Imperfect (imperfetto) in Italian
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The imperfect tense (imperfetto) in Italian belongs to the indicative mood.
Imperfetto refers to a continued action that lasted an indefinite time in the past.
Example:
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The imperfetto is also used in the following situations:
Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|
Imperfetto iterativo |
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Imperfetto descrittivo |
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Imperfetto narrativo |
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Imperfetto attenuativo |
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The following words can help you to understand that you have to use the imperfetto.
Example:
Example | Translation |
---|---|
Mentre | While |
Da piccolo/Quando ero piccolo | When I was a child |
Quando avevo 5/10/20 anni | When I was 5/10/20 years old |
Ieri | Yesterday |
The imperfetto is formed by adding certain endings to the root of the verb.
All regular verbs form the imperfetto based on the conjugation they belong to.
These verbs add the endings -avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, - avano to the root of the verb.
Example mangiare (to eat)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | Mangi | avo | Io mangiavo tre biscotti tutti i giorni | I used to eat three biscuits ever day |
Tu | Mangi | avi | Tu mangiavi tre biscotti tutti i giorni | You used to eat three biscuits every day |
Egli/Ella | Mangi | ava | Egli mangiava tre biscotti tutti i giorni | He used to eat three biscuits every day |
Noi | Mangi | avamo | Noi mangiavamo tre biscotti tutti i giorni | We used to eat three biscuits every day |
Voi | Mangi | avate | Voi mangiavate tre biscotti tutti i giorni | You used to eat three biscuits every day |
Essi/Esse | Mangi | avano | Essi mangiavano tre biscotti tutti i giorni | They used to eat three biscuits every day |
Such verbs add the endings -evo, -evi, -eva, -evamo, -evate, -evano to the verb root.
Example scrivere (to write)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | Scriv | evo | Io scrivevo una lettera | I wrote a letter |
Tu | Scriv | evi | Tu scrivevi una lettera | You wrote a letter |
Egli/Ella | Scriv | eva | Egli scriveva una lettera | He wrote a letter |
Noi | Scriv | evamo | Noi scrivevamo una lettera | We wrote a letter |
Voi | Scriv | evate | Voi scrivevate una lettera | You wrote a letter |
Essi/Esse | Scriv | evano | Essi scrivevano una lettera | They wrote a letter |
These verbs add the endings -ivo, -ivi, -iva, -ivamo, -ivate, -ivano to the verb root.
Example mentire (to lie)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | Ment | ivo | Da piccolo io mentivo sempre | When I was a child I always lied |
Tu | Ment | ivi | Da piccolo tu mentivi sempre | When you were a child you always lied |
Egli/Ella | Ment | iva | Da piccolo egli mentiva sempre | When he was a child he always lied |
Noi | Ment | ivamo | Da piccoli noi mentivamo sempre | When we were children we always lied |
Voi | Ment | ivate | Da piccoli voi mentivate sempre | When you were children you always lied |
Essi/Esse | Ment | ivano | Da piccolo essi mentivano sempre | When they were children they always lied |
There are few irregular verbs in the imperfetto.
Since they do not follow particular grammatical rules, you have to study their conjugation by heart.
Here is a list of the main irregular verbs:
Fare (to do) | Dire (to say) | Bere (to drink) | |
---|---|---|---|
Io | facevo | dicevo | bevevo |
Tu | facevi | dicevi | bevevi |
Egli/Ella | faceva | diceva | beveva |
Noi | facevamo | dicevamo | bevevamo |
Voi | facevate | dicevate | bevevate |
Essi/Esse | facevano | dicevano | bevevano |
Essere is an irregular verb in the imperfetto, while avere is a regular one.
Here you can find their conjugation:
Essere (to be) | Avere (to have) | |
---|---|---|
Io | ero | avevo |
Tu | eri | avevi |
Egli/Ella | era | aveva |
Noi | eravamo | avevamo |
Voi | eravate | avevate |
Essi/Esse | erano | avevano |
Example:
Now why don't you test your knowledge on the imperfetto with our exercises!
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Ana is a genuinely nice person and her kindness and gentleness comes through in the lessons. I thoroughly enjoy Ana’s teaching , it’s informative and tailored exactly to what I want to achieve. I wholeheartedly recommend Ana as your Spanish tutor.
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Hello German learner! I am a dedicated teacher for DaF (German as a foreign language) studying and working in Germany. I have already gained teaching experience with different age groups and nationalities while teaching German in various language schools.
Currently, I'm doing my second studies in German, English, and Teaching at the University of Bonn. (I already got my Master's Degree in German and Literature). Besides, I teach in a local language school as well as tutor students online on Colanguage.
In my free time, I learn French and Dutch and hope to become a true polyglot one day :)
So as you can see, I'm all into languages and love my profession as a teacher!
I can help you learn general German, develop your communicational skills as well as prepare you for language tests (Goethe Zertifikat, Telc, etc).
