Imperfetto: Examples and Uses of the Italian Imperfect Tense

The Imperfect Tense (Imperfetto) – Made Easy

The imperfetto is a past tense in Italian. You’ll mostly use it to:

1. Talk about things that used to happen regularly in the past (our past lives, so to speak!). We use the imperfetto for habits or repeated actions.

• Quando avevo 20 anni, vivevo a Londra.
  When I was 20, I used to live in London.

2. Describe what was going on in the background of a past event. When something else happened (passato prossimo), the imperfetto shows what was happening around it.

• Studiavo quando mi hai chiamato.
  I was studying when you called me.

3. Share feelings, weather, or situations in the past. Used for conditions, emotions, or states of being.

• Ero triste quel giorno.
  I was sad that day.

4. Set the scene for a story or event. Perfect for storytelling. It gives context to what was happening.

• La città era silenziosa e tutti dormivano.
  The city was quiet and everyone was sleeping.

Smart Tip: Think Incomplete or Ongoing
The word imperfetto means “imperfect” or “not finished.” So, we usually use it when the past action wasn’t a one-time thing or when we don’t say exactly when it happened. A great way to imagine this: 📸 The imperfetto is like the background or frame of a photo. 📍 The event (what actually happened) is in the foreground — usually expressed with another tense like the passato prossimo.

Imperfetto: Italian vs. English

In English, there isn’t one exact tense that matches the Italian imperfetto (which is why it can be tricky sometimes), but it’s usually translated as:

Use	English	Italian
I used to…	I used to live in that area	Vivevo in quel quartiere
I was + ‘-ing verb’	I was feeling sick yesterday, so I didn’t go to work	Mi sentivo male ieri, così non sono andata a lavoro
Sometimes, it just looks like the simple past in English	She always called me after dinner	Mi chiamava sempre dopo cena

Regular Conjugation of the Imperfect Tense in Italian

Good news! The imperfetto is one of the most regular verb tenses in Italian.

To form it, you just add these endings to the verb stem: -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano.

And the best part? These endings are the same for all verbs — whether they end in -are, -ere, or -ire. No tricky changes or irregular patterns!

Pronoun	Andare	Avere	Dormire
Io (I)	andavo	avevo	dormivo
Tu (You)	andavi	avevi	dormivi
Lui/Lei (He/She)	andava	aveva	dormiva
Noi (We)	andavamo	avevamo	dormivamo
Voi (You all)	andavate	avevate	dormivate
Loro (They)	andavano	avevano	dormivano

Irregular Verbs  

There are just four irregular imperfect verbs in Italian, which are super easy to remember.

• Fare → facevo, facevi, faceva, facevamo, facevate, facevano
• Bere → bevevo, bevevi, beveva, bevevamo, bevevate, bevevano
• Dire → dicevo, dicevi, diceva, dicevamo, dicevate, dicevano
• Essere → ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, erano

Uses of the Imperfect Tense in Italian

Since there is not a straightforward translation in English when it comes to the Italian imperfetto, using this verb in Italian is one of the most complex aspects of the language. However, there are some rules you can look at when deciding whether to use the imperfetto or not.

Use Case	Example (Italian + English + Notes)
Describe life as it used to be	Negli anni ’90, vivevo a Londra e facevo il barista nei weekend. In the 1990s, I lived in London and worked as a bartender on weekends. ➤ Common prompts: prima, una volta, nel passato, negli anni “X”, quando + imperfetto
Compare “before” and “now”	Prima i bambini giocavano in strada, adesso giocano al cellulare. Before, children used to play in the streets; now they play on their phones. ➤ Pattern: prima [imperfetto], adesso [presente]
Talk about past weather	Ieri faceva caldo. – Yesterday it was hot. Ieri nevicava. – It was snowing yesterday. Ieri c’era una bella giornata di sole. – It was a sunny day yesterday.
Describe a past situation, place, or thing	La mia città era diversa quando ero piccola: c’erano meno macchine e il traffico era più lieve. My city was different when I was little: there were fewer cars and lighter traffic. Il mio primo appartamento era molto luminoso. My first apartment was very bright.
Talk about childhood	Quando ero piccola, mi piaceva preparare le torte con mia madre. When I was little, I liked to bake cakes with my mom. Quando ero piccolo, passavo le estati a casa dei miei nonni. When I was a child, I used to spend summers at my grandparents’ house.
Set the background of a specific event	Mentre passeggiavo al mare, ho ricevuto una chiamata importante. While I was walking on the beach, I received an important phone call.
Describe people’s state of mind or health	Ieri sera avevo mal di testa. – Last night I had a headache. Ieri mattina stavo male. – Yesterday morning I felt sick. Al liceo, ero innamorata di Marcello. – In high school, I was in love with Marcello.
Describe personality traits in the past	Mio nonno era molto saggio. – My grandfather was very wise. La mia insegnante d’inglese era molto preparata. – My English teacher was very knowledgeable.
Say what people knew or meant (past)	Non sapevo cosa pensare. – I didn’t know what to think. Non volevo dire quello. – I didn’t want to say that. Non sapevo che Marco e Maria stavano insieme. – I didn’t know Marco and Maria were together. ➤ Use sapere and volere in imperfetto for mental state or intention
“Used to do…” in general	Vivevo a Roma quando studiavo all’università. – I used to live in Rome when I was in school. Viaggiavo molto prima di avere bambini. – I used to travel a lot before having children. ➤ Imperfetto expresses habitual actions in the past

