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The Italian Imperfetto

The Imperfetto (Imperfect Tense)

Italian has several past tenses, with the most important being passato prossimo and imperfetto.

The key distinction between the two is that passato prossimo is used for actions that occurred once or only a few times and whose specific time is known. In contrast, imperfetto is used for actions that were habitual in the past or whose duration is not specified—essentially when we don't know exactly when the action began or ended.

Example of Passato Prossimo

Ieri ho mangiato un gelato.

Yesterday, I ate an ice cream.

This sentence is in the passato prossimo because it refers to a one-time action that occurred at a specific moment in the past.

Example of Imperfetto

Quando vivevo a Roma, andavo spesso al ristorante.

When I lived in Rome, I used to go to the restaurant often.

This sentence is in the imperfetto because it describes a recurring action (going to the restaurant) that happened multiple times without specifying its exact duration.

On this page, we will explore more about the imperfetto, how to form it, and how to use it. For more details on passato prossimo, check out our dedicated page.

Formation of the Imperfetto

Like other tenses, the imperfetto is formed by removing the infinitive endings -are, -ere, and -ire from the verb and adding the appropriate endings.

Verbs Ending in -are

Parlare (to speak)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io parlavo I was speaking
Tu parlavi You were speaking
Lui/Lei parlava He/she was speaking
Noi parlavamo We were speaking
Voi parlavate You were speaking
Loro parlavano They were speaking

Pensare (to think)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io pensavo I was thinking
Tu pensavi You were thinking
Lui/Lei pensava He/she was thinking
Noi pensavamo We were thinking
Voi pensavate You were thinking
Loro pensavano They were thinking

Guardare (to watch)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io guardavo I was watching
Tu guardavi You were watching
Lui/Lei guardava He/she was watching
Noi guardavamo We were watching
Voi guardavate You were watching
Loro guardavano They were watching

Examples:

Giocavo molto ai videogiochi da adolescente.

I used to play a lot of video games as a teenager.

Da bambino guardavo i cartoni animati.

As a child, I used to watch cartoons.

Ieri sera pensavo al mio futuro.

Last night, I was thinking about my future.

Stamattina parlavo con Gina al bar.

This morning, I was talking with Gina at the bar.

Verbs Ending in -ere

Scrivere (to write)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io scrivevo I was writing
Tu scrivevi You were writing
Lui/Lei scriveva He/she was writing
Noi scrivevamo We were writing
Voi scrivevate You were writing
Loro scrivevano They were writing

Correre (to run)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io correvo I was running
Tu correvi You were running
Lui/Lei correva He/she was running
Noi correvamo We were running
Voi correvate You were running
Loro correvano They were running

Vivere (to live)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io vivevo I was living
Tu vivevi You were living
Lui/Lei viveva He/she was living
Noi vivevamo We were living
Voi vivevate You were living
Loro vivevano They were living

Examples:

Quando vivevo a Roma, abitavo a Trastevere.

When I lived in Rome, I lived in Trastevere.

Da giovane scrivevo poesie.

When I was young, I used to write poems.

Ieri mattina pioveva.

It was raining yesterday morning.

L'anno scorso correvo tutti i giorni.

Last year, I used to run every day.

Verbs Ending in -ire

Dormire (to sleep)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io dormivo I was sleeping
Tu dormivi You were sleeping
Lui/Lei dormiva He/she was sleeping
Noi dormivamo We were sleeping
Voi dormivate You were sleeping
Loro dormivano They were sleeping

Partire (to leave)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io partivo I was leaving
Tu partivi You were leaving
Lui/Lei partiva He/she was leaving
Noi partivamo We were leaving
Voi partivate You were leaving
Loro partivano They were leaving

Sentire (to hear)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io sentivo I was hearing
Tu sentivi You were hearing
Lui/Lei sentiva He/she was hearing
Noi sentivamo We were hearing
Voi sentivate You were hearing
Loro sentivano They were hearing

Examples:

Ho pulito casa mentre dormiva.

I cleaned the house while he/she was sleeping.

Ieri non mi sentivo bene.

Yesterday, I didn’t feel well.

