Choosing Between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo

What’s the Difference between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo?

Both the imperfetto (imperfect) and passato prossimo (present perfect) are used to describe past events in Italian. However, they are used in different contexts and convey different nuances of time.

The passato prossimo is used to describe actions that are:

• Completed
• Occurred once
• Have a clear beginning and end

In contrast, the imperfetto is used for:

• Ongoing or habitual actions in the past
• Descriptions of conditions, people, or situations in the past

In short

The imperfetto emphasizes continuity or repetition, while the passato prossimo highlights a single, completed event.

When to Use Passato Prossimo 

The passato prossimo is used to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific point in the past. These actions are not repeated and have a clear beginning and end. They are often associated with a time reference (e.g., yesterday, two weeks ago, last year) that helps situate the action in a defined moment.

Examples:

• Due anni fa ho partecipato a una competizione sciistica.
  Two years ago, I participated in a ski competition.
• Ieri sera ho guardato un bel film.
  I watched a good movie last night.
• La scorsa estate sono andato in Italia.
  Last summer, I went to Italy.
• Lo scorso weekend sono stato al mare.
  Last weekend, I was at the beach.

Common Time Expressions Used with Passato Prossimo

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How to Use Imperfetto 

1. To Describe Ongoing or Repeated Past Actions

The imperfetto is commonly used to describe:

• Continuous or habitual actions in the past
• Ongoing situations without a defined endpoint
• General states or routines in the past, such as childhood experiences, daily habits, or periods of life

Examples:

• Quando andavo all’università, passavo molto tempo in biblioteca
  When I was in college, I spent a lot of time in the library
• Quando avevo vent’anni, vivevo in appartamenti condivisi
  When I was twenty, I lived in shared apartments
• Quando ho cominciato a lavorare, non guadagnavo molto
  When I started working, I wasn’t earning much

These examples show how the imperfetto is used to express what life “used to be like” or what someone “used to do.”

2. To Contrast Past and Present States or Habits

The imperfetto is often used to contrast how things were in the past versus how they are now. The adverb prima (before) is frequently used to introduce such contrasts.

Examples:

You can also use imperfetto for the background (ongoing past habit), followed by passato prossimo to describe a specific event that interrupted or changed that habit.

3. To Describe People, Objects, Situations, or Places in the Past

The imperfect tense is also used to describe people, objects, situations, or places in the past.

The imperfetto is used to set the scene in the past — describing what someone or something was like, what a place looked like, or what the general situation was.

Example:

Maria era una bambina allegra e vivace. Viveva in una casa piccola con i suoi genitori, che erano entrambi medici all’ospedale centrale di Roma. Aveva un piccolo criceto come animale, perché la sua casa era molto piccola.
Maria was a cheerful and lively little girl. She lived in a small house with her parents, who were both doctors at the central hospital in Rome. She had a small hamster as a pet, because her house was very small.

Note:

• “was” = era (for he/she/it)
• “were” = erano (for they)

These forms are very common in descriptive passages using the imperfetto.

Note that ‘she/he/it was’ and ‘they were’ are almost always translated respectively to ‘era’ and ‘erano’.

Common Time Expressions with Imperfetto

Certain time expressions often go hand-in-hand with the imperfetto because they imply habitual or repeated actions in the past. Some of the most frequent ones include:

• Di solito – usually
• Sempre – always
• Ogni giorno / settimana / anno – every day / week / year
• Tutti i giorni – every day
• Spesso – often
• Mentre – while

These expressions help signal that you’re talking about repeated or ongoing actions — a perfect match for the imperfetto.

How to Translate the Imperfetto in English 

In English grammar, it can be translated as the past continuous tense, used to describe a past action that was ongoing or repeated at a specific time in the past. For example, “I was studying” or “I used to live” or “I would go” (when used in the the past).

So, for example, “vivevo”can be translated into English, like:

• I used to live…
• I would live…(in the past)
• I was living  

Using Passato Prossimo and Imperfetto in the Same Sentence

It’s very common in Italian to use both the imperfetto and passato prossimo within the same sentence. This happens because the two tenses serve different functions:

• Imperfetto: sets the background or describes an ongoing action or habitual activity in the past
• Passato Prossimo: indicates a specific, completed action or main event

General rule:

Imperfetto = ongoing action (background)
Passato Prossimo = main event (interruption or new action)

Sentences often include the conjunction “mentre” (while) or “quando” (when), signaling the use of these tenses together.

Examples

In both cases:

Passato Prossimo = “ho ricevuto”, “ha cominciato”, “sono dovuto tornare” → completed/main events

Imperfetto = “lavoravo”, “stavo andando” → background actions

Dive deeper:

• Examples and Uses of the Italian Imperfect Tense
• Italian Passato Prossimo

Exercise: Passato Prossimo or Imperfetto?