Posts

, ,

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Italian Past Tenses

One of the most frequent problems English speakers have when studying Italian is choosing between Passato Prossimo vs Imperfetto.

Passato Prossimo and Imperfetto are Italian Past Tenses used to talk about something that happened in the past, but they have different uses and purposes. Passato prossimo is made by the verb avere or essere in the present tense plus the past participle and it is used to indicate past events that happened once, but still have effects on the present. Imperfetto is formed dropping the -re of the infinitive and adding -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano and it is used to talk about past habits or repetitive actions that are no longer happening.

As you can see it is not very difficult to understand. In this article, we will focus on the main differences existing between these two tenses and when to use them in the right context. In particular we will see:

  1. One time vs Habit
  2. Description of the conditions and states
  3. Duration of the past actions
  4. Parallel Actions
  5. Interrupted Actions
  6. Storytelling
  7. Time Expressions

But, first, let’s quickly refresh the forms of these two tenses:

Passato Prossimo

Passato prossimo is made by the verb avere or essere in the present tense plus the past participle. You obtain the  past participle by changing the final endings of the infinitive form, in this way:

-are → -ato,

-ere → -uto,

-ire → -ito.

Remember that when you use the auxiliary essere, you need to change the final endings according to the subject.

Examples:

Ho mangiato una torta buonissima.
I ate a very good cake.

Siamo andati in palestra.
We went to the gym.

Imperfetto

Imperfetto is easy in its formation. You drop -re of the infinitive and simply add -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

Examples:

Da piccola mangiavo tante caramelle.
When I was little, I used to eat a lot of candy.

Non dormiva mai quando la bambina piangeva.
She never slept when the baby cried.

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Common Uses

In order to understand the main differences between the Passato Prossimo and the Imperfetto, I’m going to show you some of the most common uses of the two tenses in everyday life, compared to each other and explained through various examples.

Before proceeding, I also suggest you some useful books you can use to repeat Italian Grammar and Italian Tenses:

1. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – One time vs habit

We use the Imperfetto to talk about past habits or repetitive actions that are no longer happening. On the contrary, the Passato Prossimo is required when you want to indicate past events that happened once, but still have effects on the present. Look at the following examples.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Da bambina andavo in piscina due volte a settimana.
When I was a child, I used to go to the swimming pool twice a week. 		La scorsa settimana sono andata in piscina.
Last week I went to the swimming pool. 
Dopo ogni viaggio gli portava sempre un souvenir.
After each trip he always used to bring him a gift. 		Antonio mi ha portato un souvenir dal Canada.
Antonio brought me a gift from Canada.
Mangiava tanto perché si annoiava.
He was eating a lot because he was getting bored.   		L’altro giorno ha mangiato tanto e si è sentito male.
The other day he ate a lot and he got sick.

As you can see, it’s not very complicated! Let’s see other examples:

Mio padre mi portava con sé in ufficio ogni volta che poteva.
My father used to take me with him to his office every time he could.   		Ieri mattina mio padre mi ha portato con sé in ufficio.
Yesterday morning my father took me with him to his office.  
Da piccolo io e i miei parenti ci riunivamo a Natale.
When I was young, my relatives and I used to meet on Christmas.   		Un anno fa io e i miei parenti ci siamo riuniti a Natale.
One year ago my relatives and I met on Christmas.  
A volte tornava dalla Sicilia con un vassoio di cannoli.
Sometimes, he used to come back from Sicily with a tray of cannoli. 		Il mese scorso è tornato dalla Sicilia con un vassoio di cannoli.
Last month he came back from Sicily with a tray of cannoli.

2. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Description of conditions and states

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

Also, we need to look at the typology of the description you provide when speaking about past conditions and states. Specifically, we employ the Imperfetto to describe the weather and physical or emotional states in the past. On the contrary, we apply the Passato Prossimo to point out physical and mental changes happened in a specific moment in the past, as events.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Era una giornata fredda e nuvolosa.
It was a cold and cloudy day. 		Oggi ha piovuto e non sono potuto andare al parco.
Today it rained so I didn’t manage to go to the park.
Dopo la caduta sentiva dolore alla caviglia.
After falling down, he felt pain in his ankle.    		Ha sentito dolore quando si è fatto male alla caviglia.
He was in pain when he hurt his ankle. 
Mi innervosiva il suo atteggiamento sfacciato.
His brush attitude made me nervous. 		Mi ha davvero innervosito il suo modo di fare.
His way of acting really made me nervous.

3. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Duration of past actions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

In the third place, we focus on the duration of past actions . According to this principle, we resort to the Imperfetto when we relate to past actions or events whose start and end are basically unclear. Otherwise, we need the Passato Prossimo in case of past facts that started and ended at a specific point in time.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Andava in Europa, più precisamente in Portogallo.
He was flying to Europe, more precisely to Portugal. 		Sei anni fa sono andato in Europa, più precisamente in Portogallo.
Six years ago, I flew to Europe, more precisely to Portugal.  
Beveva con gli amici in un locale vicino la stazione.
He was drinking with his friends in a pub next to the station. 		Ieri sera è andato a bere con gli amici.
Yesterday evening he went out for a drink with his friends.
Il fratello di Andrea veniva a trovarmi ogni volta che poteva.
Andrea’s brother used to come to visit me every time he could. 		L’altro ieri mi è venuto a trovare il fratello di Andrea.
The day before yesterday, Andrea’s brother came to visit me.

4. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Parallel Actions 

Generally, we use the Imperfetto to mention concurrent events, meaning facts that happened in the same moment or period of time in the past.

Instead, we apply the Passato Prossimo in case of actions in succession whose duration or moment of occurance in the past are not so relevant.

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Mentre pranzava, mio madre guardava “Un posto al sole”.
While having lunch, my mother was watching “Un posto al sole”. 		Mia madre ha pranzato e poi ha guardato “Un posto al sole”.
My mother had lunch and then watched “Un posto al sole”.
All’università studiava e lavorava in un ristorante per pagarsi gli studi.
When she was at university, she used to study and work in a restaurant to pay her istruction. 		Dopo l’università, si è laureata e in seguito ha trovato lavoro in uno studio medico.
After university, she graduated and later found a job in a doctor’s office.  
Lidia ascoltava “Resta in ascolto” di Laura Pausini, mentre pelava le patate.
Lidia was listening to “Resta in ascolto” by Laura Pausini, while peeling potatoes.    		Lidia ha pelato prima le patate e poi dopo ha ascoltato “Resta in ascolto” di Laura Pausini.
Firstly, Lidia peeled potatoes; after that she listened to “Resta in ascolto” by Laura Pausini.

5. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Interrupted actions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

There are some occasions where we require both the Imperfetto and the Passato Prossimo in a sentence built in the past. For this reason, we make reference to actions interrupted by others, namely reporting what we were doing when something occurred and interrupted what we were doing. In this specific case, you can find the presence of quando (when) and mentre (while).

Examples:

Facevamo i compiti quando improvvisamente sono ritornati i nostri genitori.
We were doing our homework when suddenly our parents came back home.

Mentre mi preparavo per la scuola, mi ha chiamato Paolo.
While I was getting ready for school, Paolo called me.

Quando Maria viveva in Spagna, ha visitato sia Barcellona sia Madrid.
When Maria lived in Spain, she visited both Barcelona and Madrid.   

6. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Storytelling

Finally, we find the last difference regarding the act of reporting something in a consequential way. Actually, you are asked to employ the Imperfetto to give information about the background, like the location or the context where the event takes place.  On the contrary, you make use of Passato Prossimo to let the story proceed onwards. 

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
I bambini facevano il bagno in piscina e i genitori prendevano il sole.
Kids were taking a swim in the pool, while their parents were sunbathing. 		Stamattina in spiaggia i bambini hanno fatto il bagno in piscina e i genitori hanno preso il sole.
This morning kids have taken a swim in the pool, while their parents have sunbathed.
Continuamente mi diceva che gli avrebbe parlato di quella faccenda quanto prima.
He was continually telling me he would talk to him about that matter as soon as possible.   		Mi ha detto che gli avrebbe parlato di quella faccenda quanto prima.
He told me he would talk to him about that matter as soon as possible.
Nel bosco di solito si imbatteva in cerbiatti e conigli.
In the woods he usually used to bump into fawns and rabbits. 		Andando nel bosco, si è imbattuto in cerbiatti e conigli.
Going into the woods, he bumped into fawns and rabbits.  

7. Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto – Time expressions

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses

Another way to distinguish cases where the Imperfetto is employed from situations where the Passato Prossimo is applied is by looking at time expressions. These ones are normally used to give more information about the type of action existing in the sentence in order to provide help when you are asked to choose between the two tenses.

