Imperfect and passato prossimo
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Imperfect typical conjunction: mentre - while |
Passato prossimo typical conjunction: quando - when |
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Action unfinished at a certain moment Ieri alle otto lavoravo ancora. |
Completed action at a certain moment Ieri ho lavorato fino alle sette. |
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Habitual activities and actions in the past Da bambino passavo le vacanze dai nonni in campagna. |
Events that happened once L´estate scorsa ho passato le vacanze al mare. |
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more simultaneous events in the past Mentre guardava la TV, stirava. |
successing past events – one action happened after the other Sono tornata a casa e ho fatto la doccia. |
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Descriptions of situations Faceva bel tempo, c´era il sole, la gente si abbronzava..... |
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Passato prossimo + imperfect Background information Mentre andavo al lavoro mi è venuta un´idea. Guardavo la TV quando ho sentito un rumore molto strano. In these examples, the action in the imperfect is interrupted by some other event which is the focus of attention |
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Special use of the imperfect
- The imperfect is also used instead of the present tense to soften the tone of the request or a statement.
Example:
Scusi, volevo sapere quanto costa quel maglione. – Excuse me, I would like to know how much that jumper is.
English counterparts of the Italian imperfect
- Used to:
- When I was younger, I used to go swimming on Saturdays.
- Quando ero più giovane, andavo a nuotare il sabato.
- Past continuous:
- While I was going to work, I met a colleague of mine.
- Mentre andavo al lavoro ho incontrato un mio collega.
- Past simple:
- I studied at university in this town.
- Studiavo all´università in questa città.