Just book a trial lesson with me and we'll find out which course is right for you.
See you soon
Anush
PS. IMPORTANT! Currently, I only work with adults aged 18 and over - so NO courses for children, sorry.
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Hranush is a teacher with a lot of experience in teaching German. She has many materials and is well-structured!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Taking lessons with Daniela was a pleasure. She was always well prepared, she gave all necessary information and materials I needed. The lessons were really good - I could practice grammar, speaking etc. Highly recommended :)
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Ciao! My name is Giorgio, I live few kilometers away from Rome and I am a native speaking Italian tutor, certified with the DITALS Level II (Università per Stranieri di Siena).
Words, their amazing mixture of sounds and ideas, have enchanted me for as long as I can remember, along with their multiple expressive nuances and communicative potential. That is the reason why, after my philosophy degree in 2017, I started my apprenticeship in a renowned institute in Rome while volunteering in a school for immigrants. After getting my teaching certification, in 2019 I worked at an Italian language and culture center in Montpellier (France). When I came back to Italy, I continued teaching at a school and as a freelance, both face-to-face and online.
In my work I aim to teach a language that is authentic and functional to deal with the most common communicative situations for those who travel or live in Italy. How? Firstly, I only speak Italian during classes, since the beginner’s level, and I pay constant attention to pragmatic and intercultural aspects of communication. Secondly, I use all kinds of supports and I gradually introduce more complex structures and specific uses. The choice of the topics is based on the interests and needs of each student. Language is always a mean to convey culture and many people approach Italian driven by curiosity for Italian food, music, fashion, literature, lifestyle, cinema. These all are regular topics of my classes, through which I try to convey a multifaceted image of my country. I have a true passion for metalinguistic reflection and I am happy to answer to students’ questions, but I generally prefer guiding them to the autonomous discovery of grammar rules, through an inductive process. I am very patient and I always try to establish a positive environment, where errors are chances to learn and not something to be ashamed of. I believe in the importance of promoting students’ responsibility in their learning process, stimulating their commitment and valuing their learning styles. Fun and gratification are a more powerful drive than mere obligation.
I provide texts and materials to work on in class and to revise at home. In order to reach the best results in all the communicative skills, I always enrich my classes with visual support, listening activities, videos, games.
If you are looking for a relaxed and friendly environment to learn Italian, contact me for a free trial lesson! We will get to know each other and arrange the work to do together. A presto!
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My Italian lessons with Giorgio have been so worthwhile. Each lesson is very structured and well- prepared. The teaching material is excellent. His friendly demeanor throughout the lesson always inspires interest, encourages and fosters self-confidence. Giorgio is capable of treating his students according to their individual needs. I continuously progress in my studies. He's always willing to go an extra- mile in order to clear any doubts or uncertainties. I highly recommend Giorgio to anyone who wants to learn, improve and master Italian on a high level and who's looking for a teacher out of the ordinary.
Giorgio V.Caro, thank you very much for these gratifying words! I am glad you are so satisfied with our lessons. Thanks to your growing confidence with the language and your natural determination, you can get great results. Keep up the good work!
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Ciao! My name is Mauro, I am native Italian from Calabria! I am a very passionate teacher, I love to share my language and my knowledge about Italy, and its culture, films, music, literature, arts, food!!! I firmly believe that learning is based on trust between teacher and student, and the first objective of my classes is to individuate student's objectives and preferences. My teaching methodology is integrated: I think that it is important to work on all of linguistic abilities: oral and writing comprehension and production. I also think that lessons must be as much as fun as possible, and I use a lot of authentic material: songs, films, cooking recipes, newspapers, advertising and so on...
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So far, I have studied with Mauro four times a week for a month. As a retired university professor, I find Mauro to be a thoughtful and deliberate teacher of Italian as a second language. He exercises care in preparing lessons and yet remains flexible to take opportunity of teachable moments. I highly recommend Mauro to anyone who is serious about learning Italian. Bravo Mauro! I look forward to continuing my studies with you.
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My name is Mara, I took a Master's in Foreign Languages and Translation (English and German) and then I started working as a Teacher to kids and adults. Since my students are aged between 1 and 69 years old, I developed 3 different methods:
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Mara is an experienced teach who is passionate about teaching English to people of all ages. I recommend her to anyone
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is an excellent teacher. has a lot of patience and you shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. she is always there to help you. Thanks Daniela
Daniela V.Dear Linda, thank you for your positive feedback. I am very happy that you feel comfortable and this is very important to me. Thanks to you for the great trust :-)
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Hi!
My name is Mariateresa, I'm Italian and I teach English, Italian and Spanish to foreign students.
Having lived in Spain during my last year at University, I moved to the UK, where I lived for the next five years. My English at that time was quite poor and I made a living by doing various jobs.
One day, inspired by my amazing English teacher Mandy, I had an idea: why not teach my native language and Spanish to English people and other nationalities? You wouldn’t believe how fascinated people are by these languages!