Time expressions used with the Imperfetto

da piccolo / giovane (when I was a child / young )
sempre (always)
tutti i giorni / ogni giorno (every day)
mentre (while)
spesso (often)
continuamente (continually)
a volte (sometimes)
normalmente (normally)
solitamente (usually)
ogni volta che (every time that)
ogni tanto (once in a while)

Time expressions used with the Passato Prossimo

Passato Prossimo Vs Imperfetto - Italian Past Tenses
ieri (yesterday)
ieri mattina / ieri pomeriggio / ieri sera (yesterday morning) / (yesterday afternoon) / (last night)
l’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
due giorni fa (two days ago)
una settimana fa (one week ago)
mercoledì scorso (last Wednesday)
un anno fa (one year ago)
Il mese scorso (last month)
l’anno scorso (last year)
un’ora fa / alcuni giorni fa (one hour ago) / (some days ago)

Examples:

Imperfetto Passato Prossimo
Da piccolo giocava a scacchi con gli amici della chiesa.
When he was a child, he used to play chess with his friends from the church. 		L’anno scorso ha giocato a scacchi con gli amici della parrocchia.
Last year he played chess with his friends from the church.  
Normalmente usciva nel weekend, non in settimana.
He normally used to go out on the weekend, not during the week. 		Mercoledì scorso è uscito nel weekend, non in settimana.
Last Wednesday he went out on the weekend, not during the week. 
Tutti i giorni le regalava un cioccolatino per dimostrarle il suo affetto.
Every day he used to give her a chocolate as a present to prove that he was fond of her. 		Alcuni giorni fa le ha regalato un cioccolatino per dimostrarle il suo affetto.
Some days ago he gave her a chocolate as a present to prove that he was fond of her.

Wrapping Up

After reading this article until the end, you should be able to understand when to use the Imperfetto or the Passato Prossimo according to the cases and tricks mentioned above. What you are suggested to do first is to look for time expressions in the Italian sentence you are about to translate. These indicators make you understand which tense is required in that specific context or situation.

Second, you can analyse the type of event that occured in the past, mostly focusing on the certainty or uncertainty related to the time of action.

Now that you have this further information, start speaking about events in the past in Italian and do not forget to make the best choice!    

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

            

/by

Italian Imperfetto – The tense of storytelling

Italian Imperfetto is one of the most simple Past Tense, but it can be very confusing since most non-romance languages don’t use it. Also, it is one of the most used past tenses along with Passato Prossimo and it can be very tricky to understand when to use Italian Imperfetto or Passato prossimo learning their differences and uses in context.

By the way, once you master these Italian Past Tenses, you will find out that Italian Imperfetto is quite simple to study:

What is the Italian Imperfetto?

Italian Imperfetto is generally employed to mention events that happened regularly for a certain amount of time in the past, actions occurring at the same time or to describe something in the past.  It is formed dropping the -re of the infinitive and adding -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano. In English there are lots of ways to translate the Italian Imperfetto, for example using the expression used to, the past progressive, or the simple past.

Examples:

Il Sig. Foster era sempre gentile con tutti.
Mr Foster was always kind to everyone.

Mentre mangiava, ascoltava le storie di suo nonno.
While he was eating, he listened to his grandfather’s stories.   

Quando vivevamo a Parigi, passeggiavamo spesso sugli Champs-Élysées.
When we lived in Paris, we often used to walk down the Champs-Élysées.       

Now that you are starting to understand its uses, let’s see how to use Italian verbs in the Imperfetto.

And if you want to learn more about Italian Grammar, here there are useful books I suggest you to read:

Now let’s dive in!

Italian imperfetto – Regular verbs

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

In order to conjugate regular verbs in the Imperfetto, you need to take the root of the main verb and add the different endings of –are, –ere, –ire conjugations.

As you will notice, verbs simply keep the vowel that is before the -r and add -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

Let’s see them in detail, taking as an example the verbs cantare (to sing), leggere (to read) and dormire (to sleep).

Cantare – to sing 

Io cantavo
Tu cantavi
Lui / Lei cantava
Noi cantavamo
Voi cantavate
Loro cantavano

Example:

Quando aveva 12 anni, mia mamma cantava nel coro della chiesa.
When she was 12, my mom used to sing in the church choir.

