict ridire, to repeat ribenedire, to bless again