2 The forms of the imperfect are very regular. Here are the endings for the
three conjugations (-are, -ere, -ire):
112 Unit 16
-are -ere -ire
(io) -avo -evo -ivo
(tu) -avi -evi -ivi
(lui/lei) -ava -eva -iva
(noi) -avamo -evamo -ivamo
(voi) -avate -evate -ivate
(loro) -avano -evano -ivano
Regular verbs ending in -are are conjugated as follows:
Parlare To speak
parlavo I spoke/was speaking/used to speak parlavi you spoke/were speaking/used to speak parlava he/she/it spoke/was speaking/used to speak parlavamo we spoke/were speaking/used to speak parlavate you spoke/were speaking/used to speak parlavano they spoke/were speaking/used to speak Regular verbs ending in -ere are conjugated as follows:
Prendere To take/get
prendevo I took/was taking/used to take prendevi you took/were taking/used to take prendeva he/she/it took/was taking/used to take prendevamo we took/were taking/used to take prendevate you took/were taking/used to take prendevano they took/were taking/used to take The verb avere also follows this same regular pattern:
avevo I had/was having/used to have avevi you had/were having/used to have aveva he/she/it had/was having/used to have avevamo we had/were having/used to have avevate you had/were having/used to have avevano they had/were having/used to have Regular verbs ending in -ire are conjugated as follows:
Partire To leave
partivo I left/was leaving/used to leave partivi you left/were leaving/used to leave partiva he/she/it left/was leaving/used to leave partivamo we left/were leaving/used to leave partivate you left/were leaving/used to leave partivano they left/were leaving/used to leave
Unit 16 113 Mio nonno parlava molto bene
l’italiano.
Mentre prendevamo il caffè è suonato il telefono.
Quando Carla aveva 5 anni abitava
a Roma.
Sono arrivato quando il treno partiva.
Mio fratello andava a scuola in autobus.
Di solito Gianni e sua sorella andavano al cinema insieme.
Quando Maurizio lavorava in quel
supermercato lo pagavano pochissimo.
Mentre Sebastiano leggeva il giornale, io ho finito i compiti.
My grandfather spoke Italian very well.
While we were having coffee the telephone rang.
When Carla was five she lived in Rome.
I arrived as the train was leaving.
My brother used to go to school by bus.
Usually Gianni and his sister went to the cinema together.
When Maurizio worked in that supermarket they paid him very little.
While Sebastiano was reading the paper I finished my homework.
3 Not many verbs are irregular in the imperfect. Essere is one:
ero I was/used to be eri you were/used to be era he/she/it was/used to be eravamo we were/used to be eravate you were/used to be erano they were/used to be
Like the present, the imperfect of essere can be used with the pronoun ci (see Unit 4): c’era (there was), c’erano (there were).
Other irregular verbs are bere, dire and fare:
bevevo I drank/was drinking/used to drink bevevi you drank/were drinking/used to drink beveva he/she/it drank/was drinking/used to drink bevevamo we drank/were drinking/used to drink bevevate you drank/were drinking/used to drink bevevano they drank/were drinking/used to drink dicevo I said/was saying/used to say
dicevi you said/were saying/used to say diceva he/she/it said/was saying/used to say dicevamo we said/were saying/used to say
dicevate you said/were saying/used to say dicevano they said/were saying/used to say
114 Unit 16
facevo I did/was doing/used to do facevi you did/were doing/used to do faceva he/she/it did/was doing/used to do facevamo we did/were doing/used to do facevate you did/were doing/used to do facevano they did/were doing/used to do All verbs ending in -urre have the following pattern:
-ucevo traducevo I translated/was translating/used to translate
-ucevi traducevi you translated/were translating/used to translate
-uceva traduceva he/she/it translated/was translating/used to translate
-ucevamo traducevamo we translated/were translating/used to translate
-ucevate traducevate you translated/were translating/used to translate
-ucevano traducevano they translated/were translating/used to translate
Quando ero bambino abitavo a When I was a child I lived in Parma.
Parma.
Ieri il tempo era bello.
Al concerto c’erano più di 900 persone.
Mia sorella beveva solo acqua minerale, ora beve anche acqua
di rubinetto.
Cosa dicevi?
Cosa faceva, Signora, quando non
lavorava?
L’interprete traduceva, ma nessuno
ascoltava.
Negative form
Yesterday the weather was lovely.
There were more than 900 people at the concert.
My sister only used to drink mineral water, now she drinks tap water as well.
What were you saying?
What did you do(, Madam), when you weren’t working/didn’t work?
The interpreter was translating, but nobody was listening.
4 The negative is formed, as usual, by putting non before the verb:
Di solito la domenica non uscivo. I didn’t usually go out on Sundays.
Quando hai telefonato non facevo When you phoned I wasn’t doing niente di speciale. anything special.
Unit 16 115