Leggere – to read

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses
Io leggevo
Tu leggevi
Lui / Lei leggeva
Noi leggevamo
Voi leggevate
Loro leggevano

Example:

Mentre leggevo, ho sentito suonare il campanello.
While I was reading, I heard the bell ring.  

Dormire – to sleep

Io dormivo
Tu dormivi
Lui / Lei dormiva
Noi dormivamo
Voi dormivate
Loro dormivano

Example:

Dormiva così profondamente che mi dispiaceva svegliarlo.
He was sleeping so soundly that I felt bad waking him up.   

Italian imperfetto – Irregular verbs

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

Here are five common verbs following an irregular conjugation: fare (to do), bere (to drink), dire (to say) essere (to be) and also tradurre (to translate).

Fare – to do  

Io facevo
Tu facevi
Lui / Lei faceva
Noi facevamo
Voi facevate
Loro facevano

Example:

Che facevano quando siete rientrati a casa?
What were they doing when you came back home?

Bere – to drink

Io bevevo
Tu bevevi
Lui / Lei beveva
Noi bevevamo
Voi bevevate
Loro bevevano

Example:

Quando frequentavo l’università, bevevo ogni sera con gli amici.
When I was in college, I used to drink every night with my friends.

Dire – to say

Io dicevo
Tu dicevi
Lui / Lei diceva
Noi dicevamo
Voi dicevate
Loro dicevano

Example:

Non mi piaceva affatto quello che dicevano.
I didn’t like at all what they were saying.

Essere – to be

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses
Io ero
Tu eri
Lui / Lei era
Noi eravamo
Voi eravate
Loro erano

Example:

Era davvero stanca di vederlo triste. 
She was really sick of seeing him sad.

Tradurre – to translate

Io traducevo
Tu traducevi
Lui / Lei traduceva
Noi traducevamo
Voi traducevate
Loro traducevano

Example:

In vacanza lui parlava sempre  in italiano e io traducevo in inglese.
On vacation he used to speak in Italian and I translated into English.

When to use Italian Imperfetto

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

Here below are some of the most common situations where Italian Imperfetto is generally employed.

Habits in the past

When you want to speak about habits and repeated actions in the past you need to use Italian Imperfetto.

Examples:

Quando erano fidanzati si vedevano ogni giorno a pranzo e a cena.
When they were engaged, they used to meet for lunch and dinner every day. 

Quando Jamie era piccolo giocava a calcio con i ragazzi del quartiere.
When Jamie was young, he used to play football with the neighbourhood boys.   

In inverno io e i miei parenti andavamo sempre a sciare a Saint Moritz.
In winter my relatives and I always used to go skiing in St.Moritz.

As you may have noticed, one of the several ways of translating Italian Imperfetto into English when talking about habits and repeated actions in the past is by resorting to the expression used to.  

Description of people, places and situations in the past

When you want to give a description of people, places and situations in the past you must use Italian Imperfetto.

Examples:

Il nonno di Adele era davvero una persona buona e gentile.
Adele’s grandfather was such a good and kind man.  

Nella città di Katherine c’erano solo un cinema e una birreria per divertirsi.
In Katherine’s town there was only a cinema and a brewery where to have fun. 

Era una situazione strana che non riuscivo per niente a comprendere.
It was a weird situation that I wasn’t able to understand at all.

Description of the weather in the past

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

Use the Italian Imperfetto when talking about the weather in the past.

Examples:

Ieri c’era il sole, oggi invece piove.
Yesterday it was sunny, today it rains instead.

Faceva caldo quando ci siamo messi in viaggio per Sorrento.
It was hot while we were heading to Sorrento.  

Grandinava forte quel giorno e non si poteva uscire di casa.
That day it was hailing heavily and we didn’t manage to leave home. 

Description of feelings in the past

Furthermore, when your intention is to describe a physical or psychological state in the past, you need the Italian Imperfetto.

Examples:

Aveva un mal di testa terribile che le impediva di stare in piedi.
She had a terrible headache that made her incapable of standing. 

Si sentiva davvero stanco dopo un’intensa giornata di lavoro.  
He felt really tired after an exhausting working day.

I bambini aspettavano con impazienza il ritorno dei loro genitori.
Kids were waiting impatiently for their parents to get home. 