It was in 2017 when I fell in love with this job. So much so that one year later I successfully attained a TESOL Certificate, to teach English as a foreign language.
Teaching allows me to fully express myself and my personal qualities, such as patience and an ability to give my full attention to other people. By giving students a space in which to express themselves without fear, I create a safe, non-judgemental environment.
When a new student contacts me I always offer them a free trial lesson, so that we can introduce ourselves and I can get to know their level, interests and needs. It's from there that I create the ensuing lessons.
I provide students with a solid grammar base, but also help them to understand the application and use of the language in everyday life. At the same time, I tailor the lesson to suit the students' main interests – such as grammar, speaking, pronunciation, writing or exam preparation. I teach students of different levels, from beginners to advanced.
Although I love teaching in-person, I have adapted myself to teaching online as well. I have also completed a Teaching English Online course offered by Cambridge University. I have to admit that it's a really effective method, plus you meet people from all over the world!
Having lived abroad for several years I know that learning a foreign language requires time, but it's also fun. By speaking in it we can express hidden parts of ourselves – it's a bit like acting!
You can also assimilate the culture from which the language evolves. It's interesting to see how we can change and develop!
My aim is to transmit to students the idea that nothing is impossible. Learning a language is challenging, but entirely achievable if you keep in mind that it's a journey made of small steps.
What is important is to establish those small objectives every day, and reach them with calm determination.
Like a tracker counts the steps that you walk, put on your “count-words tracker” and you'll be surprised at how much you have learned by the end of the day!
For more information visit:
https://campsite.bio/mariateresa.medici
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Lessons with Mariateresa are fascinating. She has new ideas and very interesting learning materials. She makes you really enjoy Italian and Italian culture.Beside the lessons she really motivated me to do more homework! Moreover she is a very cultured person. I am very happy.
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I am an Italian native speaker with a Master's degree in Languages for International Relations. I have experience in tutoring students from all ages.
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If you want to learn Italian and know more about the culture, food, art and traditions, don't hesitate to get in touch!
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I began Italian lessons with Mariarosa a few weeks ago and she has been a stellar teacher thus far! She tailors each of our lessons to my pace, and includes things that I mention I don't know yet or want to learn. All of our lessons have a good mix of grammar, vocabulary and review, and I always have a good bit of homework to keep me busy and continue learning between lessons :) highly recommend her as a teacher.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Thank you for putting up with all my mistakes today! We had plenty of conversation practice although the listening we did was quite tough but very useful .
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Very Nice communication, easy to study and practice Italiano, I am a Beginner and She has the patience to understand me.
Daniela V.Hola Pedro, thanks for your words. I'm glad you enjoyed our first class. Get ready, we are going to learn more and more! :-D
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is a great teacher. She adapts really well to the individual level and needs of the student and easily identifies whatever it is you are struggling with. Elena teaches as a profession, and this really makes a big difference. She explains very clearly and the lessons are always fun.
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Hi! My name is Federica, and I am a certified teacher of Italian as a foreign language.
I have 3 + years of experience as a teacher, and I have also been a translator/proofreader for almost three decades. I can speak English, a bit of German, French and Spanish, as well as very, very basic Swedish. In short, I know just how it feels to be a learner of a foreign language, too!
One thing I know is that learning a language is more effective - and much more fun - when teaching is personalized. That's why I don't follow any single textbook: I like to try and choose the texts and exercises which are best suited to my students' interests. I also prefer to use "real" material such as magazine articles, songs, videos, etc., so you'll get an authentic feel for the language.
But enough about me. Let's talk about you! What is your current level and what are your short- and long-term goals in learning Italian? Book a free trial lesson (half an hour) with me. We'll talk about your goals and discuss how best to achieve them.
Hope to meet you soon!
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She speaks so softly and understandable. Always cooperating with the student. I'd recommend her especially for grammar studies.
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Welcome to my profile!
My name is Daniela, or “Daniella” as my students call me.
I have been working as Italian teacher for two years to migrants, for refugee centers and humanitarian corridors in Italy. I have had experience with first literacy and also I have worked with begginers and intermidiate students, who I prepared to Linguistic Certification. I have worked with single student and with groups.
My opinion is “Viva l’intercultura”, that means looking at the person’s linguistic needs. Italian lessons become a space where the cultures meet and match each other, and step by step, the student can build the Italian language. For me, the cultures exchange is very important.
I’d rather to teach with an inductive, interactive, and cooperative method, which focus on communication functions, but doesn’t forget the grammar. I use manuals, worksheets, interactive games, songs and video.
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Daniela is an engaging teacher who takes seriously her job. She has a solid knowledge of the Italian grammar as well as fun ideas to teach it. I'm preparing an exam and she is being quite helpful to me, since she takes the time to prepare lessons and homework. I highly recommend to book a trial lesson with her.
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