Un tempo soffrivo di mal di pancia.

I used to suffer from stomachaches.

L’autobus partiva alle quattro.

The bus used to depart at four.

Important Note on Verbs with -isc

Verbs that take -isc in the present tense, like finire or capire, do not have the -isc in the imperfetto. For example, finire becomes:

Finire (to finish)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io finivo I was finishing
Tu finivi You were finishing
Lui/Lei finiva He/she was finishing
Noi finivamo We were finishing
Voi finivate You were finishing
Loro finivano They were finishing

Example:

Quando finivo di lavorare, andavo a bere qualcosa al bar.

When I finished working, I would go for a drink at the bar.

Verbs Ending in -urre

Tradurre (to translate)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io traducevo I was translating
Tu traducevi You were translating
Lui/Lei traduceva He/she was translating
Noi traducevamo We were translating
Voi traducevate You were translating
Loro traducevano They were translating

Ridurre (to reduce)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io riducevo I was reducing
Tu riducevi You were reducing
Lui/Lei riduceva He/she was reducing
Noi riducevamo We were reducing
Voi riducevate You were reducing
Loro riducevano They were reducing

Other Uses of the Imperfetto

The imperfetto is also used to describe two simultaneous actions in the past. It often appears with mentre (while) or quando (when).

Examples:

Mentre tornavo a casa, ha iniziato a piovere.

While I was coming back home, it started to rain.

Mentre stavo mangiando, hanno bussato alla porta.

While I was eating, someone knocked on the door.

Quando ho visto Francesca, sono corsa ad abbracciarla.

When I saw Francesca, I went to hug her.

The imperfetto is also used to describe how things were in the past.

Examples:

Al liceo ero un bravo studente.

In high school, I was a good student.

Un tempo questa città era molto diversa.

Once, this city was very different.

Angela era più magra di oggi.

Angela was thinner than today.

The Verb Essere (To Be) in the Imperfetto

The verb essere (to be) is irregular, and you must memorize its conjugation.

Conjugation of essere in the Imperfetto:

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io ero I was
Tu eri You were
Lui/Lei era He/she was
Noi eravamo We were
Voi eravate You were
Loro erano They were

Examples:

Ieri il tempo era bello.

Yesterday, the weather was nice.

Ero felice quando vivevo in Italia.

I was happy when I lived in Italy.

Quando ero giovane uscivo spesso alla sera.

When I was young, I used to go out often in the evening.

The verb essere is also used to express the existence of something, such as saying there was or there were.

Constructions with C'era (there was) and C'erano (there were):

C'erano molte persone al concerto.

There were many people at the concert.

Quando ero giovane non c'era internet.

When I was young, there was no internet.

Other Irregular Verbs in the Imperfetto

While the imperfetto is generally regular, there are a few irregular verbs you need to know. In addition to essere, three other common irregular verbs in the imperfetto are fare (to do/make), dire (to say), and bere (to drink).

Fare (to do/make)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io facevo I was doing
Tu facevi You were doing
Lui/Lei faceva He/she was doing
Noi facevamo We were doing
Voi facevate You were doing
Loro facevano They were doing

Examples:

Ieri faceva molto caldo.

Yesterday, it was very hot.

Un tempo facevo danza.

I used to dance.

Dire (to say)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io dicevo I was saying
Tu dicevi You were saying
Lui/Lei diceva He/she was saying
Noi dicevamo We were saying
Voi dicevate You were saying
Loro dicevano They were saying

Examples:

Gli studenti ascoltavano quello che il professore diceva.

The students were listening to what the professor was saying.

Non dicevo sul serio, era solo uno scherzo.

I wasn’t serious, it was just a joke.

Bere (to drink)

Pronoun Imperfetto Form Translation
Io bevevo I was drinking
Tu bevevi You were drinking
Lui/Lei beveva He/she was drinking
Noi bevevamo We were drinking
Voi bevevate You were drinking
Loro bevevano They were drinking

Examples:

Da giovane bevevo troppo.

When I was young, I used to drink too much.

Io e i miei colleghi bevevamo sempre dopo il lavoro.

My colleagues and I used to always drink after work.

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