With some verbs

You need to use the Italian Imperfetto when saying what people knew, thought or meant in the past, but not anymore.

Examples:

Non sapeva cosa dire perché aveva paura di ferirlo.
She didn’t know what to say because he was afraid of hurting him.

Pensavo fosse lui il ragazzo per cui ti sei presa una cotta.
I thought he was the guy you had a crush on.

Volevi davvero dire quello che ho sentito? Sul serio?
Did you really mean what I heard? Seriously?

Parallel actions with the same length

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

We use Imperfetto when referring to actions which happened at the same time in the past.

If the two actions have the same exact length, we use the Italian Imperfetto for both the events.

Examples:

Mentre passeggiavo, ascoltavo la musica.
While I was walking, I was listening to music. 

Mentre cenavo, guardavo la TV.
While I was having dinner, I was watching TV.

Parallel actions with a different length

If an action is shorter than the other, you are required to use the Italian Imperfetto for the ongoing event and the Passato Prossimo for the action that “interrupts” the other.

Examples:

Ragazze, ma cosa è successo esattamente mentre eravamo via?
Girls, what exactly happened while we were away?  

Cucinavamo quando abbiamo sentito uno strano rumore
We were cooking when we heard a strange noise.

As you can see, in English you need to apply the past continuous tense to translate sentences built with mentre + Imperfetto properly.    

Surroundings and Backgrounds

In this situation, the Italian Imperfetto is mostly applied in storytelling and narration, even in literature to set or describe a scene.

Examples:

Quella sera tutti giocavano a carte e si divertivano molto.
Everybody was playing cards and having a lot of fun.

Intanto il sole sorgeva e gli uccellini cinguettavano sugli alberi.
Meanwhile, the sun rose and birds were chirping on the trees.  

Pensava a quello che gli era stato detto ed era sempre più paranoico.
He was thinking about what they told him and he was getting more and more paranoid.     

Time expressions with Italian Imperfetto

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

Sometimes, it can be quite hard to know in which cases you need to apply Italian Imperfetto. For this reason, you can look for some indicators, like the following time expressions:

  • da piccolo/giovane (when I was a child/ young)
  • sempre (always)
  • tutti i giorni / ogni giorno (every day)
  • mentre (while)
  • often (spesso)
  • continuamente (continually)
  • a volte (sometimes)
  • normalmente (normally)
  • solitamente (usually)
  • ogni volta che (every time that)
  • ogni tanto (once in a while)

Examples:

Da piccola, Gaia trascorreva le vacanze estive con i suoi nonni.
When she was a child, Gaia used to spend summer holidays with her grandparents.

Ogni volta che le mentiva si sentiva in colpa.
Every time he was lying to her he felt guilty. 

Marika si allenava tutti i giorni, poi ha smesso.
Marika used to exercise every day, then she stopped.

Imperfetto ipotetico

Italian Imperfetto - Studying Italian Past Tenses

On specific occasions, especially in the spoken language, Italian Imperfetto is widely used in place of other tenses to make daily conversations shorter and faster.

In the case of imperfetto ipotetico (hypothetical imperfect), it replaces the past tense of Condizionale to indicate unreal conditions or events that would have happened in the past.

Look at the following examples, focusing on the differences between the informal version using imperfetto, and the formal version using the Conditional and the Congiuntivo.

Examples

Imperfetto attenuativo

The Italian Imperfetto attenuativo (mitigating imperfect) is primarily employed with verbs like volere (to want) , desiderare (to wish) and preferire (to prefer) to express a polite request in place of the present conditional.

Examples:

Scusami, volevo solo sapere se qui hai finito.
Sorry, I just wanted to know if you are done here.

Lucia desiderava uscire con le amiche anziché rimanere a casa.
Lucia wished to go out with her friends instead of staying at home.  

Giovanni e Marco preferivano andare in spiaggia nel weekend.
Giovanni and Marco preferred to go to the beach on the weekend.        

Wrap up

At the end of this article, you should be able to say in Italian which are your past habits or what you used to do when you were a child.

You can easily recognize the Italian Imperfetto by the final endings -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

You saw all the various situations where Imperfetto is required and also time expressions applied along with this tense.

Concerning irregular verbs, you are suggested to learn their conjugation by heart. When you are unsure about the conjugation, check verb conjugators online such as Il Coniugatore, or Scuola Elettrica.

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

/by