More uses of the imperfetto

1.We use the imperfetto to express a polite request in place of the present conditional (vorrei).

Volevo chiederti una cosa	I wanted to ask you something.
Vorrei chiederti una cosa	I would like to ask you something.

Volevo chiederti un favore	I wanted to ask you for a favor.
Vorrei chiederti un favore	I would like to ask you for a favor.

2. We use the imperfetto if two actions happen at the exact same moment in the past, we use the imperfect.

Mentre scrivevo il mio diario, mio figlio disegnava nella sua camera.

While I was writing in my journal, my child was drawing in his room.

3. We use the imperfetto if one action interrupts an ongoing action, we use the imperfect tense for the ongoing action and the passato prossimo for the interruption.

Mentre dormivo [ongoing action], mi hanno chiamato al telefono [interruption] e mi sono svegliata.

While I was sleeping [ongoing action], someone called [interruption] and I woke up.

Imperfetto vs. Passato Prossimo: An Easy Explanation

When to use the imperfect tense instead of the passato prossimo?

Common time expressions used with imperfetto:

• Normalmente – Typically
• Di solito – Usually
• Mentre – While
• Ogni volta che – Every time that
• Da piccola/da piccolo – When I was little
• Ogni giorno – Every day
• Spesso – Often
• Sempre – Always
• Raramente – Rarely
• A volte/Qualche volta – Sometimes
• Negli anni 60 – In the sixties (or any other decade)
• Quando ero giovane – When I was young
• In quel periodo – During that period
• Tutte le domeniche – Every Sunday (or any day of the week)

The imperfect tense shows something that happened repeatedly in the past, without clear start or end times. Think of it as describing habits or routines from the past.

Examples:

• Di solito andavo in quel caffè a studiare – Typically, I would go to that café to study
• Ogni volta che andavo a Roma, andavo a trovare i miei amici – Every time I went to Rome, I would visit my friends
• Da piccolo giocavo sempre a calcio – When I was little, I always played soccer

If you say, “Ho comprato una macchina” without mentioning when, we still understand this happened at a specificmoment in the past. Using the imperfetto for “compravo una macchina” would sound strange, since buying a car isn’t an ongoing action. It would translate to something like “I used to buy a car.”

Passato Prossimo

The passato prossimo shows an event that happened at a specific moment in the past. We know when it started and ended. This tense often appears with these time expressions:

Common time expressions used with passato prossimo:

• Due giorni fa, un anno fa – Two days ago, one year ago
• Ieri – Yesterday
• L’anno scorso – Last year
• Questa mattina – This morning
• Ieri sera – Last night
• L’estate scorsa, giovedì scorso, etc. – Last summer, last Thursday, etc.
• Ultimamente – Lately
• L’altro ieri – The day before yesterday
• Una volta – One time/Once
• Due/tre volte – Two/three times
• Il mese scorso – Last month
• La settimana scorsa – Last week
• Sabato scorso – Last Saturday (or any day)
• Nel 2020 – In 2020 (specific year)
• Alle tre – At three o’clock
• Stamattina – This morning
• Poco fa – A little while ago
• Appena – Just (as in just happened)

When you use one of these time expressions, you should always use passato prossimo. It’s also used when the specific time is understood in conversation.

Examples:

• Ho mangiato troppo ieri sera. (I ate too much last night.)
• Due anni fa sono andato in Sud Africa. (Two years ago, I went to South Africa.)
• Ho comprato una macchina la scorsa settimana. (I bought a car last week.)

Dive deeper:

• Imperfetto vs. Passato Prossimo
• Passato Prossimo

Let’s Practice! Imperfetto or Passato Prossimo?