È stato vs. era: Which one to choose?

Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto of Essere in Italian

If you’re learning Italian as an English speaker, you might wonder when to use “è stato/a” (or “sono stato”) versus “era” or “ero.”

They all translate to “it was” or “I was,” but they are not interchangeable because they belong to different past tenses:

• È stato / è stata / sono stato/a — passato prossimo (compound past): means “it was” or “it has been” (for completed actions).
• Era / ero — imperfetto (imperfect): means “it was” or “I was” or “it used to be” (for ongoing states or descriptions).

Forms

When to Use È stato vs. Era

Use è stato / è stata (passato prossimo)

• For a specific event or a completed action in the past.
• It answers “What happened?”

 Use era (imperfetto)

• For describing background, situations, feelings, weather, or things that were ongoing or habitual in the past.
• It answers “What was it like?”

Examples

Passato Prossimo (è stato)

• Il viaggio in Sardegna è stato bellissimo.
  The trip to Sardinia was wonderful (a completed experience).
• È stato un errore.
  It was a mistake (a specific fact).

Imperfetto (era)

• Le spiagge erano bellissime, il clima era stupendo e il cibo era molto buono.
  The beaches were beautiful, the weather was great, and the food was very good (describing the general atmosphere).
• Quando ero bambino, la mia casa era grande.
  When I was a child, my house was big (a general description of the past).

Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto: The Difference Explained

Passato Prossimo (Main Italian Past Tense)

Use the passato prossimo to describe a specific, completed action that happened at a definite moment in the past — for example: two days ago, last night, three years ago, last year, twenty years ago, in 2020, etc. It answers the question “What happened?

Example:

• Ti ricordi la vacanza che abbiamo fatto in Sardegna nel 2024? È stata bellissima.
• (Do you remember the vacation we took in Sardinia in 2024? It was wonderful.)

Imperfetto (Imperfect Tense)

Use the imperfetto to answer “What was it like?” or “What used to happen?” It describes background details, ongoing situations, or repeated actions in the past.

Example:

• La spiaggia era bellissima!
• (The beach was beautiful!) – Here, the imperfetto paints the scene by describing the continuous state of the beach.

Read more:

• Italian Imperfect Tense
• Italian Passato Prossimo